The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-24
IS PRESIDENT TURNING LEFTq

y ADICALs are predicting that Just as soon
as business finally turns the mystic CORNER
that VIII lead to certain revival of prosperity,
President Roosevelt will turn an equally sharp
corner to the right in his political and
economic philosophy.
Liberal supporters of the President will
therefore, read with pleasure the opinion Of
raul Y. Anderson, expressed in The Nation,
TO the effect that the President already is
turning to the left rather than to the right
certainly Mr.. Anderson is in a position to
know, II any Washington Journalist is, and he
Is TAR enough 20 the left himself to resent anv
Teactionary trends on the part of the
administration.
MY Anderson bases his judgment. in the
nrst place, upon the growing strength of
secretaries Ickes Perkins, and wallace at the
expense OF Farley, Woodin and DOUGLAS
secretary Ickes, for example. has been mt in
charge of the s3,3oo.0ooOoo public wo~,,s
project he IS IN favor of spending it all.
Mr. Douglas wished to curtail the expendi-
lures on the ground that prosperity already is
mere IN spite of the fact that more than
IzOooOoO adults are still unemployed Moreover.
IN spending this vast sum- definite word has
gone out of Washington that TIE ad,,in;s
tration will be especially congenial to grants
Tor the construction of municipality owned
power plants and water works.
The blanket code for American industry
certainly is as far from Coolidge and Hoover
as 1t is from Moscow. The influence If
advanced liberals on the administration ;s
evident beyond the activities and noc,es of
HOerai members of the cabinet. AS Mr.
Anderson observes:
Liberals and labor are in the saddle at re-
coVery headquarters to a degree that would
nave seemed impossible and even preposterous
three months ago. Its policies I'D to the pres
eht nave Deen overwhelmingly influenced bv
the views of Donald Richberg. Alexander
Sachs, Edward McGrady, Leo Wolman and
Frances Perkins If liberals and labor can not
trust them. who the devil can they trusto
something OF the same sort might also be
SAD OF the Roosevelt administration at large.
Here as If in answer to the liberals PRAYER.
We are confronted with program which repre-
sents, in very large part, the hopes. aspira-
tons. and labors OF such men as Justice Bran
dies Senators Norris, Wagner and La Toilette
Joseph B. Eastman, Harold Ickes Frances
Perkins and Henry Wallace (adopted) by an
administration which when it was unable TO
obtain Felix Frankfurter's personal services.
accepted his recommendation in filling nearly
half dozen of the most important legal
posts in the government. And still the liberals
are not satisfied. What do they want?"
Mr.. Anderson does not mention the influ-
ence exerted on the administration by Bernard
NJ. Baruch-the chief nightmare of many lib
erals. Theoretically. Baruch certainly would
bring no assurance to progressives, but he may
have seen much light since 1929
If he can stomach the National Industrial
Recovery Act, he is not likely to do much harm
at Washington. The best proof of the pudding
is in the eating
With the exception of his banking taxation
policies, Mr.. Roosevelt has TO date. gone about
as far TO the left as a President serving under
capitalistic system could have been expected
TO advance. It is TO be hoped that he will
stick here.
Such policy is good for the country Ruin
and collapse will be the only result OF any sur
render TO the pleas or threats of the -usurers
OF high estate"
In the second place. reasonable people will
wish to see liberalism get complete and fair
trial. There Is persistent opinion on the
part Of radicals to the effect that liberalism