Evening star., 1933-03-05
A Dedication to Recovery.

President Roosevelt's inaugural ad-
dress delivered yesterday as he took the
oath of Office must be considered as a
preface to his first message to the Con-
eress, which will assemble In extra
session in short time. In that mes
sage he will recommend "the measures
that a stricken Nation in the midst Of
a stricken world may require" He did
not in his address yesterday specify
what those measures will be, though
he indicated in broad way their gen.
eral nature.
Our greatest primary task, he said, Is
20 put the people to work. 1t can be
accomplished in part by direct re-
cruiting by the Government itself, ac-
complishing through this employment
greatly needed projects to stimulate
and reorganize the use Of the national
resources. We must engage on ma
tional scale in the redistribution OF
population endeavoring to provide a
better use of the land for those best
by definite efforts to raise the value
Of agricultural products and with this
the power to purchase the output Of the
cities.
This procedure can be helped by pre-
venting the tragedy of growing loss
through foreclosure Of homes and
farms; by insistence upon drastic re-
duction of the cost of Federal, State
and local governments; by unifying re-
lief activities now scattered, uneco-
nomical and unequal; by national PLAN
ming for and supervision OF all forms
of transportation, communications and
utilities of public character.
There must be q strict supervision
OF all banking and investments, and
an end to speculation with other peoples
money and provision for an adequate
but sound currency"
These, Mr. Roosevelt said in his ad-
dress, are the lines Of attack. Through
this program he will address himself
to putting the national house In order
and making income balance outgo. He
will spare no effort to restore world
trade by international economic read
justment.
The President dedicates the Nation to
the policy OF the good neighbor, "the
neighbor who resolutely respects him
self, and because he does SO respects
lrr.+ ~ otI, thu nrfffr
of his agreements in and with the world
of neighbors."
With definite specifications postponed
to later explicit recommendations, the
President looks to Congress to act, but
In the event of its failure and the con-
tinuance of a critical national emer-
gency he will not evade the clear course
of duty which will then confront him.
He says:
shall ask the Congress for the one re-
naming instrument to meet the crisis
broad executive power to wage the war
against the emergency, as great as the
power that would be given to me If we
were in fact invaded by foreign foe.
This is direct implication that in
case Congress does not meet the emer-
gency with legislation along the lines
he now broadly indicates he will ask
for transfer to him Of the power of
action, the power Of dictator
1t is possible to read into the address
q determination to secure results even
at the cost of q departure from consti-
tional procedure. This is disturbing
only to those who trust to the workings
of natural economic law without drastic
remedies for the undeniable ills from
which the country is now suffering.
President Roosevelt has accepted the
leadership to which the people have
called him fearlessly and with dedica-
tion to the principles Of government
upon which this Nation is founded. He
faces task as great as any that has
ever been assumed by President upon
taking Office He will have in his sup
port during at least two years a Con-
gress pledged by the terms of its election
to cooperate with him in the redemp-
ton of the national credit and the res
toration of national prosperity. In his
inaugural address he accepts his respon-
sibility without qualification and with
courage.