90 Chapter 4
Ross,” and “JohnR. Commons” for “increasingthe standardof livingfor a largermiddle
class.” They“all thoughtandworkedtowarda larger,moreorderlycorporatesociety
utilizingknowledgeableexpertsto amelioratethe manyvariedproblemsof thatsoci-
ety.”^80
AmericanThoughtis almostas complimentarytowardEly as SteveFraseris. Upon
identifyingEly as the founderof the AmericanEconomicAssociation(AEA)and a follow-
er of the Bismarckian“Germanhistoricalschool” of politicalideology,SDATrah-rahsEly
for having“attackedclassical” free-market“economicsfor its dogmatismand simplicity,
its blindfaithin laissezfaire,and its beliefin the adequacyof self-interestas an explana-
tionof humanconduct.” Then,to establishthatEly and his AEAcohortswerenot them-
selvessocialDarwinists,Hofstadterclarifiesthat“the Germanhistoricalschoolrather
thanDarwinismwas theirmodel” of howto evaluatesocialissues.^81
Ely’s worshipof governismcannotbe overemphasized.He criedthat “thereis no limit
to the rightof the State... Duty... is co-extensivewithpower.TheStateis a moral
person.”^82 His zealotryfor governismwas of religiousproportions.“Nowit mayrational-
ly be maintainedthat,if thereis anythingdivineon earth,it is the State,the productof the
sameGod-giveninstinctswhichled to the establishmentsof the Churchand the Family.It
wasonceheldthat kingsruledby divineright,and in any widelyacceptedbelief,though
it be afterwardsdiscredited,thereis generallyfounda kernelof truth.In this caseit was
the divinerightof the State.”^83 Ah, Ely is moreopenthanmostabouthis faithinGOD-
vernment.Ely’s faithwentso far that,duringthe FirstWorldWar,Ely beatthe drumsfor
militaryconscription.Thenhe wroteto AllynA. Youngthat any professorwhoexpressed
“opinionswhichhinderus in this awfulstruggle,” the militaryeffort,shouldbe “fired” if
not “shot.”^84 As a collectivist,he prattled,“The onlyrightpointof viewis the social.. .”^85
Ely statedveryexplicitlythathe supportedgovernisteugenics—the samegovernist
eugenicsthatHofstadterloathesas Darwinism.“As a partof the preparationof our
humanmaterial,” wroteEly in 1918,“we shallgiveincreasingattentionto eugenics...
thereare certainhumanbeingswhoare absolutelyunfitandwhoshouldbe prevented
froma continuationof theirkind.”^86 Muchas GarrettHardinwouldin pursuantdecades,
Ely pronouncedthatindustrialsociety’s reductionof the West’s deathratehadactually
produceddeleteriouseffects.Ely consideredthis a poorinfluenceon the Westernpopula-
tion’s genepool.In wordsthatwouldnot ordinarilybe intendedas a complaint,Ely
fumed,“Philanthropyandsciencekeepalivemenwhowouldotherwiseperish.” In the
verynextsentence,Ely indicatesthathe disapprovesof thatfact.“Thesemenreproduce
theirkind,and the resultis an enfeebledprogeny.Reproductiongoeson, and as heredity
determineschieflythe characteristicsof thosewholive,we havea feeblerparentage
leadingto a feeblerraceof men.”^87
On this issue,Ely receivedwordsof supportfromanotherprogressive,the academic
economistSimonPatten.^88 ThomasC. Leonardexplains,“Patten’s influencein Progres-
sive circlesderivesfromhis role as a protectionistWhartonSchoolleaderwhoviewedbig
businessas an enemyof society,and,mostespecially,as an activistwhoarguedthat
professionaleconomistshadan obligationto leadreformmovements—to leavethe li-
brary” and“writefor newspapers... Studentsattractedto... Patten’s reformactivism
includemanyleadingProgressivevoices.. .”^89 Oneof thosestudentswasRexfordTug-
well,whowouldbecomean architectof the NewDealas PresidentFranklinRoosevelt’s
advisor.TugwelltookPatten’s coursesat universityand consideredPatten’s owngovern-
ist collectivismto be a majorinfluenceon his ownthinkingaboutstatecraft.^90
On the matterof eugenics,Pattenworried,“Everyimprovement” in industrialtech-
nology“whichsimplifiesor lessens” the exertionsrequiredby “manuallabor” hereby
“increasesthe amountof the deficiencieswhichthe laboringclassesmaypossesswithout
theirbeingtherebyovercomein the strugglefor subsistencethatthe survivalof the