Evening star., 1932-08-28
Campaign Trend Promises Bureaucracy
In Washington No Matter Who Wins

their repetition would in some way be
prevented. 1t also vaguely promised
that the present Affiliations between
commercial banking corporations and
longtime investment corporations would
similarly be investigated and that some
sort of solution" Of that problem"
would similarly be invented.
The Democrats, in their National Con-
vention in Chicago, were delighted to
observe these vaguenesses. They leaped
upon them to make them the frame
work for their broadest display of them
selves as reformers. They specifically
and dramatically promised to purify
Federal Reserve System credit of all
undue speculative taint, to purify indi-
vidual national bank credit similarly of
all such taint, to divorce banking cor
porationS from investment corporations
by an absolute decree to compel invest
ment corporations to disclose all the
profits and subprofits and all the major
and minor aims and ends of their SELL
ing Of securities and to impose similar
disclosures even upon holding COM
panies" engaged in merely their own
distributions OF their own securities in
interstate commerce. These promises
Mr.. Roosevelt now italicizes and accent
yates into being his first great primary
bombardment Of the Republican instant
past and instantly prospective future.
This writer guesses with informed
assurance that the reforms thus en-
Enthusiastically propelled into the FORE
ground Of American national politics by
the Democrats and their current leader
will inevitably attract the support of a
majority of the present Federal Reserve
RnarH Uhpn the rnnNnant fOr
legislation arrives. The Democrats in this
field have outstripped the Republicans; ;
but the Republicans are acquiring mo-
mentum in it. The outcome is cau-
tiously but completely pre-flgured in the
declaration by which Mr. Hoover stiffen-
ed his party platform and by which he
committed both his party and himself
to the proposition that "the American
people must be relieved of conditions
which permit the credit machinery of
the country to be made available with
out adequate check for wholesale specu-
lation in securities with ruinous conSe-
quences to millions of our citizens and
to our national economy"
These events in the opinion Of the
bureaucrats Of Washington, threaten
them with no diminishment Of employ
ment. The political parties are differ
ent in the governmentaliZations which
they choose to stress, and these differ
ences are often of fundamental civic
and economic importance; but, from the
bureaucratic point of view, the happy
truth remains intact that govern
mentalizationS OF some sort are inces-
sanity knocking at Washington's door
and are necessarily getting admitted.
Mr.. Roosevelt charges perfectly &C
curately that Mr. Hoover's Individual
ism" has not contracted the scope of the
national bureaucracy. Mr.. Hoover's
campaign agents will perfectly accurate
ly charge that Mr. RooseveltS compre-
hensive plans for a national scrutiny of
the investments and speculations of the
inhabitants of the republic cannot be
accomplished without considerable ad-
dition TO our national bureaucratic per-
sonnel.
Just why the electorate always insists
upon assailing bureaucracy-and upon
expanding its to Washington a mys-
terry, but a delightful mystery The
Republicans in this campaign are
promising TO equalize the regulation OF
railroads by an equivalent regulation
Of waterways, airways, and highways.
Just one phase Of the regulation OF
highways would be a regulation Of
buses. When bill for the regulation
of buses was recently on the supposed
verge Of passage in the Congress, the
Interstate Commerce Commission began
to prepare for it by envisaging whole
additional story for its colossal new
building in Washington.
Washington consists Of edifces OF
collectivism erected by "indiVidualists. "
The reason is that everybody's passion
for "individualism" for himself Is over
! borne by his passion for inf1icting "col-
lectiviSm" on the other fellow" The
native guide in the northern woods
wants no further regulation of the kill
ing Of deer, but Joins with ma
iority to want further regulation of
banks. The banker wants no further
regulation of banks but joins with a
majority to want further regulation OF
the killing of deer. Thus Washington
thrives.
(Copyright, l932)