Evening star., 1932-07-03
Continued From First Page)

in that interrupted march is no
longer with us, but there still sur
wives today his spirit.
Many of his captains. thank God,
are still with us, to give us wise
counsel. Let us feel that in every
thing we do there still lives with
us. if not the body, the great in
dornitable. unquenchable progressive
soul of our commander in chief,
Woodrow Wilson.
I have many things on which
want to make my position clear at
the earliest possible moment in this
campaign. That admirable docu-
ment, the platform which you have
adopted. is clear. l accept 1t 100
per cent.
And you can accept my pledge
that 1 will leave no doubt or am
biglity on where I stand on any
question Of moment in this CAM
paign.
War on Republican Leadership
AS we enter this new battle. let
us keep always present with US some
of the ideals of the party-the fact
that the Democratic party by tradl..
ton and by the continuing logic OF
history, past and present, is the
bearer of liberalism and of progress
and at the same time of safety to
our institutions. And If this appeal
fails. remember well, my friends,
that q resentment against the
failure of Republican leadership
and note well that in this campaign
1 shall not use the words "Repub-
lican party" but I shall use, day IN
and day out the words, "Repuo--
lican leadership" - the failure OF
Republican leaders to solve our
troubles may degenerate into un-
reasoning radicalism.
The great social phenomenon OF
this depression, unlike others before
it, is that it has produced but
few of the disorderly manifesto
tions that too often attend upon
such times.
While radicalism has made few
converts, and the greatest tribute that
I can pay to my countrymen is that
in these days of pressing want
there persists an orderly and hopeful
spirit on the part of the millions OF
our people who have suffered so
much, to fail to offer them a new
chance is not only to betrav their
hopes. but to misunderstood their
patience.
Reconstruction Urged.
To meet by reaction that danger
of radicalism is to invite disaster.
Reaction is no barrier to the radical
it is a challenge, a provocation. The
way to meet that danger is to offer
a workable program Of reconstruc-
ton, and the party to offer 1t is the
party with clean hands.
This. and this only, is a proper
protection against blind reaction on
the one hand and an improvised hit
or-miss, irresponsible opportunism
on the other.
There are two ways of viewing the
Governments duty in matters af-
fecting economic and social life.
The first sees to it that a favored
few are helped and hopes that some
of their prosperity will leak through,
sift through, to labor, to the farmer,
to the small business man. That
theory belongs to the party OF Tory
ism, and I had hoped that most Of
the Torys left this country in 1776.
But it is not and never will be the
theory of the Democratic party. This
is no time for fear, for reaction or
for timidity, and here and now 1
invite those nominal Republicans
who find that their conscience can
not be squared with the cropping and
the failure of their party leaders to
Join hands with us. Here and now,
in equal measure, I warn those NOM
inal Democrats who squint at the
future with their faces turned to-
ward the past, and who feel no re-
sponsibility to the demands of the
new times, that they are out of step
with their party.
Pleads for Greatest Good.
Yes, the people of this country
want a genuine choice this year,
not a choice between two names for
the same reactionary doctrine. Ours
must be a party of liberal thought,
of planned action, of enlightened
international outlook and of the
greatest good to the greatest num-
Der of our citizens.
Now it is inevitatble-and the
choice is that of the times-it is in
evitable that the main issue of this
campaign should revolye about the
tion-a depression so deep that it is
without precedent in modern history.
It will not do merely to state. as do
Republican leaders to explain that
broken promise of continued mac
ton, that the depression is world
wide. That was not their explana-
ton of the apparent prosperity of
1928. The people will not forget the
claim made by them then that pros
perity was only a domestic product
manufactured by a Republican Pres
ident and a Republican Congress.
If they claim paternity for the one,
they cannot deny paternity for the
other.
Reviews Conditions.
I cannot take up all the problems
today. I want to touch on few
that are vital. Let us look a little
at the recent history and the simple
economics, the kind Of economics
that you and l and the average man
and woman talk.
In the years before 1929 we know
that this country had completed a
vast cycle Of building and imitation;
for 10 years we expanded on the
theory Of repairing the wastes Of the
war, but actually expanding lar
beyond that and also far beyond our
natural and normal growth. Now 1t
is worth remembering. and the cold
figures of finance prove it, that dur
ing that time there was little or no
drop in the prices that the consumer
had to pay. although those same
figures proved that the cost Of pro-
duction fell very greatly; corporate
profit resulting from this period was
enormous. Al the same time, little
of that profit was devoted to the re-
duction Of prices. The consumer
was forgotten; very little Of 1t went
into increased wages; the worker was
forgotten, and by no means an ade-
quate proportion was even paid out
in dividends; the stockholder was
forgotten.
DenOunces Results.
And. incidentally, very little OF it
was taken by taxation to the benei1-