The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-02-24
Liberal Viewpoint
BY DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

YESTERDAY, summarized briefly the char
l. acter of the assumptions underlying the
new deal and called attention to the fact that
the whole great experiment is today in very
perilOuS condition. The rule of the money
changers and the tories has not been ended
The former are still in control of the nations
finances, and the latter have jumped into the
breach and are within a hairsbreadth of having
the NFSA tucked in their pockets.
Mr.. Pecora's revelations seem not to have
abaShed or discredited the money changers
They are today in revolt against the monetary
policies of the President. The actual applica-
ton of the MIRA codes is today in the control of
the industriaStS.
The representatives of labor utterly are I'M
able to cope with the rehabntated tories The
latter seem in no way inclined to give even the
preliminary new deal fair trial. They insist
that in its enaSculated form it shall be highly
temporary in its operation. The point of view
OF the producers still predOminateS General
Johnson has been concerned mainly with cooling
the various industries and he has subjected over
200 of our different industries to more or less
satisfactory Codes
But all of these codes have been devoted pri-
marily to conditions relating directly to produce
tion with only minor view to boosting and SUs-
tanning purchasing power. Even the very best
codes only have been fairly passable rules for
the game of productive industry.
THE concessions to labor have been of a for
NAL character and have all too often been
resisted when any effort has been made to carry
them out in practice. The minimum wages
specified in the codes have been paltry and mig
gardly beyond description and in no case do they
form the basis for sustained purchasing power
on the part Of American workers
The working week has been altogether too
long to insure sufficient spread of work to
absorb the millions of unemployed Americans
Nothing has appeared to give any indication of
redistribution of the social income. The farm
ers have Jared better than any other group in
this respect, but the farm policies to date have
been primarily feverish and sporadic efforts to
relieve immediate and paralyzing distress rather
than broad and constructive plan to assign to
the rural population their fair and decent frac-
ton Of the social income
The wages and salaries legally imposed in the
new dispensation have been far below the utterly
inadequate level of 1928-29. Nor has there been
any scientific and determined effort to redistri-
butte wealth through progressive taxation or
capital levy. The taxation policy Of Mr. Mills
and Mr.. Hoover has not been modified in any
notable way.
Though Clause IA of the national Industrial
recovery act purportS to guarantee conclusively
the right Of labor to organize and bargain COL
lectvely with employers, the latter have resisted
unionization in practice at every possible op-
portunity.
TINE government has, as yet, given no indi-
J. cation that it proposes to crack down on
recalcitrant industrialiStS. The United States
Steel Corporation and other concerns now are
openly defying the government by their refusal
to deal with even very conservative union, the
United Mine workers. There has been more in
dustrial disorder growing out of this opposition
to unionism than has taken place for several
years
We have an extremely able and alert group of
individuals charged with protecting the rights
and interests of consumers, headed by such stall
wart progreSsiveS as Paul Douglas, Fred Howe
and Dexter Keezer But they have been shunted
off in corner and possess little power or public
prestige. While General Johnson's name is on
everybodys lips not one citizen in ten thousand
ever has heard of the personnel or activities of
those assigned to protect the consumer in what
was to be an era of consumers capitalism.
Nothing of any moment has been done to
handle resolutely the staggering problem Of debt.
The refnancing provisions with respect to urban
and farm mortgages simply postpone the evil
day Of reckoning. The relation policies may.
to some extent reduce the practical impact Of
the debt burden, but. to date the monetary bar
rage has done more harm than good by distract
ing attention from the critical situation prevail
ing in more fundamental quarters.
Therefore, to realistic friends of the new deal,
conditions appear somewhat alarming. Our
financial and industrial rulers do not even seem
inclined to give the new order. even in its lame
and hating preliminary form, a square deal or
a fair show.
The people need light on the facts so that
they may encourage the President 70 move ahead
resoutely while there is yet time to save the
enterprise to which he consecrated his admins
tration a year ago.
If this is not DONE it is no idle talk to declare
that Fascism is just around the corner-not a
Roosevelt FaScisn1, but greedy and ruthless
Fascism directed by those who may overcome
him. aR