The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-24
By HARRY CANNES

THE AMERICAN WAY, Franklin
Roosevelt in action. BY Earle
LOCKER. John Day. $3.50.
THE ROOSEVELT REVOLUTION,
A History Of the New Deal. BY Err
nest X. LindIey. Viking. $3.50.
THE ECONOMICS OF RECOVERY.
BY Leonard p. Ayres, Macmillan.
S1.75.
Roosevelt lacks no Boswells. Dema-
gogy looms SO large in his me lods
of saving capitalism, that he requires
numerous chroniclers Of his piffle. A
president who promises a bloodless
revolution while strengthening the
base of imperialism must himself spill
a torrent of words into the ears Of
the hungry masses. A demagogue
who talks peace and makes the great
est peace-time preparations for war
must unloose rivers of ink to explain.
Just as a brain trust" is available
and changed like an old shirt, the
corps of Undetermined and supple
principled newspaper men offer no
end Of willing and self-hypnotized
purveyors of the Roosevelt greatness.
The masses think more during a
crisis. They learn more in a few
weeks than in years of comparatively
stable periods. Roosevelt recognizes
the Importance of attempting to mold
and direct their rapidly changing
ideas.
OF the three books reviewed in this
article, two bear semi official or off,
cial imprimatures. Two bright news
papermen take an assignment from
the great teacher in the White House
on "how the great Roosevelt ended
the great depression and saved capt.
alism by transforming it into a more
acceptable beast" The third is by a
banker, highly extolled as an econo-
mist, who had the crisis ended in the
summer of 1882. But he writes book
advising Roosevelt how to solve it
now.
One subject engrosses all Of them
That is, that capitalism has way
out of the crisis. The titles show
that clearly: 1.-The American Way Out,
Franklin Roosevelt in Action" THE
Roosevelt Revolution, a History of
the New Deal" THE Economics of
Recovery"
1.-THE Roosevelt Revolution" by
Ernest x. Lindley, has the double
blessing of Mrs. Roosevelt and the
recent head of the brain trust, Profess
sor Raymond Moley. THE American
Way" by Earle LOCKER, is an i'm
pressionistic portrait, daubed with
political interpretations. Roosevelt
sat for it-literally-while the politi-
cal impressario searched his soul to
see if he would fit as the saviour of
American capitalism. 1t Is endorsed
by the back-door ghoul of the Will
son war regime, Colonel Edward M.
House. House graces the book with
an Introduction, worth quoting from.
Eve are in the midst of social
revolution none the less potential be-
cause peaceful. This is no ordi-
nary crisis. The future of life
and property, not only in this coun-
try but in a large part of the world,
depends upon Roosevelt's courage
and craftsmanship. If he succeeds, it
may well be that history will con-
clude that the loss in fortunes be-
cause of this economic revolution,
was well worth while"
Both books contend Roosevelt is
and must succeed If capt.
taliSm is to be saved.
That Roosevelt is really a revolu-
ZIONIST, and that by his understand
ing of economic forces and his dom
ineering will is changing the whole
structure of American capitalism, is
the dominant note.
But MesSrs. Morgan, Ford Rookie
Teller, Mellon, have no fear. Her
bert Hoover could subscribe to the
avowed object of the revolution"
says Mr.. Lindley.
The way these gentlemen handy
about the word revolution is enlight-
ening. 1t has become popular. The
masses want way out of the crisis,
and a revolutionary way out is not
unpopular with the toiling masses.
Roosevelt can stoop to the most I'M
restrained demagogy about "revolu-
ton" with program that would
satisfy Herbert Hoover-precisely be-
cause that program has the only OBJ
ject of preserving capitalism and all
its relations by strengthening the
domination of the leading imperial
lists.
No one will deny that Roosevelt's
methods are new, because the depths
to which American capitalism has
sunk are so deep, the problems of i'm
perialism in the present stage of
crisis SO great they require new and
drastic methods. The whole capt.
talist system is admittedly at stake,
and the greatest danger lies in the
awakening of the toiling masses.
Both books have as much relation
to reality as Roosevelt's campaign
speeches have to accomplishment.
They are idyllic picture of cru
sader who is supposed to be fighting
the money changers, cracking down
on capitalists who cont know it's for
their own good, and putting men to
work (even If only on paper.