The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1934-11-15
THE GREAT
GAME OF
POLITICS
By PRANK K. KENT,
In the Baltimore Sunday Sun
Copyright by the Baltimore Sun and
reprinted in The Republican by
special permission.

SOpyIISHL ny LIE DdlClInOTe Dun anu
reprinted in The Republican by
special permission.
A Collapsed Balloon
Washington, Nov 10.
1t may be the fourteen or fifteen ex-
cellent gentlemen named by the Presi-
dent in September to resuscitate the
exceedingly sick MIRA are performing
hidden miracles, and that soon a revi-
talized organization free of all impur-
tiles and bursting with health and
beauty will be revealed. But hardly
anyone believes that-not even the
excelle1 gentlemen themselves.
On the contrary, there is a pretty
general conviction that the NRA is
close to a comatose condition, much
too far gone to be restored, and that
the fourteen or fifteen excellent gen.
tlemen named by the President on
three separate boards are not physi-
clans at all-merely pallbearers. A
somewhat false pride seems to prevent
this Administration from admitting
the facts. When one recalls the ire
mendous ballyhoo back of the scheme
and the glories it was to shower upon
labor, industry and the world gener-
ally, this reluctance is easy to under
stand.
1t is, naturally, increased by the
results of the election. To concede
that one of the major New Deal pol
icies has collapsed beyond repair,
right on the heels of a great popular
Endorsement of New Deal policies,
would be very bad medicine to take.
In effect, it would say to the people
that they had wrong idea of the sit
uation; that instead of marching for
ward the New Deal was slipping back;
that they had been misled by propa-
ganda and fed a lot of doctored pap.
1t would take very big men, indeed,
to make admissions of that sort
much bigger than are in this Admins
tration, despite the advertisements.
It's leaders are dealing with this NRA
failure, not as the supermen some
conceive them, but exactly as average
politicians deal with such situations
to wit, by concealing the realities and
utilizing every face-saving device
upon which they can lay their hands.
The truth is, the primary object of
the NRA reorganization was to get
the unfortunate General johnson out.
The point had been reached where the
General, for variety of reasons, had
become a liability and there was dan
ger the whole thing would blow up
with bang. The problem was to ell
inmate the General in such way as
to avoid an explosion and with a
minimum of public disillusionment.
After months of marking time, during
which the morale of the machine went
to pieces, Mr.. Roosevelt succeeded in
retiring the General, and named the
fourteen or fifteen excellent gentle
men who were to reorganize, under
the general direction of Mr.. Donald
Richberg, the great coordinator.
Even on the surface, it did not seem
a practical plan. Certainly, despite
the periodical word that comes out of
progress" it is quite clear it is not
working. Having got General john
son out of the NRA, it was discovered
that he was the NRA, and with him
out all left is the shell. AS things
stand, the organization is in an incred-
ible state of confusion, leaderless and
leaking. 1t is without fixed policy
or firm foundation 1t is assailed on
the one side by Industry, and the other
by Labor The United States Cham
Der of Commerce moves toward the
scrapping of the Act, on the same day
the American Federation of Labor re-
ports code violation increasing on a
large scale. Mr.. Donald Richberg,
the great coordinator, has made a
number of speeches of such fair,
cautious, balanced and wholly judicial
nature as to leave those who read at
a loss as to what is the future NRA
policy, and create in their minds
doubt as to whether Mr.. Richberg, the
great coordinator, himself knows.
AS a matter of fact, he does not.
AS matter of fact, neither do any
of the other excellent gentlemen. AS