Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-02-15
National Topics Interpreted
by William Bruckar,

I II think it is time for the govern
ment to explore this situation and
make plans aside from just giving re-
| lief. If the government is going to
spend such large sums of money,
substantial portion of it should be
spent in constructive enterprises like
this"
And with a fund Of $25,OOO,OOO to
start. we launch on another plan for
changing our national life. Mr.. Hop
kins described the $25,OO0,OO0 as "just
starter" and explained that many
more millions can and will be used If
the ideas prove practicable. He thinks
| they will.
But among those hardened critics
that watch Washington day after day
and who do not have
Fear It's Too to shape their ideas
IdeoI;sf;c along political lines,
among those who
try to be unbiased, there is a hope
that the scheme can be carried out
and fear that it is too idealistic for
use among people with the traditions
Of those of the United States. In 9TH
er words, it is guess whether the
plan will be practicable.
One hardened observer took me Sc
verely to task for even assuming that
| 1t was possible to execute the plan
without wasting many times as much
money as it could be worth by any
guage you care to set up. called
attention that there were undoubtedly
some families that would welcome an
opportunity to get on piece Of farm
land, made available to them by the
government, for which they could pay
as they were able. I thought they would
learn a new Joy in life itself and be-
come Independent, right-thinking citi-
zens.
"'Some families is right" he
sneered at me. "But for those some
that. will make use Of the change,
there will be twenty times as many
that will drift back to their old ways
of living at the first opportunity"
It has been unusually interesting to
watch the reverberations and reac-
lions here to the speech made recently
in Topeka, Kan. by Ogden L. Mills,
secretary of the treasury under Pres
ident Hoover. Strange and paradox
cal as 1t may seem, the Mills speech
put an unexpected amount of fire into
some Democrats in the administration
in support of the Roosevelt New Deal
and put fire into others to cause them
to criticize 1t.
Ogden Mills has been derided and
ridiculed as few men have suffered in
political life. He was born an aris-
tocrat and the politicians opposed to
him have made use of that. BUT Og-
den Mills is fighter, and his Topeka
speech showed that he had lost none
of his fortitude.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Mills
charged Mr.. Roosevelt with IAN I'M
constitutional effort" to grasp power
over the country and accused the
President Of destroying the rights and
liberties Of the people under the Con-
stitution. / have seen much less Sc
rious charges hurled at a President
to be followed by a young riot by his
supporters. There have been some
attacks on Mr.. Mills thus far, but OBJ
servers here thought they did not car
ry the old-time ring Of real battle.
OF course, 1t is known generally that
goodly number Of the Presidents own
party have been doubtful Of some Of
his plans but they have been afraid
to bark too loudly because Of the cleo
tions next autumn. Those individuals
lately have been little more brave
and, when was around the senate
and house Of representatives the other
day, I heard more mutterings than
usual.
I asked some of the avid Roosevelt
supporters what 1t meant. Their an
swers were almost
Getting identical: They are
Timoroua not real Democrats"
But l asked several
Of those who had been thus catalogued
as mot real Democrats" what the sig
nificance was of the changed atti-
tude. Their answers were down one
groove: 1--WE are just getting afraid
Of the way this man Roosevelt is lead
ing u.s."
While the Mills speech has been ac-
copied here as being the opening gun
in the Republican campaign for next
fall, it probably will have a broader
effect than that according to the sug-
gestions l have heard most frequently.
Even the chief Democratic leaders I'M
der the New Deal admit that Presi-
dent Roosevelt has been busy for a
year in development of a Roosevelt
party, as distinguished from a purely
Democratic party. That being the
fact, then, am told that Mr.. Mills
has issued rallying cry for concen.
tration of strength in opposition to the
Roosevelt policies, or many of them.
Is it not possible, then. Mr.. Mills may
have started the actual formation of
raxu DapY1hIfonn norfu9