Evening star., 1934-08-26
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

" lIldL ~. ~. "a k1Qulln-
istrator Gen. Hugh johnson
would-well-let us put ii
this way: Would pass through an ex-
perience midway between getting out
and being let out, or at least part way
out, being relieved of some of his
power. For the immediate future the
question seems settled in part. But
the stories persist. Stories of this sort
are important when they are circu-
lated about man of Gen. johnson s
conspicuousness. The general is the
one person in public life, excepting
President Roosevelt-and Mrs. Roose-
welt, who, for example, cannot go
through the exposition at Chicago
without having to run from the en-
barrassment of the crowds that follow.
Any allusion to Gen. johnson ought
to begin by saying that practically
everybody in washington likes him
excepting some Of the young intel
lectuals and some of the more radical
in the ranks of labor These latter
would like to take America toward a
new form of society more or less typi-
fed by Russia-and they think that
Mr.. A. goes in a different direction,
the direction of Italian Fascism, or at
least the German cartel form of
industry.
His Convictions Respected.
Gen. johnson hotly denies that he
Is taking America toward Fascism. And
whatever the general denies or AYERS
he means. That is one reason for the
practically universal liking of him. I
doubt whether he gives much thought
to the destination of the innovations
he has introduced. I doubt If he thinks
much in the terminology of alien
social organization. Indeed, I think
that primarily the general is subiec-
lively romantic artist. In his younger
years he wrote novels. And in N. r. A.
he has been living a novel. Because
he Is military man, lawyer, an
economist and several other things,
and because he has an exact mind in
the fields of statistics and logic it is
difficult for people to understand that
he has also a romantic mind. But it
Is the romantic part Of johnson, rather
than any other aspect Of him, that
appears in N. r. A. And it is the ro-
mantle streak in him, plus his rugged
ness and fortnight vigor, that has
won for him the sympathetic liking of
persons who think that N. r. A. is
totally odious.
The general, wheel-horse of a new
deal which uses "individualsm" as an
epithet, is about the most rugged in
dividualist now functioning in the
United States. What other individ-
ual, beginning with so slight a start
as the general had 18 months ago,
has pushed himself so far to the front,
has caused so many other persons to
regiment themselves, willingly or un-
willingly. in such way as to make
for the power and glory of the rugged
individualiSt at the top, in the person
OF Gen. johnson? One of the lessons
America must learn, so soon as it is
able to shake off the varying fallacies
and delusions of the past four or five
years, is that actually there is no
other form of social organization ex-
cept individualiSm, no other unit of
society except that which revolves
about an individual as core. Prob
ably the ruggedest individualists in all
the modern world are Mussolini, Hit
Ter and Stain, who have made use of
"collectivism" in different forms as a
word, q slogan, q totem, with which
to cause great masses of people to do
the things that the individualists want
done.
Acts Invite Retirement.
If President Roosevelt should de-
eide later to "let OUT Gen. johnson,
wholly or partly. he would be justi-
fed, according to accepted standards
of administrative organization. For
months the general, In private and
public has been saying he would like
to go back to private life. Most who
have heard him say 1t believed 1t to
be the expression of momentary
mood-actually the general has been
having the time of his life. and, we
suspect, would be pretty forlorn in
the inconspicuousness of private life.
But In any organization, man who
is everlastingly saying he is ready to
get out, by that act invites the thing
he talks about.
Just this proneness to moods has
been one of the generals failings. 1t
did not develop strikingly until after
he had been here some six to nine
months During the last half or so
of the life of N. r. A. its admins
traitor has been pretty frequently in
the condition of nerves and tempera-
ment that old-time New Englanders
call "in a state" The cause of it was
mainly fatigue Having so dramatic
an imagination, the general has al
most thought there was a virtue in
long hours lust for the sake OF long
hours.
On occasions he has learned-or if
he has not learned, others have OBJ
served-that a man cannot be at his
best when he is tired; or, as has been
the case with the general, when he is
In q chronic state of overtiredness.
You can keep on working when you
are tired, and II your job is merely
some kind of repetitive routine you
may get away with it. But you can
not have good judgment when you are
tired. And good Judgment is what the
N. r. A. administrator has continu-
ously needed and sometimes lacked.
The general rather frequently, almost
continuously lately, has been in that
state in which mans friends say he
ought to 60 away for long rest. The
generals friends nave peen saying IL.
Newspapers Sympathize.
Newspapers have been saying it
saying it sympathetically in most
cases, but saying it. Terrific Pace
Takes Its Toll. But Johnson Won't
Ease Up" said a headline little
while ago. And President Roosevelt
has had Justification for saying it
and for taking action appropriate TO
the feeling that the general has not
been at his best, and might become
more Of the same unless relieved from
his work, in whole or part.
About the only persons who would
take real satisfaction in seeing Gen.
johnson depart from Washington are
those esoteric young intellectuals in
the administration who have-some
consciously and some unconsciously-
plans for taking America in a really
radical direction, and who see the
oauerol az az, irnpediYnent The ground