CHAPTER IX
Another Trip to Mars
In an importantletter to me from Lieutenant Balmore from San Francisco, he wrote—
When I left you some time ago, I made a trip to the West coast. In the veterans hospitals I contacted many disabled veterans who had just returned from the battle fields in Korea. I had known many of them in the old days. I told them in detail about my experiences in Mars. I told them of my plan to take a group of them back with me to Mars to verify my experiences. Of course they were skeptical at first. But after I had presented my cause more clearly they were convinced there might be something to my plan. Most of them had nothing to lose. Because of their own contact with war and their own ruined lives, they were keen to save their children from the same fate, once and for all. "But where will you get a plane to contact the Martian Airship?" they asked.
I begged them to give me ten days time; I felt confident I could procure a plane by some means or other. We have set the day and hour to meet the Martian airship in the stratosphere. Thus far I have been making plans in utmost secrecy, but I am afraid I shall now fail unless you agree to help me. Could you use your influence to help us get this plane? You have been my friend and believed in me. You offered any assistance possible. Here is your chance, not only to help me, but also join us on the trip.
I immediately took the next airliner to the West coast to consult the Lieutenant and his friends. On my arrival I learned that one of my best friends, an influential Congressman, happened to be there at the time. I contacted him and after a long conference, he decided for us to make a hurried trip to Washington. That night we left for the Capital. At the same time the Congressman arranged our appointment with the President for the next day.
At the secret conference the President, although not entirely convinced, agreed to help us. It was decided the congressman and I would make the trip to Mars. We returned to San Francisco quickly. The congressman made arrangements for a large government bomber to leave the Hamilton Army Airbase on the appointed day; he interceded for Lieutenant Balmore with the proper authorities. The Lieutenant regained his pilot's license. However, for some unexplained reason, the government ordered the removal of the secret high-frequency mechanism from the radio transmitter of our plane.
For ten days Lieutenant Balmore concentrated in an effort to produce impulses of magnetic thought waves, strong enough to reach Sun-Rank Banard's mind and impress upon him the urgency to meet us at the appointed time and place. The fear that he would fail nearly wrecked him. I was not relieved from my anxiety, until, on the appointed day when our plane went up into high altitude, and spotted the Martian airship.
The President after a closed conference with his cabinet members, leaders of congress, and representatives of the United and Associated Press, planned for them to follow us in another plane. They wished to take pictures of this epoch making inter-planetary human contact. They had a good opportunity to observe and photograph our plane being absorbed in the Martian airship, and its instant speedy disappearance into space.
On the trip, and on our landing on Mars, and after our quarantine period, we were all overjoyed to meet and make the acquaintance of Lieutenant Balmore's former crew, some of whom were friends of our fellow passenger veterans. They introduced us to their Martian girl friends and to many prominent Martians who gave us a royal welcome, and made us comfortable in one of their most sumptuous hotels. During our two weeks stay on theplanet, we were not only welcomed to all their continents by all their races like conquering heroes, but we also attended continuous conferences with Sun-Rank Banard and other important Martian personages. We made careful, exhaustive observations and critical explorations of the planet. We checked in detail their ways of living and system of government.
During our explorative travels, the Lieutenant found many chances to rest and to be with Xora.
The Congressman, after our first dinner, was puzzled. He did not fully grasp their way of life. He was amazed at an occurrence which took place in their dining room.
The Congressman had taken along with him some gold coins, intending to verify Lieutenant Balmore's statement that the Martians do not use money. Finding the head attendant alone after dinner, he complimented him on his service and put in his hand a few gold pieces. The butler with the utmost courtesy returned the money to him and said, "I want to assure you that your satisfaction with the way I rendered my services to the family and to you is in itself a reward."
The congressman turning around to me said, "So Balmore was telling the truth. I wouldn't have believed there was a servant who didn't have his hand out."
After the dinner, Sun-Rank Banard took over. I am going to give you briefly the summary of a very interesting discourse delivered to us by Sun-Rank Banard, which I took down in notes.
"Mr. Congressman, I can follow the state of your mind, you are bewildered. Let me answer one of your thoughts, and then I will explain what is uppermost in your mind.
"You were first wondering at our having no servant problem. We have no servants and no such problems; all our house attendants feel it an honor to do their duties as experts in their calling.
"There is no master or servant feeling on Mars. The attendants of homes, and workers of factories and shops have the right to be transferred if they are not happy or satisfied in their jobs. A transfer seldom happens; but if it does, it is always done in a generous manner and friendly spirit. Servants get the same food here as we do, and entertain their friends here with the same food and services that we get. In my grade days, I also had thehonor of performing similar service to a high ranking member.
"Furthermore, our head attendant acted very tactfully, because it is dishonorable and offensive for us to receive any material thing as a reward for service. It lowers us to the servile standard. If merited, the reward or gift which is appreciated and looked for is an honorable promotion in points to a higher degree. In fact, there are no gifts given to anyone, except children."
The Congressman then replied, "First, from what I have observed of your ways of life, it looks to me as if you Martians live a regimented existence; we earth people have liberty, and are free. I want to be frank with you. I am somewhat confused. Do you use no money at all on your planet? How do you measure value and what medium of exchange have you? That same butler, or your cook, how does he measure the value of his labor and service? And how do you measure it and what do you give them in exchange? You Martians must have some medium of exchange to give your people, a strong incentive to do good, honest work and service, to excel, to improve, to research, and to invent so that they can benefit and better their conditions of life.
"They must need enough money to insure their future independence and to protect them and their families in their old age. With what do you purchase necessities and luxuries? We on Earth get the intensive desire to earn, and accumulate money or capital. This desire is a strong driving power which incites us to do good work or service, to invent new and necessary improvements, and to make scientific discoveries. We do all this for gain and profit in moneys and capital, which we save, invest on interest, in property, or in other profitable or risky enterprises, and even speculate with on the future development or increase in value of our investment. We even gamble on chances to win. Most of us try to gain honestly and legitimately, but a great many of us attain gains otherwise. We are like squirrels with their animal instinct for putting away for a rainy day.
"I am also curious to know, what kind of a life system you people had in the remote past, and by what process was it developed to its present standard?"
Sun-Rank Banard answered, "After I get through giving, and showing you an account of our life now, I will answer your lastquestion. Let's look at this question of money first. The squirrels and other animals have the right instinct, and we here have copied them. They, in time of plenty, reserve and store away food. But this is food necessary for their body consumption, not gold, silver, copper, or paper money for which they have no use. They cannot eat or cover themselves with it. Neither do they defy the laws of nature, like the few of you on Earth, who control and monopolize your natural resources and productions to the exclusion of the rest of you.
"Not all people on earth get benefits from hard work. Not always does the inventor gain from his invention. Many of those that have reached affluence, got there through inheritance, influence, politics, or dishonesty. Their ambition seems to be to acquire wealth with which to exploit and enslave their fellow men, by selfishly planning and controlling, in rigid forced patterns, your managed economy.
"Humanity, and even certain animals on our planet, and on your earth have more or less a development of emotional urges to surpass, outdo, and excel each other.
"On your earth a great many of you use these impulses, and sagacity to gamble on your money chances to win it away by fair or foul means from each other. Whereas on Mars this impelling instinct is spent in athletic games, studies, employment, endeavors, creative faculty, inventions and researches solely for our mutual benefits.
"But that is not answering your question. You will be surprised at the intensive driving force and zeal our citizens have for work which will improve living for all of us. They are our guiding principles and spirits.
"Our people respect themselves and respect others. Our workers feel they are part and have a share of something big. They are filled with the idea of making their part of this planet the most progressive anywhere. Each person depends on the best efforts of the other fellow in order to do the best himself.
"Our chief altruistic desires are for achievements and conveniences, to serve, to create universal justice and equality, to better the lives of all our humanity on Mars and to make their lives happier, contented, and more independent.
"We have no special panacea to preserve our mental force, physical vigor and long life. Our intensive life-saving health-giving medical research and new discoveries and the regulated and hygienic life we impose on ourselves. The rules are made by our health authorities and guided by them. They start before our progeniture, even before the meeting, marriage, or mating of our parents. The future of our race is a most important matter to our administration and to all Martians.
"During the adolescence of our youths and maidens they are carefully watched. They constantly undergo strict physical and mental examinations and tests. They are allowed to marry only when they have reached their prime of vigor and progeniture and are free from inherited mental and physical ills. During this period they undergo special physical exercise and treatments. They must pass satisfactory physical and mental examinations to prove their fitness before they are allowed to choose their mates and become parents of our children. We practice our latest sciences of euthenics for the advancement of our races, to prevent transmission by inheritance, or otherwise, of mental and physical diseases.
"We guard the progeny of our children as you do a pedigreed herd of cattle or an apple orchard. You choose the best and healthiest seeds, and as the trees grow, you prune them and prevent them from flowering and producing until the trees are developed, and strong. Such unions are allowed only when their ages differ no more than ten years from each other. We let natural sexual desire between young couples have its course only on the recommendation of our medical authorities.
"When they have such feelings, either she or he, without shame or disgrace, tell their parents before they enter into a marriage union. If they are found insufficiently developed either mentally or physically, they are kept separate and are given special physical training, and medicines to overcome such passions until they become matured.
"They always have genuine mutual desire, esteem, and love for each other. On your earth many of you marry for financial gain, or for social and family advancement. That does not happen on Mars.
"When they file their intentions to marry (they must be of the same race) they take special courses in family relationships and home making. These courses not only teach them how to conduct their future general intercourse harmoniously, but also teach them how to be good mothers and fathers.
"We want only children of young couples who are in their prime. Couples with the best physical and mental health who can transmit to their offspring their youthful energy and power. All others are prohibited from procreating. Under these conditions we bring into our world mentally and physically healthy and sturdy future citizens of Mars. We encourage early marriages, thus eliminating the hunger aroused by the mating instinct. Celibacy is a disgrace among us, with the exception of the very aged.
"From the time of conception until the birth of her child, the mother is carefully taken care of by our medical authorities. She must lead a quiet secluded life without any excitement and must take special treatments and foods so as to build up in herself and her unborn child good health and a balanced nervous system.
"From their natal day, we watch carefully the development of these children. Through their infancy, they are nourished at their mothers' breasts. They receive her love and affection in a tranquil home. Children are brought up in a quiet and harmonious home, where no fear, tension, or excitement is instilled in them.
"Qualified medical inspectors make frequent visits to these homes; where there is any suspicion of conditions prevailing which may be injurious to the child, that child is taken away to our infant institution, where it gets the best care. In our schools, we allow no high pressure cramming and straining of mind, nerves, and sight. Children are slowly and carefully taught the subjects easiest for them to absorb, and for which they have an aptitude.
"Expert tutors, specialists in different subjects, are assigned to help them in studies which may be difficult for them. We know the dangers of overloading the young developing mind. Some minds develop sooner than others. Nature has a way of its own, in that respect. Our educational facilities are there to help but not force. It is not always the earliest proficiency which is the best.
"As the child grows up, we train him with tact and love; under no circumstances do we allow any feeling of inferiority, fear, or hate to develop. Teachers are coalescent with our students. Fear does not enter into our school curriculum. We give the students, student government. They learn from the start, self control and obedience and the rudiments of governing.
"In this way, thousands of years ago we succeeded in divesting ourselves of the primitive animal fighting instinct. We have strenuously discouraged the spirit of combativeness. We do not have nor will we allow any offensive or defensive exercises, exhibitions, or contests such as your brutal boxing and wrestling shows. We do not have any offensive or defensive instruments, arms, or weapons, since we have no need to master anyone among us. The spirit of combativeness is totally absent in our exercises; we do not train ourselves in your sciences of offense and defense. Violence of any kind is unknown.
"We are brought up in a healthy, pleasant environment, by affectionate parents who inculcate in us the feelings of serenity, happiness, and reverence for old age, and who guide us toward chastity, patience, politeness and obedience to superiors. Our parents and teachers train us in human relationship, how to become likable personalities, so we can get along with our fellow beings. Our teachers stress friendship, unselfishness, honor and loyalty. Our strict health regime keeps us healthy and free from irritability. As a result, we live in a spirit of unselfishness, loving and helping each other in the highest degree of brotherhood.
"The science of human relationship referred to by your late President Roosevelt, in a speech written before he died, but never delivered, was long ago mastered by us. In school we take courses in human relations. Our frequent attendance to lectures by our eminent psychologists has helped to develop in us the most harmonious connubial and social intercourse.
"We have no teen age problems because of our carefully planned childhoods. I have heard about your places of correction for adolescent children. To us it seems an indictment of your method of child training. The parents rather than the children should be punished. Our visitors from your earth have been telling us many things about your youth problem. They were muchimpressed with our lack of such problems. A Martian cannot visualize adolescents as murderers, robbers, committers of petty crime. Your habit-forming drugs and stimulants no doubt help to increase your juvenile delinquency. I was amazed to hear from one of you that statistics show your seventeen-year-olds come into trouble with the law more than any other age group.
"We do not coddle our youths; their bodies and strength are developed with careful and continual exercise and under strict discipline. We force no square pegs in round holes, nor round pegs in square holes. After their periods of education our young boys and girls are examined by experts from the professional and crafts academies, who take great pains to discover their natural talents and aptitudes so that they can not only be of great service to us but a satisfaction to themselves. We help them pass through training necessary to perfect them in their chosen careers. We try to develop their ingenuity.
"Every profession or craft is controlled by an academy for each race. The members of these academies are the governing powers and judges of promotion and demotion. They honestly promote and reward only those who are justly deserving. No one among us would want to be treated otherwise. Whereas some of your own best known colleges of learning will take poor students who are proficient in football or other sports.
"Up until the age of thirty Earth years we are still minors in our educational period; after that our boys and girls must volunteer into the general army of service. This service includes menial jobs, such as working as farm hands, laborers, servants. It also covers all general labor, such as city cleaning, dishwashing, rubbish assorting, fertilizer and garbage handling. The girls must do the menial work in hospitals as nurses' assistants or aides. All boys and girls, gain their points according to their willingness to excel in their work during their testing period. Almost all of them are fired with enthusiasm and have a strong incentive to do good work. After a year they become first grade degree citizens of Mars; then they go back to their chosen or original trades or professions as apprentices.
"All of us on Mars go through the same routine. We are supposed to have graduated from all grade schools, educational,trade, agricultural, and professional—and colleges of the highest learning; but not from postgraduate courses, which we continually take after we have already chosen our future vocations.
"Every grade degree has its honorary emblems, which we wear as a badge of honor to denote our standing.
"Coming back to my discourse on the army of volunteers, I failed to explain that until we pass our period of services, we are still at home with our parents. But when we graduate from this service army, we are given the privilege to select our future home in any locality or community available among our own race. If we are married, we occupy our home immediately; if not it is reserved for us for a limited time until we marry.
"We file our requisitions for the available furniture and furnishings of the style we like best, for all necessities and even for certain luxuries, all of which contribute to our life of comfort and contentment."
"And all that without paying for it in money?" asked the congressman.
"Yes," Sun-Rank Banard replied. The receiver is a citizen of Mars and he is entitled to it.
"Every Martian from the day of his birth is issued ration books which are renewable. As his requirements increase, he gets additional books for his general necessities; but his constant requirements he gets as a matter of right without ration book points. Sometimes, but very seldom, certain scarce foods and drinks are rationed for a short time.
"From our first grade degree on, we get two Martian months of vacation each year, either all at one time, or one month each half-year. We wait our turn, and then we may go wherever we choose with our families. We may go to camps, to mountains, or seashore resorts. Or we may go on tours to other continents or other sections of our globe by plane or ship. On these we also receive all comforts and services free.
"These and other privileges are temporarily denied anyone who infringes upon our laws and rules. With all the good life we enjoy on our planet, we find isolated cases reverting to primitive instincts; but because of our thought reading sixth sense, we catch them before their offenses become serious. These characteristicsby training, and evolution are gradually disappearing.
"After starting in as apprentices, we are promoted point by point from one grade degree to another, as we merit advancement. We are compensated not only by being promoted to advanced positions in our vocations, but also by receiving honorary degrees.
"Unemployment is unknown among us, even though our population is large. All of us, even our aged, put in our full four hours of work and service daily, and our disabled and crippled also put in their full employment time into suitable trained occupations. We on Mars go in for specialization. For instance, in agriculture, we have specialists in orange groves who raise oranges only. It is the same in the production of every different kind of fruit, vegetable, tree, animal, or fowl.
"Of those in the medical profession, more than two percent of us are doctors of medicine. There are many more specialists. For every fifty, or less, adult Martians, or for 25 couples and their families, we have one general practitioner and one nurse. If we feel that more are needed, we increase the number of medical students as required.
"These general practitioners are responsible for the prevention of sickness, and for their cure. They can always call to their assistance specialists.
"In the dental and other body-curing professions we have no less than one doctor for every two hundred of our inhabitants with the same responsibilities as the general practitioners. I understand you have one to every 800 persons in the United States, the highest rate of any Earth nation.
"We have specialization in industries and in professions. Our system tends to make each one of us expert in his line, so that we not only improve the quality but also increase the quantity of production and services. Earth men, unlike us, cannot produce so many experts because nearly half of your population are wasting their time either in non-essential work, 'easy' jobs, or living at the expense of others.
"On our planet everyone, from the day he graduates from our schools to the time he becomes infirm and helpless, keeps fully occupied.
"Old cities, which I remember, have been totally destroyed and reconstructed nearly every generation, or sooner. This constant installation of new and improved living appliances and the changes in our general way of life have created for us a bee-hive of energy, industry and activity in creating better and safer patterns of living. Our young or aged like on your earth do not listlessly hang around homes, barrooms, or streets, dying before their time from the lack of physical and mental activity. We all aim toward a more or less creative and realizable goal, whose advancement contributes to our social good.
"Should it become irksome or monotonous for a person to do the same thing all the time, as in many instances it does, he or she may take theoretical and practical courses in other endeavors under the tutelage of our expert aged. Many of us remain all our lives in the same professions and crafts. Our work is not wearisome, because we put in but four hours a day, and have plenty of time for study, music, recreations, pleasures, rest, and religious worship. The poorest worker of our first grade is better compensated and is happier than your richest man. Please contrast these two; and I leave it to you to make your own judgment.
"Let us take at first the parvenu of your earth, who may have been poor and undernourished at one time. He works all day and part of the night under terrific high pressure, always scheming, worrying that someone will steal his invention, trade, or customers, or get his contracts cancelled or broken. He is under constant fear and excitement and spends sleepless nights. He is even tempted to commit unethical or even criminal acts to succeed.
"Due to his hard work, nervous tension and emotional stress, he may become an insomniac, drug, alcohol, coffee, or tobacco addict. These habits are contributive factors to digestive stomach troubles, high blood pressure, irritableness, heart diseases, cancer, and early death.
"When he has acquired his ill gotten gains, he worries how to keep them. He is afraid for his very life; many of your rich people are afraid to sleep alone at night. He surrounds himself with all kinds of safeguards and bodyguards. Why, a great many of them are afraid of their own immediate families! His old ageis not secure. It would take me too long to tell you how our lowest grade members or first grade degree members live. When you see them in our city life you will agree that your richest man would immediately change places with one of them.
"We are one nation of many races. We have one constitution; and we have one set of fundamental laws and rules for all inhabitants of our entire globe. There are no separate laws and rules and property laws, like those in your different states, counties, and cities. We have no complex money value fluctuations like yours, which often affect adversely your own economic and social welfare, as well as create chaotic conditions. We have only one government, one house of council, which changes every four years.
"Every citizen is the full responsibility of all of us, and he is of the utmost value to us. Every able-bodied person on Mars is answerable for the welfare of each one of us.
"I hope I have made myself clear. You will see, hear, and learn more about our way and mode of our lives when you start to mingle with our citizens.
"Gentlemen, we have a very important congressional meeting this afternoon. Before your departure, it may be a very interesting legislative procedure on another planet for you to witness. I have reserved a special section of seats for you.
"Let's now adjourn for lunch, and I will continue my lecture after dinner tonight."
That evening Sun-Rank Banard continued as follows:
"You Earth people make and use your most important researches and discoveries, only in times of danger and stress. But we have developed and intensified ouresprit de corpsso that at all times, we have the enthusiasm and ambition to compete with each other in inventions, scientific researches, and discoveries. We take intense pride in our work and join in competition with an eager spirit. After our invigorating night's sleep, we are in the prime of our physical and mental health, without worry, and in a serene, peaceful state of mind; we start with a happy spirit our daily occupations.
"We do not allow any possibly injurious games, shows, or occupations. Our people are not allowed to work at any machine or industry where there is a hazard to health, or a possibility ofinjury. No machine is adopted until it has been absolutely injury proofed. We have safeguarded them 100%. We are reasonably sure that every person in his employment has the utmost in safety and healthy surroundings.
"Our aim is to enforce, and do our utmost, to keep us all in the best of health, to guard, and preserve life. We prevent, and it's unlawful for us to take any chances of possible accidental injury or death, in all our labors, sports, and in our general ways of life.
"The industrial disabilities and deaths for your own nation, for the year 1943, according to your Congressional Statistical Abstract 1944-45 was 2,414,000 disabilities and 20,100 permanent incapacities and deaths.
"We have no slow-ups, nor do we allow high pressure work in our productions and industries. There is perfect harmony between workers, foremen, and executives, who do and must rate high in human relationships. Only the best of work is tolerated. With very few exceptions, and only in most extreme emergencies or important researches, do we allow more than four hours a day employment, and if necessary, we arrange it into four shifts. Neither do we allow anyone in an occupation which might excite or create in him tension.
"You Earth people try your utmost to continually increase the quantity of your individual worker's production through his own energy and by always adding and inventing new labor-saving methods and devices and machinery. By this method you can do away with the services of many workers and hire one to do the labor of many. At the same time, you have a terrific waste on account of a considerable number of constant labor turnovers.
"You offer a premium on high pressure mass production and increase pay for overtime hours. Thus you use up your worker as you do a machine; and I dare say you are more careful of the latter. After your workers have given you their best energy and become weakened, they are thrown out on the junk pile.
"Even though he may be in the prime of his post-youthful age, he cannot secure employment in the calling in which he is experienced. Your greedy industries demand only youth in its prime of energy; young men who can stand the grind.
"If we find that an occupation is a little too strenuous for one person, we divide it between two or more. Our machinery and inventions are used solely for the convenience of our workers—to make it easier, safer, and more comfortable for them. We would rather destroy and rebuild and improve this entire city than allow it to remain a jeopardy to even one person; whereas you Earth men are constantly threatened by the hazards of your daily existence. There are no sinecures among us; all of us are dependent on each other, but no individual is economically dependent on any one of us for necessities, luxuries or security. That kind of dependence is non-existent.
"Your words,money,investment,interest,cost,pay,price,salary,wages,taxes,debts,profits,rebates,charity,rich,poor,bankruptcy, etc., are not in our vocabulary or our dictionary.
"As part of our careful judgment and planning, we have made a strict enumeration of inhabitants of our globe, listing in detail sex, age, occupation, and daily births and deaths. Our census bureaus and other departments have developed techniques which enable them to give us complete, separate census lists and keep us informed daily as to the exact number of our living population, their ages, and their full requirements.
"By preparing careful and detailed budgets for all necessities with generous allowances to cover all possible exigencies and by relying upon our knowledge of regulated scientific cultivation of industrial manufacturing concentration, of conservation and preservation, and of nearly perfect and unwasteful arteries of transportation and distribution, we have not only solved production and equalized distribution, but we have also succeeded in overcoming and proving your old law of supply and demand. A false principle founded mainly on your artificial manipulation of cornering your markets, partly due to your neglect of preparing and offsetting against potential calamitous weather losses of crops and other commodities.
"In sciences and discoveries we are away far advanced of you Earthmen; and with all that we only scratched the crust surface of nature's infinite mysteries. Every once and a while we unravel new ones, making marvelous improved changes in our mode of life. For those of us who want an extended longevity our scientistsexpect soon to disclose a medium to lengthen our life span to 500 or 1000 years.
"You have made great progress in your sciences, chemistry, physics, therapeutics, biology, mechanics, and others.
"You also made great strides in your political sciences, in doing away with your titles, feudal lord systems, kings, and in your form of government; but you greatly, and criminally retrogress in your political economy.
"Your economic system looks to us to be on the same primitive level as in the many large regions of your earth where farmers are still scratching your earth surface with wooden plows, reap with the sickle, thresh with hand flails, and where your modern methods of tillage, irrigation, fertilizing, crop rotation, and seed selection are unknown or not used.
"Your moneyism with its constant devaluations, foreign exchange panics, oppressive custom duties, and tariffs on imports and exports, creating economic disruption, with different standards of life, is one of the main causes for the prevention of free trade and unity between your nations. As a result you have your wars, booms, and panics, your inflations and deflations, your prosperity and depressions, your overproduction and underproduction, your progressions and stagnations. Your abounding lands go to waste. Your lack of reclamation, drainage, and irrigation, your unfertilized, overcultivated, overgrazed lands; poverty, and famine among some of your nations with abundance in others. Hunger, misery and sickness in some and great wealth, affluence and plenty with others, within your same nation, city, street, block, and even apartment houses, where an assistant janitor with his family live in the basement in poverty. All without concrete plans, regulations, restraints, and control; resulting in your confused and chaotic economy.
"The perplexing languages, religions, customs and ideologies between the people of your nations, are incentives to enmity, turmoil, revolutions, and wars. Even now black clouds of dissensions and differences in your ideologies are looming on your horizon, seriously dividing the nations of your globe into two different camps and menacing your world peace. Perhaps another terrible explosive world war is in the offing.
"Our efforts have united us with our utmost zeal and devotion to loftier ideals and higher principles, and is the fundamental force that sustains, creates, constructs, and accelerates the continual perfection of the elements necessary to our harmonious, contented and happy life. All we have, all productions, possessions, or wealth, we create and labor for from our lands, seas, and air resources, are owned for the common use and free enjoyment of all of us, just as the air, sunlight, and sunshine on Earth are for the common use of all your Earthmen.
"The mediums of profit or force to spur us to work harder are non-existent. Our motto is solely to serve, and not to profit. One hundred per cent of our working time, labor, energy and production is solely and directly used and spent for our progress, construction, sanitation, cure and prevention of diseases, pleasures, amusements, and in all avenues to lengthen and make our lives more democratic in its true, and full sense. We are more comfortable, healthier, safer, better and happier. I dare say more than 90% of your working time, directly and indirectly, is used for the creation of offensive, defensive, destructive and killing instruments. Thank God that our teen age boys do not have to army drill and train as they do on your high school playgrounds and surrounding streets and we do not have to send them into gory battles to either get killed or become paraplegics.
"We are of our own free will controlled to our way of life, and have great potentiality of advancement, and attainment to an equal realization of our aims.
"I hope I have proven to you that our way of what you call regimented life is of our own choice and free will, and far superior and better than yours. It gives us real liberty, freedom and happiness.
"Your gigantic bonded Federal public debts to the amount of $252,292,247,513.[42]
"Burdened with payments on account of your many wars.
"Veterans administration reports that pensions and benefits are still being paid yearly to veterans' heirs and dependents of war veterans, as the aftermath of the Mexican War of 1846. The CivilWar of 1865. Wars with the Indian tribes, war with Spain of 1898. World War 1 and 2 amount to $1,788,883,344.[43]
"These do not include your states, counties, cities and private indebtedness with your extra load of interest payments on all of them.
"Regimented and enslaved economically by octopus monopolies created by your moneyism.
"With different kinds of national dictatorial and corruptive governments, with their organized forces of secret police, with their innumerable disgraceful prisons, insane asylums, and horrible concentration and slave working camps.
"Your compulsory military drafts, trainings, services, savage gory battles, and extermination. Life on your planet is so very hazardous, you have no safety.
"In general your sanitary systems are disgraceful. You criminally expose your people to typhoid, dysentery, infantile paralysis, and gastroenteritis from your sewer polluted drinking and bathing waters; and with your poisonous drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other unhealthful foods and habits.
"You are not by any means a free lance, from your economic struggles, and you will never have democracy, as it is truly defined, as long as you tolerate moneyism, but you love these conditions, and call that freedom?"
The Congressman then interrupted, "Although I am convinced by what I have seen, heard, and learned that the ways of life on your planet are superior to ours, yet your system would not be constitutional in the United States. An amendment to our constitution to conform to your ways may not prove successful. Not only our members of Congress, but also all members of our state legislatures would have to be persuaded that your way of life is the best. It would be very hard to get them to agree to your way of distributing the products of industry, for they would say that impartial distribution of the difference of ability among individuals in industry and earning capacity is unjust. They all strictly believe in our system of private enterprise and ownership of property."
Sun-Rank Banard answered, "I beg to correct them. We do notadvocate the equal distribution of the products of industry regardless of the difference of ability, earning capacity, and deserved recompense of the individual. On the contrary, we reward only the deserving, intelligent, able individual worker and the real inventor or discoverer. Only they merit the benefits from their work; however, on Earth the industrialists, the entrepreneurs, and the financiers wrongly receive most of the credit. Very seldom, and only by hard struggles does your hard worker or your real inventor reap riches from his endeavors, regardless of the ability, inventiveness, industry, and earning capacity of your individual. It is the shrewd manipulator, the promoter, the wealthy, who first take advantage of circumstances to promote their own interests; who first seize, finance, and control your most profitable and basic natural elements, or the most desirable and lucrative enterprises, discoveries and inventions.
"On our planet the worker goes directly to our academy or laboratory to submit his ideas, if they have any merits, he gets full cooperation in working on them. There is no limit on the material, labor cost, and resources that are expended to help the individual to put through and perfect his ideas.
"No matter how small or large an article may be, if it proves a hazardous or injurious one to any one of us, it is discarded. When a dangerous invention or discovery seems necessary for our welfare, our scientists can always improve upon it until all danger is removed and is made safe. In that way the safety and well-being of us all is promoted.
"The inventor is not only honorably advanced but handsomely compensated; and he, his wife, during their life and his children, until their voting age especially benefit from his work.
"There is a separate research laboratory for every activity and in its many ramifications. In these large laboratories our experienced scientists are constantly working on investigations, tests, and researches for the advancement of mechanics, engineering, chemistry, physics, atomics and medicine. Everyone on Mars benefits from their improvements. We fully develop any invention or discovery even though it may minimize or eliminate the usefulness of an already established industry. We harness all our natural forces and elements which are perpetual and useful—sunrays, sea waves, river flows, waterfalls, hot springs, etc.,—for our needs.
"We are not concerned about catering to and appeasing any special interests. In discussing this point with one of you, he gave me the following reference:"
Natural Gas vs. John L. LewisIt has now been more than a year since this column suggested that the only way to counteract John L. Lewis was to convert our two war-built, government-owned pipelines to natural gas. In the interim not a single move toward conversion has been made. In the interim also millions of cubic feet of Texas and Louisiana natural gas have gone up in smoke and will never be recovered. Most people don't realize that this is one of our most valuable natural resources. Nevertheless, much of it is either burned up in Texas as waste gas, or allowed to escape. At some Texas oil wells, a constant blaze is kept going, night and day, in order to burn off surplus gas.Reason for the government's failure to convert the Big Inch and Little Inch pipelines to gas is not entirely red tape, nor the secret opposition of John L. Lewis. Vigorously pulling wires to keep the pipelines away from natural gas are the railroads and the coal operators. They are Lewis' secret allies.Illustrative of this wire-pulling is a natural gas pipeline only ten miles from Washington, D.C., which brings gas from West Virginia. Originally constructed to feed the nation's capital, the coal industry and the railroads blocked the entrance of natural gas into Washington. They were bringing in coal which the gas company then converted into expensive artificial gas.So for ten years West Virginia natural gas flowed to within sight of the nation's capital but was never permitted to come into the city. Only during the war was this finally changed. Now the West Virginiapipeline has been tapped, and Washington, at long last, is using cheap natural gas.[44]
Natural Gas vs. John L. Lewis
It has now been more than a year since this column suggested that the only way to counteract John L. Lewis was to convert our two war-built, government-owned pipelines to natural gas. In the interim not a single move toward conversion has been made. In the interim also millions of cubic feet of Texas and Louisiana natural gas have gone up in smoke and will never be recovered. Most people don't realize that this is one of our most valuable natural resources. Nevertheless, much of it is either burned up in Texas as waste gas, or allowed to escape. At some Texas oil wells, a constant blaze is kept going, night and day, in order to burn off surplus gas.
Reason for the government's failure to convert the Big Inch and Little Inch pipelines to gas is not entirely red tape, nor the secret opposition of John L. Lewis. Vigorously pulling wires to keep the pipelines away from natural gas are the railroads and the coal operators. They are Lewis' secret allies.
Illustrative of this wire-pulling is a natural gas pipeline only ten miles from Washington, D.C., which brings gas from West Virginia. Originally constructed to feed the nation's capital, the coal industry and the railroads blocked the entrance of natural gas into Washington. They were bringing in coal which the gas company then converted into expensive artificial gas.
So for ten years West Virginia natural gas flowed to within sight of the nation's capital but was never permitted to come into the city. Only during the war was this finally changed. Now the West Virginiapipeline has been tapped, and Washington, at long last, is using cheap natural gas.[44]
"I dare say that many of such natural resources, inventions, and discoveries which would have endangered the existence of some of your industries, must have been bought up and suppressed by the few controlling them. All this babel by your economists to the effect that your world cannot exist without money and that you would lose your freedom, or live at a great cost of freedom—to all this I ask, 'What freedom?' Yes, your money systems would lose the freedom to exploit you. It is none other than your economic system which is the sole creative force causing your chaotic vortex to continuously rotate around its money hub.
"Now coming back to your last question.
"You wanted to know what kind of a life system we had in the remote past, and by what process we developed it to our present way of living?
"Our recorded history goes back to nearly 50 thousand years. We then didn't as yet have our thought reading sixth sense, it developed in us by a gradual, natural, and strong mind will process and evolution.
"Mind thought is a brain electrical wave effort. You Earth people experience it between yourselves very often when you think and express the same idea thought and expression between yourselves at the same time.
"Proving that thought and mind transmission from one person to another is in existence with you people, but only in a subconscious state. We were then in the same condition as you earth people, a conglomeration of tribes and nations with different languages, religions, and customs, similar property ownership, money systems, and weaknesses.
"The intelligent ancestors of our different nations got together and tried to find out ways and means to save themselves and their people from their economic troubles. They found out that the major social programs they wanted to inaugurate would be of prohibitive cost to each nation.
"And to finance it would not only add a terrific financialburden increasing the cause of our ills. They arrived at a conception that selfish, greedy, cruel, and evil human nature can only be changed, improved, and perfected, by doing away with our pernicious systems then in existence. To attain the object they started a most practical plan to first entirely eradicate the main cause of their misfortunes, their money systems. Their aim was to make a change, without causing a sudden upheaval all over the planet. So they planned at first to make an experimental test. They selected a large landed sparsely settled state in one of our nations for the trial.
"Its national government then published a proclamation in that state of its intentions to take effect on a certain date, with the promise that its citizens would be indemnified if the experiment should prove inoperative.
"It then started its preliminary function for the change. First, it stored away for the inhabitants of that state provisions, such as foods, medicines, clothes, furniture, furnishings and other necessities for a one year supply, but excluding all poison habit forming non-essential supplies.
"Ration books for all necessities were furnished to all of them. Government guaranteed different ration books were also furnished them whose points were good for interstate and international travels, telephone, telegraph and post office communication.
"Then it devalued and took away all moneys, currency and negotiable papers from their banks and citizens, and a law was passed in its legislature that all mediums of money exchange, purchase and sales was prohibited and unlawful, thus closing down all their banks, gambling houses, breweries, distilleries, saloons, bars, liquor shops, and all other non-productive and unethical industries. Distribution was concentrated so that excess food markets, stores and factories were also shut down. Everybody had to abandon non-productive labor, and professions.
"The state administration took charge and supervision of all these functions. All unemployed workers plus some of the former idlers were advised to volunteer into productive occupations, industries and crafts.
"It was a most marvelous successful enterprising experiment of the age. From a small populated state, with millions of unproductiveacres of barren and brush lands, the inhabitants who were sustaining themselves mostly from non-essential, and unethical industries, suddenly developed into an extremely booming, progressive bee-hive, so that the drones who were employed in non-productive occupations, with its idlers, the former half of its population, and including a large influx of a great many idlers from other states, were all feverishly working overtime at its extensive productive projects in sanitation, housing, agriculture, forestry, reclamation, public works and industrials.
"In an oversupply of labor, working hours were shortened and during periods of undersupply, hours were lengthened. Overproductions were shipped on a barter system to other states as an exchange for articles that they didn't have.
"They were all to remain living in their present homes until new and better standard of living quarters were built ready for their occupancy.
"They also voluntarily deposited with the government all their jewelry for safe keeping, so they would not be able to use them for a medium of exchange during the transformation.
"After a certain time the pattern of life of the citizens of this state turned out to be a very workable plan. All were actively employed in productive work and happy to know that they were doing it to reach and realize a beneficial goal. Knowing the purpose, and importance of this experiment, they tried in every way to make it successful.
"Even our wealthy gladly made sacrifices, and were happy to join and know, that at last, they and their future generations would live in peace, in comfort, in complete security, and without fear.
"Other states and nations soon started to join and emulate this system until it was finally adopted by all of our nations. The metamorphosis, from our former economic system, to our present one was smoothly accomplished without any hitch. All Mars' nations then united and entirely suppressed the political entity of every one of their nations, merging all of them, even their religions and languages, into a single one for the entire planet of Mars. Our old way of life was changed to our present one by a gradual development. They put in execution the following billof rights. We are to promote, defend and guard human rights, dignity and safety of the person. We are to have full liberty of political speech and assembly. We are to have equal rights, and opportunities in our economic and political fields. We are to have an equal standard of life with economic security (barring those of us of higher degrees) without want, fear, privation, or exploitation. We are to be provided with all our life's substances. We are to be free from an oppressive government rule. Our aim is, and will be, continual social progress and expansion for a higher standard of life. We are to have the right of individual petition and appeal to the highest government executive, council, and court of justice. We do not and will not have race, and sex intolerance and discrimination.
"Our government continually and gradually put in operation constructive plans and improvements.
"It took long years with constant changes to bring it up to our present standard of life. We now celebrate 'Emancipation Day' every year to commemorate that event. It's our most important holiday.
"Our two planets are nearly identical and men-inhabited, both are greatly blessed by nature. We Martians by our combined efforts, unselfish, and perfect living methods have helped in creating it into a paradise. Whereas you Earthmen by your selfish, greedy, corruptive, filthy, and cruel ways and systems of life are defiling its God-given bounties.
"Life on your earth is a terrible ordeal, after a most devastating world war with all its ills, your nations are in dispute, holding up your world peace, over possessions, reparations, booty, loot, material gains, imperialistic aims, different ideologies, and aggressive wars. Within your nations there is a lack of social control, insecurity, instability, at all times the unknown, unpredictable, chaotic conditions, serious strikes, disputes and greed, constant mounting cost of living, inflations, increasing taxations, all of which halt reconversion, tend to bring on increasing armaments, aggressions, wars, fear depressions, famine, and miseries among the population of your Earth, endangering the existence of your nations.
"Your five big nations have made an effort through their United Nations assembly to remedy some of these situations. But the plan is too new. The policy has not been definitely determined. To date there has been a great deal of talk but little action. Selfishness in your human nature here again deeply asserts itself, fifty-five of your nations laid down conditions against aggressions, but when it came to fight it, only a few joined to help, and only with small military tokens.
"I believe for their own safety, that your powerful, and influential leaders and people of your nation should get together without delay, and initiate a movement to help your government to start a broad, liberal and humane living system experiment similar to our way of life, in one of its least inhabited state, territory, or island, and broadcast the fact to all the peoples of your world.
"That test with the promise that should it prove successful it will gradually adopt it for your whole nation. This should create a salutary effect on the peoples of your earth to counteract and turn them against the cruel and corrupt principles in existence, and advocated by some of your dictatorship government nations."