Evening star., 1932-04-08
Meraly Generalities.

| GOV. fTGlAlul II. ItDO-Ehtl VI 1NNN
York. leading candidate for the Demo-
cratic nomination for President, out
! lined the issues of reconstruction in this
country in radio address last night.
Although he prefaced his remarks with
a statement that he was not speaking
as partisan. he proceeded to lambaste
| the Hoover administration because 1t
has forgotten the little fellow" the
farmer. the small home owner and the
small banker These said Gov.
Roosevelt. seem to be beyond the con-
Germ of a national administration which
can think in terms only Of the top OF
the social and economic structure" The
| Governors program included three
| items. The first was to restore the
purchasing power of the farmer the
second to readjust the tariff so that
foreign goods cculd be sold in the United
States and American goods could be
sold in foreign countries, and the third
to provide relief for small banks and
home owners
The New York Governor spoke In
glittering generalities. 1t did not require
The acumen of Governor of the Empire
State to discern the fact that the
farmer needs to be restored in his
purchasing power. The farmer and
every politician has known that for
more than a quarter Of a century. 1t
took the World War to give the Amer
lean farmer such prices as he would
like to have perpetually. But before
and since the period of the World War
the farmer has complained bitterly Of
the prices he receives for his products
His great trouble has lain in the fact
that he is compelled to sell at what
ever price the purchasers Of farm prod
uce offer him.
Gov Roosevelt offers nothing as a
solution of this farm problem. The
present administration made a serious
effort through the establishment Of the
Federal Farm Board to aid the farmers
of the country. And it has aided them,
| despite the fact that the rest of the
Nation fell on the board like a ton of
bricks because of its efforts to aid the
farmer. Even some of the farmers
themselves have joined in the attack.
Gov. Roosevelt wants something done
about the tariff. He did not say what,
except that it should be revised to per-
NIT the entry of foreign goods in greater
quantities into this country. If that is
his conception Of helping American
workers and American manufacturers
his mind works in strange fashion. The
American people cannot purchase both
foreign goods and American goods in
the same quantity that they are now
purchasing American goods.
Gov. Roosevelt contends that the
administration has done nothing to
aid the small banker and the home
owner. Has the Governor forgotten
the steps which the President took to
bring about the creation OF a half
billion dollar pool designed to help
banks, little as well as big, when they
were in dificulty? Can he doubt that
the smaller banks, which are doing
business constantly with their larger
brethren and through the Federal Re-
serve System, must benefit through the
operations OF the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation? Many of these
smaller banks hold railroad securities.
Why should the Governor complain be-
cause the corporation is aiding the
railroads?
Had it not been for President Hoover's
thought Of the little fellow" the wage
Garner, this country might have suffered
a debacle in the Winter of laa9-l930.
The President called to Washington
representatives of all great industries
and of the workers themselves and
brought about an agreement that there
should be no drastic cutting of wages
and no labor disturbances. For more
than year wages were held up and
when cuts came, prices had been re-
adjusted so as to Offset at least in part
the blow to the workers. But today
! some Of the critics OF the administra-
ton are seeking to have the Federal
| Government slash the pay Of its hun
| dreds Of thousands OF employees Yet
such slash would be seized eagerly
by private employers as an excuse to
reduce much further wage scales out
side the Government.
When requested to put II together