The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-02
CARRY ON

1--WE business leaders have withdrawn from
the NRA industrial advisory board and
one of them, Gerard Swope of the General
Electric Company, has proposed that an en-
larged Chamber of Commerce take over much
of the work of the NRA code authorities. The
first public reaction to this news is to suspect
that there has been a serious disagreement
within the NRA and that big business is trv-
ing to pull out. This is denied The five
who are withdrawing say that this is merely
Sart of a plan to rotate these NRA advisory
Offices among a large number of business
leaders.
In justice to Mr.. Swope, Mr. Teagle and
the others, it must be said that most of them
have given real service to the NRA. On the
basis of that record, We can not believe that
they consciously are trying to injure the MIRA
now.
But regardless of their intentions their
departure at this time and in this manner is.
in fact, having bad effect These are very
critical days for the new deal and especially
for the NRA. Certain employers, newspapers
and politicians are out to wreck the program
The attack comes from two sides. from those
who say the administration is going too far
and too fast, and from those who say the adj
minlstration is not going far and fast enough
In addition certain organizatonal weaknesses
have appeared in the NRA and other admin
istration agencies Moreover, there is a sea-
sonal business decline
The country now is coming to the vital
test of the NRA the time of inevitable division
between the actual friends and enemies of the
NRA. The period CT lip-service and ballvhoo
when every one was for NRA because no one
dared to oppose it openly, is about over
If Mr.. Swope, Mr. Teagle and their COL
leagues are real friends of the NRA. il is most
unfortunate that they have chosen this par
tlcular moment to give ammunition to those
false propagandists who are spreading the
report that the NRA is breaking down
Now and in the coming months NRA needs
the vigorous and loyal support of all its
friends
For the same reason, this is the wrong time
for Mr.. Swope to launch his program for
national organization for self government of
all industry. He has had this idea in one
form or another for several years Industry
had plenty of time during the Hoover admin
istration and the early years of the depres-
sion to begin some of the planning and self.
discipline which leaders of the Swope type
desire.
But whether the idea is a good one or not
is largely an academic question today The
NRA is already in existence. The NRA came
into being by default after industry had failed
to cure itself. The vast and inspiring pro-
gram of a threefold partnership between in
dustry. labor and government is being tried
3 We are midway in the experiment
To talk of modifying the experiment before
it is we'll under way, to talk of turning back
part of the government organization and au-
thority to q private business agency which as
yet does not even exist on paper, seems to us
to be the height of folly and unfairneSs
General Johnson says he is in general SYM
pathy with the Swope plan as something for
the distant future but he adds that strong
labor organizations would have to balance cap
ital organization and that the government
should retain the power of absolute control
and veto.
The White House. apparently knows moth
ing of the Swope plan and is not interested
at this time. The administration is and should
be much too busy getting us out OF the crisis