The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-04-17
Liberal Viewpoint
BY DR.. HARRY ELMER BARNES -

CERTAIN officials of the Committee for the
~ nation, continue to exhibit ingratitude, bad
taste and folly.
While, in all probability carrying on in COM
plete independence, President Roosevelt adopted
money policy which conformed to a remark
able degree to that advocated by the committee
Tor the nation. He made common cause with the
latter in opposing the monetary Bourbons of
Wall Street. He has fought a gallant if as yet
somewhat unsuccessful. battle to restore business
prosperity which is the oStensible aim of the
committee for the nation
Yet, when the President was in particular
need of loyal support from those who hope to
restore prosperity under the present order Mr.
Rand and his associates ran to the rescue of the
super spectators by drawing the red herring of
| revolution and communism across the trail of
economic progress.
After the notorious letter of Dr. William A.
Writ of Gary, Ind, had proved an obvious
boomerang, it might have been expected that
Mr. Rand would let the matter drop. Not So
The Committee for the Nation now is circulating
the full statement by DR.. Writ in pamphlet
entitled America Must Lose, obviously a parody
on Secretary Wallace's excellent pamphlet,
America Must Choose"
In the foreword the committee procairns
that: An unholy and unwilling alliance of two
influences has blocked recovery and may endan-
ger our entire social order One group, the con-
ooIlar, and now to dollar of still abnormal
purchasing power, are stupidity playing into the
hands of regimenting radicals"
IF Mr.. Rand really believes this one might
l. inquire fairly why it was that he appeared as
the champion of the conservatives and denounced
the radicals. According to his own philosophy,
one group is as dangerous as the other.
The central feature of DR.. Wirt's screed is the
# eff o-t IF f1oo
brain trust to prevent President Roosevelt from
restoring prosperity short of social revolution:
THE brain trust put over the idea that if
they were to destroy the terrible America of
which many of us have been proud the recovery
of the summer of 1888 must be obliterated. The
brain trusters knew that in their despair the
American people would adopt the social reforms
OF the brain truSterS-but not otherwise There
fore, until the social reforms have been adopted
we must have deStitution.'
The logic in this is not apparent to the
initiated. BY July, 1888. the social reforms"
of the brain trust were formulated thoroughly
and most of them had been put into law They
obviously were designed to promote prosperity
rather than to bring restitution in their wake
According to Dr. Writ the plotting brain
trusterS planned on exploiting enforced misery
of the masses:
THEY are sure that they could depend upon
they would keep the Stomachs empty The
masses soon would agree that anything should
be done rather than nothing. Any escape from
present miSeries would be welcomed even though
1t should turn out to be another misery"
Dr. Writ here quite overreaches himself On
the one hand, he implies that the brain trust
is dlabohcally clever and the other, attributes
to them childish Simpe-mindedneSs in asSum-
ing that misery inevitably breeds nationality
The brain trust recognizes well enough that
there are plenty of men who have been four
years IN the bread lines and still are ready to
vote the Republican ticket. If the brain trust
wished to capitalize misery for revolution, there
was plenty of it already at hand to be utilized
wnen they came into power in March, 1888.
Toward the end of his amazing brochure
DR.. Writ clearly implies that General Hugh
Johnson or some other strong who shares
MS views is calmly awaiting the time when he
may become "the American Hitler"
We appear to be in sad state indeed One
powerful group in the administration seems
determined to lead us to Moscow and another
to Berlin.
Dr. Writ proves altogether too much BY
circulating his datribe his sponsors really are
helping Mr. Roosevelt, Indeed, liberal senators
might well frank this pamphlet by the tons to
the uttermost parts of the country
When Dr.. Writ and others are singing about
loose thoughts concerning how America must
lose through a rational control of its economic
life, they apparently take it for granted that
americans have very short memory.
Marie Provost sued Tom Gallery for dam
ages to her home, saying he left fleas there