Evening star., 1932-07-12
MILLS FIRES FIRST
. GUN IN CAMPAIGN
Treasury Secretary, Speak,
ing at Boston, Picks Apart
RooseveIt's Address.
BY the Associated Press.


BOSTON, July 12-Ogden L. Mills,
Secretary of the Treasury, last night
opened the Republican presidential
campaign by Criticizing in its entirety
the acceptance address of the Demo-
cratic nominee. Gov. Franklin D. Roose-
welt of New York.
Boston's historic Faneuil Hall last
night was the setting for the criticisms
and denunciations of Secretary Mills,
who centered his address around the
charge that Gov. Roosevelt has no pro-
gram to meet the economic situation.
The Treasury Secretary sought Of
the New York governor specifically
what the administration has failed to
do or has done in this emergency that
Is open to fair criticism.
Cites Loan Corporation.
To the criticism directed at the ad-
ministration's credit achievements, Mills
pointed to the establishment of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
and provisions for additional credit for
Federal Land Banks and banks allied
with agriculture.
Gov. Roosevelts tariff utterances
came in for criticism and Mills dis
approved the Democratic nominees
plan to "enter into a series OF bar
gaining tariffs accordin gto the Euro
pean practice"
The pledges of Gov. Roosevelt and
his party for drastic economy, abolition
of useless offices and consolidation OF
Government bureaus were met with the
assertion that expenditures of the
State of New York increased by one
third from 1929 to 1881. that Demo-
Gratis of the House voted by large
majority for Gamers pork barrel
measure" and that they declined to
give the President the authority to
abolish useless bureaus"
Mills took up the problem that con-
fronts the American farmer with the
comment that other than Gov. RooSe-
velts suggestion that interest rates on
farm mortgages should be reduced,
without saying how it is to be done, I
find nothing in his program which
does not constitute mere Endorsement
in principle of what has and is now be-
ing done.
Attacks Liberal Label.
Secretary Mills denied that the Re-
publican administration was reSpon-
sible for the economic depression; at
tackled the liberal label as applied to
Gov Roosevelt; charged the record OF
the Democratic majority in the National
House under Speaker Garner, the Demo-
CraulC vice pISSlOtIllltI IlOIIl4llcV. Will
being in marked contrast with the
"boldness' and originality of the ad-
ministration program. and said that
Gov Roosevelt'S acceptance speech
could not stand up under the acid test
of careful analysis"
To meet the problems Of the times,
Secretary Mills said. no man living
has the qualifications OF President
Hoover
The meeting was under the joint aus
pices of the Republican National Com
nittee and the Massachusetts, State
Committee. Others on the speaking
program were Secretary OF the Navy
Charles Francis Adams and former Gov.
Alvan T. Fuller
Secretary Mills challenged Gov. Roose-
welt, instead of indulging in vague and
unsupported attacks, to state specifically
what the present administration has
failed to do or has done In this emer-
gency that is open to fair criticism, and
what steps he would have taken that
have not been taken to meet the sue
cessive forces that have threatened to
undermine and to destroy cur economic
structure and to bring complete disaster
to cur people
Denies Currency Claims.
The declarations Of Gov. Roosevelt
and the Democratic platform for sound
currency were met by Mills with the
assertion that Democrats in the House
within the last two months voted 152
to SO to issue fiat currency"
Regarding the Democratic pledge to
maintain the national credit by a Fed
eral budget annually balanced, Mills
said the House Democrats already
voted to unbalance it by over S3,000.-
100000 this fiscal year, and within the
last four days the House has passed a
bill providing for s322,0o0,ooo of ex-
penditures with no revenue to cover
them"
Secretary Mills in criticizing Gov.
Roosevelts tariff utterances said that
when the latter went into oil. coal,
lumber and ore sections and condemned
the protective tariff on those products
he would believe in the sincerity OF
his criticism of barbed-wire entangle-
ments.''