Evening star., 1932-10-25
Garner Reply to President
Makes Congress New Issue

Records of Congress and of Presi-
dent Hoover in meeting the depression
with effective measures are debated by
the country as result of the address
by Speaker John N. Garner. Democratic
candidate for Vice President. The dis
cussion is largely partisan, with the
House of Representatives as an issue OF
the campaign.
Recognizing the charge that Conceal
ment" was factor in the official treat
ment Of conditions. the Akron Beacon
Journal independent Republican, re-
marks that the time for concealment-
if there ever was such a time-is past; 4;
that If Mr. Garner has helped to make
this clear to politicians of all parties. he
has rendered the country valuable serv-
ice" The Scranton Times (Democratic)
states: He insisted that our Govern
ment had sat in concealment and in
action for two years and allowed the
world to believe that its finances were
sound and said that the Democrats in
Congress at all times had been willing
to 60 the limit for balanced budget.
Incidentally. he declared that the bud
get is not balanced and that the whole
job must be done over"
THE public is entitled to the facts,
no matter who is hurt by their revela-
tion." declares the Baltimore Evening
Sun independent Democratic). This
depression is serious, whether politicians
believe it or not 1t is more serious
than the fate of Hoover, Curtis, Garner
and Roosevelt all combined. The pub
lie has not been given the facts hitherto.
In estimating the taxes necessary to
balance the budget last year the Treas
ury missed its guess by many hundreds
of miliions-perhaps by more than a
billion. There is no excuse for an error
of such gigantic size, and few men be-
lieve that it was altogether an error.
The chances are that it was in part an
effort at concealment of the true Sit
uation."
In the best of spirit, yet with the
keenest of strokes says the Atlanta
Journal (Democratic), Speaker Garner
showed from the record itself that the
Republican administration, far from
having fulfilled its pledges of economy
and efficiency. of balanced budgets and
bulwarked security in the Government S
business, has been extravagant, incom-
petent and destructive of the very in
terests which it professed to safeguard.
He went further and deeper than
these general aspects of the situation
He showed how the failure of Fresi-
dent Hoover and his advisers to prepare
against the crisis of 1929 weakened the
structure of Government finance; how
their concealment and evasion of harsh
realities intensified the misfortune and
at length shook public confidence, and
how, in the very midst of the difficulties
which came swarming down, their re-
peated underestimates of Treasury needs
confounded all the efforts of Congress
to balance the budget and restore ma
tional faith"
Speaker Garner" asserts the Fort
Worth Star Telegram independent
DeGnocretic) gives the other side of
the picture painted by Mr.. Hoover in
defense of his administration, and as q
painter Mr.. Garner has had oppor-
tunities for familiarizing himself with
his subject, at least equal to those of
Mr.. Hoover" That paper offers the
estimate that "his is the most valuable
, contribution of fact and corrective ex-
PLANTATION yet to come out of the cam
paign," and that 'the Speaker refused
to allow half-truth claims to register as
accomplishments, and he likewise re-
fused to permit blame to lodge where
conscientious service had been rem
dered."
1T is a harsh indictment Garner
draws when he charges that throughout
the battle Of Congress to balance the
budget the administration made its
task more difficult by Understanding
the deficit to be met and overestimating
the amount Of taxes the pending meas
! ure would produce states the Okla