The Omaha guide., 1932-10-29
Can We Afford To Waste A Year?

Can We Afford To Waste A Year?
The news Of the outcome in Maine Immediately re-
suited IN a loss through lowered commodity prices, Of
100000 to the farmers Of the United States. A SINH
lar reaction on the stock exchange cost the security own
es Of the country S500,000,O00. That is only symptomatic
of what would happen if on Nov. the country determined
to change political leaders at a time when the economic
depression had spent itself and unmistakable signs Of re-
covery were on the horizon
Gov. Roosevelt has declared that the present pro-
tective tariff is a CHASTITY fraud. II he means what he
says, his statements can only foreshadow prompt revision
of the tariff. It does not require a long memory to recall
what Always has happened to business and to employment
when revision Of the tariff was undertaken It is Inevi-
table that under such conditions every form of business
affected in any way by the policy Of protection should cur
tail to the utmost until it knows definitely what the future
tariff policy is going to be. No human reaction could be
predicted with greater assurance than this.
With the money panic phase Of the depression past
and more banks reopening than are closing, with the evil
of money-hoarding stopped, the outflow Of gold trans
formed to an inflow of the precious metal, with bank de-
posts going up instead of down, with the price of all sound
securities increasing and commodity prices on a slow up
ward trend, there remain two chief detectives to be at
tanned IN the struggle back to prosperity. The first of
these is unemployment Of the idle by industry, and the sec
ond is the restoration Of prosperity on the farms. AL
though the latter is Immediately and tremendously affect
ed by the accomplishment of the first of these two Dur
poses, the farm problem is less directly affected by tariff
revision than are industry and the men and women en-
ployed by industry.
Shall the millions Of men and women now out of
work and suffering acute p%rivations because of lack of in
come De compelled TO wait another twelve months while
the country experiments with a new leader who thus far
has shown neither an adequate understanding Of the mag
nTtude OF the problems to be met nor anything that re-
motely approaches a program for meeting them?
That IS the question which both the leaders in in
dustry and business and those employed, or seeking en-
Payment by business and industry, must ask themselves.
The policies Of the Hoover administration designed to
meet the present crises are known. Most of them have
been given effect in legislation, and are now in operation.
There is not the slightest vestige of doubt in the mind of
any man or woman as to what the Hoover administra-
ton, If retained in power, viii do with regard to commerce
and industry No man can safely predict what the oppo-
sition would do if given power. We do know, although
the election is only ~forty-nine days of, that Gov. Roose-
welt has not yet enunciated a program Of economic recov-
cry.
We do know that under the leadership Of Garner
there was proposed the enactment of a bonus bill which
would have cost in immediate cash S2,30O,0 0O,0 600. We do
know that Garner tried to put over a huge pork-barrel
bill, also requiring billions of dollars Of additional taxes.
We do know that every fantastic project which attempted
Initiation of the currency and cheapening Of the dollar had
the support Of a majority Of Gamers followers in that
branch of congress which in the last session was controlled
by Mr.. Garner.
Under such circumstances how can any thoughtful
man or woman fail to recognize that a change in the po-
itical and economic leadership this fall would mean not
less than a years postponement Of the return to normal
conditions OF business and employment?