Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP
FLAYED BY HULL IN FORUM
Tennesseean Also Declares How State Of
Public Mind Is Challenge to
Church and Parents.

he teAt ol Tic auWcco Va Sci
ator Hull on "a Democratic
View of Present Problems" de-
i hvered last night In the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by
The washington Star and broadcast
over a nation wide network Of the
Columbia Broadcasting Company, fol-
lows:
Every person recognizes the demoral-
lied and chaotic conditions of our whole
social. political. moral and economic
affairs. The paramount problem Is TO
ascertain and examine the fundamental
cause in each instance in order that
fundamental remedies may be pre-
scribed Unfortunately, mighty few per-
sons are attempting either. This neg
lect accounts for the appearance OF
quacks, takers and demagogues In many
localities with half-baked remedies,
nostrums and cure-alls. Some Of them
are more dangerous than anarchists.
The people, apart from money-getting
and money-spending, have been indulg-
ing in 10-year holiday experience, with
luxury, amusement and pleasure seeking
as their chief bent of mind. Naturally,
all phases of human conduct have de-
generated to a rather low level. During
this holiday period there has been no
well informed public opinion, and put
little thought about serious subjects,
such as government, morals and civiliza-
tion. This low state Of the public mind
is a challenge to the churches,N to mil
lions of parents, who are only half rear
ing their children; to political parties
and to the schools, upon which the
Nation Is annually expanding S3,OO0,-
600 900. If my voice could carry Tar,
I would appeal to the $500, 900 annual
college and high school graduates to
take the lead In bringing about public
meetings in every public hall in America
one evening each week, at least until
our former high standards Of popular
government, morals and economics
shall have been restored. We need the
/ trumpet calls of an Elijah and an
Isaiah to arouse the fear of God and
the love Of humanity In the minds and
hearts Of men.
Americans Must Awaken.
The very fundamentals of popular
government have almost disappeared
from the public mind and seem no
longer to appeal to the high ideals Of
the citizen. If the significance Of many
| political revolutions in Europe and
South America and the recent mutiny
| cynically and inSanely ignored, It Is
clear as MONDAY that unless the Ameri-
can people speedily awaken and re-
sulne the fun duties and responsibilities
| which self-government imposes upon
them they need not be surprised soon to
see some brand Of Communism desper-
ately seeking to fasten itself upon this
country. Probably this warning will be
ignored with SNUG complacence.
The root causes Of existing political,
moral and economic ills, In most in
| stances extend far back into the past
| 10-year period. All must agree that,
| following the war, no country in his
| tory-not Egypt, nor Greece, nor Rome
was ever so completely equipped In
| wealth, productive capacity, moral char
acter and high political ideals to lead
and to advance civilization to heights
| hitherto undreamed OF. as was America.
And yet, amazing to contemplate, apart
| from science and invention and sort
| of materialistic Roadway, this Nation
| in most essential respects Is worse on
| today than 10 years ago. We have been
living largely in q fools paradise.
The supreme mistake or this genera
| ton was the practice or insane eco
nomic nationalism by dominant Repub-
lican leadership since 1920. coupled
/ with our world leadership and world
| advocacy Of this suicidal policy. Peter
the Hermit never preached the Cru
sadeS, nor Luther the Reformation,
| with more fanatical zeal than the Hard
| ing. Coolidge and Hoover administra-
| tons preached and practiced economic
| isolation, or the doctrine that each
nation could and should shut itself in by
high tariff walls and every other sort of
| restriction on international trade, pro-
ducing, at whatever cost, as nearly as
possible all it consumed, restricting
home production to home consumption,
and negativing and penaiizing all OPP
| portunities for nations 70 carry on even
mutually desirable and profitable ex-
changes of their respective SURPRISES.
The antiquated leadership thus respon-
sible Is still oblivious of the fact that
this country and the world have under
| ton, and that we live In new day,
which calls for new and modernized
| economic policies. The policy behind
pre-war high tariffs Is purely academic
now.
The few powerful but shortsighted
and selfish individuals In control of our
/ political and economic affairs during
recent years were obsessed with the one
| idea of commercial profits or gain, with
| the result that all policies calculated to
secure to the American people the
higher, finer things in life CT a govern
| mental, social, moral and spiritual ma
ture were scarcely given a thought
| Their blind leadership is evidenced by
| their utter inability to see that this great
| creditor Nation, with vast overproduc-
| ton capacity, would be crucified under
the practice of economic isolation. 1t
| has literally cost the American people
| $25, 000, 000, 900 to teach Republican adj
| ministrations and the little segment
| of powerful business individuals in
| control Of them that America and the
| world are interdependent in an eco
| nomic sense. Our postwar leadership
| has been great tragedy.
Artificial Prosperity.
The three last Federal administra-
lions miStook for permanent prosperity
| a few years of business under high
pressure Salesmanship, resting chiefly
upon temporary and artificial basis.
J such as the expenditure of billions for
building and highway construction, bill
lions Of loans abroad, largely to pay for
our exports, and temporary automo--
bile boom. These political forces, at
the same time, thought they saw the
end Of business cycles and also the
abolition of poverty. Leadership with
| vision, courage and constructive ca
| pacity would have saved the Nation
and the world from the chief in
| furious effects Of the existing panic.
Even the wild speculation and infia-
ton that Immediately precipitated the
| panic could, think, have been curbed
| by the Government and the invest
ment bankers. Had the Democratic
policies, however, of low tariffs and
| fair and friendly trade relations every
where been in effect, most of the pres
ent acute conditions would not have
arisen. For example, world trade OPP
portunities would have enabled debtor
countries to pay their debts. With our
own foreign markets and trade which
We unquestionably could have de-
| veloped since 1920, all our labor would
be receiving constant employment at
high wages, with no problem Of the
unemployed or Of unemployment. Amer