Evening star., 1934-06-27
Regimentation.

OAiobOl lJCNIS vi
Illinois. chairman OF the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee, has
made reply to Senator Daniel o. Hast
ings of Delaware the chairman Of the
Republican senatorial campaign Or
sanization. The Illinois Senator makes
light Of the Republican criticism that
some of the Roosevelt new deal laws
are violative of the Constitution and
that the administration is regimenting
the business and the people of the
country. Indeed. in the opinion OF
the Democratic chairman Mr. Hastings
Is an eminent lawyer. but-perhaps for
that reason-all Of his seven charges
against the Democrats are untrue.
In support of his contention that
the Roosevelt program and policies are
doing no violence to the Constitution.
Senator Lewis suggests that it would
be well TO examine the record of the
cases brought by personal or corporate
selfish interests" against seven of the
important measures of the new deal
From the lowest to the highest court.
he said, these laws have been held tc
be in conformity with and not yiolative
OF the Constitution. From the point
OF view OF Mr.. Lewis. it is. of course
merely selfish for a man or a company
or corporation TO attack legislation
OF the Roosevelt Congress in the
courts. The mere challenge of these
laws is sufficient to brand a man. high
or low. who is seeking to protect rights
which he believes to be granted to him
by the Constitution. as merely self
centered and selfish. Not all OF the
cases which have been launched
against new deal activities and laws
in the courts, however. have yet come
TO final determination.
Whether legal or not, the acts will
before long be taken to the court OF
public opinion. and the voters in the
congressional elections will be called
upon TO act as jurors. and also as
judges. The people will for the first
time have an opportunity to pass
upon the new deal Whether they are
willing to continue to take the Gov
ernment cash and let the credit go
remains to be seen. At present there
seems to be plenty of cash to be ex-
pended by the Government in
thousand different ways.
Mr.. Lewis admits the impea chment
that the Roosevelt administration is
regimentng and regulating business
but he adds that of course this is in
the interest OF the people themselves
How does he know that it is? Ger
tainly it is not in the interest OF free
dom and liberty But freedom and
liberty of action, so far as individuals
are concerned, are becoming back
numbers. They are not found in the
bright lexicon of the economists, the
new dealers and the planners.
The Illinois Senator not SO long
ago charged that the Government was
making terrible mistake when it
sought TO curtail the freedom OF the
individual who desired to slake his
thirst with alcoholic beverage. The
Government, he insisted, could never
persuade the individual in this coun-
try that taking a drink in itself is a
crime. If the individual cannot be
convinced by the Government that it
is crime to drink, can the individ-
ual be convinced by the Government
that it is a crime to work more than
a given number of hours, that it is a
crime to make money at any wage
that he is willing to take or that it is
a crime to plant more acres of cotton
or wheat than the Government de-
crees?
The campaign is on to lead the peo-
pie into the belief and willingness to
accept Government regulation and
regimentation. That is the issue and
it will be fought out between now and
November