Evening star., 1934-07-02
Social Legislation.

After setting up new and important
commissions to administer various
phases Of the new deal program,
President Roosevelt has begun a
13,O0O-mile journey which will take
him half way across the Pacific
Ocean, farther from the seat of Gov
eminent in Washington than any
other Chief Executive has been during
his term of Office. While the appoint
ment of the new Federal commission
to regulate the stock exchanges and
of the commission to deal with Cum
munications, the radio, telephone
and telegraph, is necessarily of great
Importance. the President has left
behind him another commission
whose work during the Summer
months may be OF even greater and
more reaching significance to the
American people. This is the Com
mittee on Economic Security.
This committee is expected to work
out the program of social legislation
which is to be presented. first to the
President and later to the Congress
after 1t has received the approval Of
the Chief Executive. 1t is made up
of the Secretaries of the Treasury,
Labor and Agriculture, the Attorney
General and the Federal relief ad-
ministrator.
The President at the same time
authorized the appointment of an
advisory council made up of leaders
in social welfare work, industry, labor,
agriculture and State and local gov
ernment. There is also to be set up
a technical board to assist the COM
mite with the facts" in connection
with the problems they are to study.
These problems, it appears. are to
cover a wide range, including en-
ployment insurance, old age pensions,
sickness and disability in industry and
agriculture, and will take into con-
sideration the basic economic factors.
The Committee on Economic Sc
curity has a large order. Where its
recommendations will lead the Gov
ernment in its further dealings with
the people is a question. Never be-
fore have the American people either
been so helpless or have been made
to appear so helpless. The Federal
Government is called upon to wet
nurse them on every occasion. This
means more government in business
and more government in all the de-
tails of the individual citizens life.
1t means more and more bureaucracy.
And it means, if the regulation of
business and all activities of the
people by the Government is con-
tinued, complete governmental con-
troll, call it what you will. 1t means
that in the end each business will be
run as one, for it is easier for the
Government to control in that way.
The new commissions, just created
by act of Congress and appointment
of the President, to regulate stock ex-
changes and communications are fur
ther steps in the direction of gov
ernmental regulation of business. The
evils which developed in connection
with the Stock Exchange cannot be
CLOSED over. They brought the de-
mand for Government regulation. The
regulation of communications by the
Federal Government has become
necessary, it is contended, because
these lines of communication pass
and repass State lines. The regula-
tion of communications can be made
a tyranny, can be used to crush free
dom of speech and freedom of the
press. And only an eternal vigilance,
once power has been placed in the
hands of government, can prevent
its use to the fullest and most HARM
full extent.
Social legislation sometimes is
merely phrase used to cloak gov
ernment control and domination.