Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-02
PLANNING IDEA
!! SIMILAR TO SOVIET
Proposals to Leye! Industry
: Would Give Washington
Iron.Handed Authority.
: This Is the Strth of series OF ar
fictes on the trend totDdrd pdterndl-
! ism In the Federal Government.
BY AsHMUN BROWN.

!; Ism in the Federal Government.
i" ny ASHMUN BROWN.
:, out Of the war grew the prevailing
belief that Uncle Sam always can re-
flemish his Treasury with minimum
of pain to the people; out OF IL gre"
eminent can and must provide .panaceaS
FVor Ali ills and relief for ell distressed
and now, out of the existing economic
<islocation, grow ambitious proposals
far the Government to adjust the eco
Yornic order so that the peaks and mol
lows of commercial and industrial prog
ress shall be leveled.
What the Government at washington
has done in the past is merely an IN
dication Of existing tendencies. Long
continued special legislation IN ala OF
Fsoe farmer class, eliminating in the
Nations amaZement on discovering
that, with half a billion dollars OF FED
eral funds in its possession, the Farm
Board was deeply in the business OF
Torice-fxing and business operations, is
but a sample. The fact that the Farm
Board has now announced us oeUer'
11aination to cease such operations uoeS
not dull the point OF the lesson, WHICH
n that the Governments experiments
N the uelu Oh puSAASSS 0AS S0SV-'
unsuccessful. ~ ,.,.1,
The extreme prodigality with which
$he Government has laviShed money on
fhe veterans Of its wars, and their oe-
pendents, until the total OF these grams
How exceed the total cost OF the entne
National Government only few years
ago. points surely to increased tax our
Aens in the not distant future. Inat
fact alone must disturb not only Ine
immediate payers Of taxes, but iKeWHe
those who have projects IN MIND winch
vEo,Iid mean far-reaching and expensive
ar1Iargemerlt of Federal activities In the
9eld Of social welfare.
Hoover Prevents Excuses.
Drought relief, hurricane relief. dis
Sster relief. once left entirely TO pr1-
vate charity organized on natlonal
scale. have now become In an enlarg1ng
fAshion the function OF the Feoerai
Goyernment. Only the stern opposNAon
fyf President Hoover In the recent see-
SION Of Congress prevented excuses ~
ta1is direction. But it was inevitable
That while Congress should be dealing
With the question of drought relief q
demand should arise in the National
TeCislatIre, politically inspired though
a. NAV have been, for Federal grants
to feed the hungry and aid the unem-
Tloyed In congested areas OF popula-
When Senators Walsh Of Massachu'
sRtts and La Toilette Of Wisconsin circu,
Iarized the mayors and otner Ioca
sNIthorities Of hundreds Of towns ane
cstieS resnectively, on the Atlantic sea-
hoard and in the Middle West, asking
ia erect, would you accept DIS
Grant Of money from the Federal Gov
eminent for unemployment relief?' tnC
overvhelming majority of answers were
in the enthusiastic affirmative. Int
dole for the moment cast Its snaooV
over the national scene
Muscle Shoals Bill.
THE enactment by Congress OF I'M
TN putting the Government tranKy 1nt'
fhe business of manufacturing ana olS
,frihaItin0 electric power at Muscle ShoaI
cave another evidence OF the trenc
toward a socialistic paternal1Sm. ina
Yresident Hoover'S veto OF TINS meaSut'
met widespread approval does not me es.,
that the political group holding IN
TaIanee of power In Congress will aban'
Don further efforts In that direction.
Tfe growth Of the system OF Feoera
s:Ihsidies to States from $8,0oo,0O0 II
19I2 to 5000, 900 900 in 1881, MARKING
AZ it does the sweeping progress ina
has been made In shifting the nuroeI
dH government costs to washington
another sign Of the times.
Now emerges the most 1ar-reacnins
series Of proposals so far advanced
T1ronosals that would center In the GOV
eminent at Washington an 1ron-nanoee
authority over all commerce, finance ane
3ndistry. ON the theory that through
aaIch concentrated authority and long
JWnre planning" as In Russia, TN
economic condition Of the country car
De stabilized, business maintained on
level keel, unemployment prevented ant
poverty avoided. :, 49,,
in two bills introduced IN Congress
respectively, by Senators La Toilette ant
Blaine of wisconsin, leaders in TIT
recent Progressive conference IN Wash
inTton wherein their ideas found al
echo.
Would Create Council
The La Toilette bill would create
national economic council of is mem
hers appointed by the President upoi
RECOMMENDATION by industrial, financial
a9ricuitural, transportation and laoo
Ieaders, This councils duties would D
IA keep advised regarding genera
economic conditions and problems,
Formulate proposals looking to sou
,4ton Of the problems and 70 suomi
these proposals to the PreSioent ant
TSe Blaine bill is on much the SAM
lines, Both are tentative and WILL o.
mad more definite at the Winter ses
SION of Congress. They will be I'M
uIeYnented' with large powers then
During the Progressive conference
Senator La Toilette was chairman o
the Committee on Unemployment ant
Ir1dIgtrtal Sterilization. which brough
in Q report, the pregnant part OF which
follows:
IN weighing the contributing fac
tors that are responsible for the pres
ent depression and that under prc2en
continuing conditions will repeat tn
depression In the future, 1t Is the com
mittee's conclusion that the only sount
approach to the problem Of unemploy
unent and Industrial instability Is tn
creation Of the necessary pubic ma
chinery Of planning and control.
1.-The New Order"
A subcommittee Is now preparing
bills to this end TO be presented mex
Winter, and presumably to be bul!
around the La Toilette and the Blain
bills.
public machinery OF planning ant
control" Is q broad and comprehensiV
phrase the full import Of which ma
not be realized by the uniformed, ou
which Is thoroughly understood by tn
members Of the congressional coalition
1t is illuminated by the speeches an
the literature Of the many advocate
OF "the new order" devoted 10 dem
at