Evening star., 1932-11-01

fundamental institutions were founded
| It Is in the further development Of
this cooperation and sense of its
] responsibility that we should find solu
/ ton for many Of our complex problems,
and not by the extension of govern
lnent into our economic and social
| life. The greatest function of govern
ment is to build up that cooperation,
and its most resolute action should be
| to deny the extension of bureaucracy.
We have developed great agencies Of
| cooperation by the assistance Of the
Government which promote and pro-
tect the interests Of individuals and
the smaller units Of business The
Federal Reserve System, in its strength
entng and support OF the smaller
banks; the Farm Board, in its strength
ening and support Of the farm co-opera-
tives: the Home Loan Banks, in the
| mobliZing of building and loan asso-
Citations and savings banks; the Fed
eral Land Banks, in giving independ-
ence and strength to land mortgage as
sociations; the great mobilization of
relief to distress. the mobilization of
business and industry in measures Of
recovery, and a score of other activ-
ties are not socialism-they are the es-
Sence Of protection to the development
Of free men.
The primary conception Of this whole
American system Is not the regimenta-
tion of men, but the cooperation Of
free men. 1t II founded upon the
conception Of responsibility OF the in
dtvidual to the community, of the re-
sponsibility of local government to the
State, Of the State to the National Gov
ernment
1t is founded on a peculiar concep-
tion of self-government designed to
maintain this equal opportunity of the
individual, and through decentralza-
ktion it brings about and maintains these
responsibilities. The centralization of
government will undermine RESPONSE
bilities and will destroy the system.
! Our Government differs from all pre-
vious conceptions, not only in this de-
centralization, but also in the separa-
| ton Of functions between the legisla-
tive, executive and judicial arms of
| government, in which the independ-
| ence of the judicial arm Is the key
stone OF the whole structure.
| 1t is founded on conception that in
times Of emergency, when forces are
running beyond control Of individuals
or other cooperative action, beyond
the control of local communities and Of
States, then the great reserve powers
of the Federal Government shall be
brought into action to protect the COM
munity. But when these forces have
ceased. there must be a return of State,
local and individual responsibility.
New Problems Every Year.
The implacable march Of scientific
discovery. with its train of new inven-
tions presents every year new prob
i IN ov,I
to the social order. Questions often
arise whether. In the face OF the
growth Of these new and gigantic tools,
democracy can remain master in its
own house. can preserve the funda-
mentals OF our American system
contend that 1t can. and contend that
this American system of ours has DEM
onstrated its validity and superiority
over any system yet invented by hu-
man mind
1t has demonstrated it in the face Gf
the greatest test Of our history-that
Is the emergency which We have faced
in the past three years
| When the political and economic
weakness of many nations of Europe,
the result Of the World War and its
aftermath. finally eliminated in COL
lapse OF their institutions. the delicate
adjustment Of our economic and social
| life received a shock unparalleled in
our history No one knows that bet
ter than YOU OF New York No one
| knows its causes better than you. That
the crisis was SO great that many of
the leading banks sought directly or
| indirectly to convert their assets into
gold or its equivalent, with the result
that they practically ceased to function
as credit institutions; that many of
our citizens sought flight for their
capital to other countries; that many
OF them attempted to hoard gold in
large amounts These were but indi-
cations OF the flight OF confidence and
OF the belief that our Government
could not overcome these forces.
Yet these forces were overconro~
perhaps by narrow margins-and tnts
action demonstrates what the courage
OF Nation can accomplish under the
resolute leadership of the Republican
party. And say the Republican party,
because our opponents, before and dur
ing the crisis. proposed no constructive
program, though some Of their mem
bers patriotically supported ours. Later
on the Democratic House of Repre-
sentatives did develop the real thought
and ideas Of the Democratic party but
1t was so destructive that it had to be
defeated. for it would have DESTROYED,
not healed
In spite of all these obstructions we
did succeed. Our form of government
did prove itself equal to the task. We
saved this Nation from a quarter of a
century of chaos and degeneration, and
We preserved the savings, the insurance
policies gave fighting chance to men
to hold their homes. We saved the in
tegrity of our Government and the hon
esty of the American dollar And we
installed measures which today are
bringing back recovery Employment,
agriculture. busineSsrall Of these show
the steady, II slow. healing of our
enormous wound.
/ The Last 80 Years.
| I therefore contend that the prob
lem of today is to continue these meas
ures and policies to restore this Amer
ican system to its normal functioning,
to repair the wounds it has received, to
| correct the weaknesses and evils
which would defeat that system. To
enter upon series of deep changes, to
embark upon this inchoate new deal
which has been propounded in this
campaign, would be to undermine and
destroy our American system
Before we enter upon such courses,
I would like for you to consider what
the results of this American system
have been during the last 80 years
that is one single generation. For if
1t can be demonstrated that by means
Of this. cur unequaled political. social,
and economic system, we have secured a
lift in the standards Of living and a
diffusion of comfort and hope to men
and women, the growth Of equal op-
.portunity, the widening Of ali oppor-
tunity. such as had never been seen
in the history Of the world, then we
should not tamper with 1t or destroy
it; but, on the contrary, we should re-
store 1t and, by its gradual improve
ment and perfection. foster 1t into new
performance for our country and for
our children
Now. If we look back over the last
generation we find that the number