Milford chronicle., 1932-01-15
RTTCHIE TOSSES
HAT IN Ring FOR
1882 CANDIDACY
[Continned from FirM Pagel

oils, is always open to every one
moved about the crowded hotel lob
by before the banquet greeting
friends by their first names and eX-
changing pleasantries.
Ritchie's speech, including a reit'
Grafton of his long-standing and TN
wavering opposition to national pro-
hibitiOn, outlined a generally con
serVative attitude which may be OF
Importance in drawing a line of de-
marcatiOn between his followers
and those who favor the candidacy
of Governor Roosevelt, of New
York.
Particularly was the contrast be-
tween the two Governors noticeable
in Ritchie's declaration on the pow
er issue under the general heading
of Government in Business Rit-
chic said:
81 believe the collective wisdom is
for a minimum of government and
a maximum of freedom, and that it
is against public ownership. whe-
therther of power. of railroads, OF
other utilities, and is i'm fact against
every unnecessary form of govern
mental control, because these things
tend to put the cold hand of death
on the creative and competitive i'm
pulses of the American people"
However, Ritchie went on to de-
clare that:
"This does not mean opposition to
the regulation which government
must necessarily exercise in the
public interest over the operations
of utilities and great combines. 1t
gives no comfort to any who would
thwart the proper and effective ap-
plication of such necessary regula-
tory measures by obstructive tao
tics"
On the question of unemployment
relief. the divergence between the
New Yorker and the Marylander
was also emphasized by Ritchie's
warning that:
1.-THE danger here, as / see it, lies
in the possibility of compulsory gov
ernmental unemployment insurance.
Should that ever come, / believe it
would mean a bureaucracy so great
that it would Outbureaucrat all our
other vureaucTacies put together.
Industry itself can avoid this dan
ger by showing enlightened states
manship of its own. 1t has always
seemed to me that the obligation
here rests primarily, not on Govern
ment but on industry ITSELF
As to emergency-relief measures
for those now in distress. Ritchie
cOntended himself with the stale
lnent that:
"It would be premature for any
one not cOnversant with the actual
facts to do more now than venture
the hope that whatever action the
present Congress may in its wisdom
contemplate may square with the
Democratic principles of self-reli-
ance and State responsibility"
Ritchie prefaced his attack on
prohibition with the statement that
the present economic and social sys-
TEN should be described as individu-
alistic rather than capitalistic.
"Individualism does not stop with
mans business and material activi-
ties" he said. at gives him the right
to live his life i'm freedom and in lib
erty so long as he does no hurt to
the like rights of others or to the
recognized sanctions of society.
Properly applied, it would shield
him from a hundred different ways
in which Federal officers scattered
through the various branches of
government can annoy him and hec-
tor him to no good purpose. Just |
now there is hardly phase of your |
life, from the cradle to the grave. |
from the cellar of your home to the |
contents of your pocket, into which |
Fedtral officers cannot pry.
"The high-water mark of all this |
is national prohibition. Do not let |
us forget that-when we talk about |
the evils of centralized power, Our |
greatest progress toward temper
ance, which ought to be the goal of |
everybody, was made before we mix
ed morals, politics and legislation !
all up together and tried to do by
centralized force and constitutional
fiat what can only be done by edu
cation and popular sanction and
consent"
Touching upon his personal feel
ings with respect to his candidacy,
Ritchie asked:
What Democrat. ask you. would
not like the chance of trying his
hand at leading the hosts of De-
mocracy in this year of merited
Democratic victory? What Demo-
crat would not welcome the oppor-
tunity of Strengthening out this gov
ernmental muddle in Washington
and trying to help make the old
fashioned dream of Old-fashiOned
Americanism come true?"
He added that it is his first as
piration" to see a Democratic vic
tory and should the nomination go
to another then cheerfully and
it shall be my part
to fight in the ranks behind them,
for him, and for al Those cardinal
and enduring things which are the
living. breathing faith of our party
Ritchie paid his respects to the
man whom he hopes to succeed in
the White House as follows:
"At such critical times as these,
with millions of persons out of work
and in distress, the Presidents mes
sage to Congress, while characteriz-
ed by some constructive sugges-
tions, is characterized also by its
great silence.
"Silence about prohibition and
about the restoration of our nation
al self-respect, the Strengthening of