Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-04-19
National Topics Interpreted


tissues" over which
candidates can harangue, there will
actually be many of them. A few
short weeks ago, political leaders here
either boosted or moaned about the
lack Of issues for the campaign, ac-
cording as the boaster or the moaner
was Democrat or Republican. The
democrats felt President Roosevelt
had been such huge success that Re
publicans could not find vital or vul-
nerable spot to attack. Republicans,
whether they said so out loud or not,
felt much the same way. In the In
term, however, all of this has been
changed and there surely will be a
red hot campaign during the coming
summer and fall months.
Looking over the situation, one sees
as probable points of controversy such
things as the air mail contract can
collation.; the charges that the New
Deal" has overridden the Constitution
OF the United States; the devaluation
OF the dollar and the profit taking in
which the treasury thereafter engaged
through seizure of all gold; the en-
croachment of the federal government
upon business itself through NRA and
the scores of administrations and COM
missions that have been set up; the
proposal to revise the method of elect
Ing the President, and the use Of tax
payers money in development of such
plans as the Tennessee Valley author
ity, to mention a few of them.
But it seems to me that the most
important issue of all is only now
coming to the surface. Succinctly, it
Is whether the voters desire to have
the various New Deal items made a
permanent part of our national gov
ernmental structure.
1t is to be recalled that virtually all
of the items of the New Deal have
been put through congress as emer-
gency legislation. Some of them have
been tested in courts on a constitu-
tional basis and have been upheld as
emergency laws. But it is necessary
to think Of the announcements by
President Roosevelt almost directly as
sorting his intention to make them per-
manent. Otherwise, they would expire
in June, 1885, little more than a year
from now. The expiration date fur
nishes the basis for the issue that ap-
pears to be so important.
The 435 members of the house Of
representatives and the 35 senator's who
are up for election this fall will have
been reelected or defeated eight
months in advance of the time when
the decision must be made on contin-
uation of the New Deal items that
were enacted as emergency laws Con-
gress, made up of the reelected or
new members, will convene in the first
week of January, 1885. That will be
the congress to decide what the course
shall be. 1t cannot dodge the ques-
ton. If the President requests that the
emergency laws be made permanent,
and he says he will, the new congress
either will do his bidding and re-enact
the laws ne desires or it will kill them
So the candidates this summer and
fall must be prepared TO answer wheth-
er they will support continuation of
the New Deal or will work against it.
That puts the question up to the vot-
ers. 1t is closely akin to a refer
endum. For the farmers, for example,
1t will require decision whether they
want to go on into the future with q
centralized functionary in Washington
like AAA, telling them how much corn
or wheat or cotton they can grow, how
much milk, or eggs, or fruit, or COWS,
or sheep, or hogs they can produce.
For the manufacturer, the issue will
require decision whether he wishes
to go on with production under the
codes, likewise directed from Wash
ington. For all taxpayers, it will re-
Quire decision on the question of the
type of expenditures that have been
and are now going on out of the fed
eral treasury. 1t strikes me as about
the most important set of questions
presented to American voters in many
years. Upon their decision rests the
future policy Of this nation.
/ have frequently expressed the
opinion in these columns that things
have happened so
Pace Is rapidly under the
Too SNIFF New Dear that
ne
not keep up with them. Frankly, as
an unbiased observer without political
affiliation of any kind, have been un-
able sometimes to reach a conclusion
for myself regarding many of the New
Deal projects. They have been thrust
upon us at such speed that it has been
utterly impossible to study all of them.
And that is the unfortunate part of the
Forthcoming campaign. If we, who
are in the front rows of the theater.
are puzzled, what then must be the
state Of mind Of those who are far re-
moved from the stage and can Judge
only by the few favorable or adverse
effects that reach them as individual
citizens?
There will be quite bit of water
go over the dam before the votes are
cast in November. 1t may be, there
fore, that better understanding of