Evening star., 1934-11-06
ROOSEVELT GIVEN
PROFESSIONALISM
Flight From Gold and FiniS
OF London ParIey Held
Serious Mistakes.

The United States is in the throes
OF a politically made depresSion-the
Roosevelt depresSion-George A. Ben
son, Washington correspondent of the
Minneapolis Journal, told the monthly
meeting Of the League of Republican
Women of the District yesterday.
Speaking on the subject, Americas
Crisis Benson discussed various
phases Of the depression, international
as we'll as national. The evils from
which the world is suffering today, he
said, are largely due to the fact that
the great problems were tackled from
the political standpoint and for po-
htical purposes
The peace treaty that ended the
World War, the speaker declared, was
political document, did not take into
consideration the great economic prob
lens of the time, and, as such, pre-
cipitated a tremendous wave of ma
tionaliSm, which has been given added
impetus by varied phases of the New
Deal.
Lauds Hoover Moratorium.
President Hoover's moratorium was
q recognition of the worlds great
need in 1881, one of the most critical
years in the history of the world, and
was the only attempt made by any
government to strike at the heart OF
the economic and financial crisis. he
declared. Politics in France sabo-
tagged 80 per cent of its effectiveness,
and politics in the United States,
largely represented by certain elements
In the Senate, prevented Hoover from
following through, as France and
Great Britain understood he would,
the speaker said.
President Roosepelt has made two
serious mistakes, Benson said, namely,
the flight from gold and the scuttling
Of the London Economic Conference.
The gold policy pursued from October
% to the enactment of the new gold
act and the policy pursued since has
given greater impetus to the national
istic programs of other countries.
1t caused tremendous def1ationS in
France, and now, with the new silver
program injected into it, is causing
serious defation in China, probably
paving the way to serious political dis
orders in that country.
Traced Political Evils.
Benson traced to some extent the
evils caused over a period of years
by constituting ali issues from a polltl-
cal standpoint and acting in accord
ance with political expediency.
What the world needed in 1888. he
said, was clearing away of the debris
caused by the World War, not reforms,
not new ideas and new programs. But
this debris, he contended, has been
heaped higher by the Presidents gold
program, and the reciprocal trade
agreement program will not have much
effect in eliminating 1t.
In answering the 'do-nothing" criti-
cism heaped on the Hoover admins
tration, Benson suggested that the Re-
publican National Committee dig out
the record of all Hoover had done to
meet various problems of the depres-
sion and distribute it through the
country.
r. F. c. Hoover Creation.
He referred to the fact that the Re-
construction Finance Corp, the only
agency used effectively by the New
Deal In attacking the depression, was
created by Hoover and bitterly con-
denlned in the campaign by Roosevelt
The Home Owners Loan Corp,
which also has accomplished some
thing sound, he said was created in
the Hoover administration. The truce
between labor and capital. so loudly
proclaimed, he declared, was Hoover's
first attack on the depression after the
stock market collapse.
The meeting, held in the Mayfower
Hotel, was presided over by Mrs. Will
liam FitZ Kelley, president of the
league. A musical program featuring
Mrs. Vera Neely Ross, contralto. and
Miss Charlotte Klein, accompanist,
preceded Benson's talk. Mrs. Henry
Albers had charge of the program.