Evening star., 1934-09-08
A Colby for n Sinclairf

The bitterest attack yet launched
against President Roosevelt and the
New Deal administration has come
from a Democrat, Bainbridge Colby,
Secretary of State under President
Woodrow Wilson. In those days Mr..
Colby was regarded as q progressive
Democrat. Speaking in Portland, Me,
he called for the election of anti
New Deal Congressmen. His address
was timed to fall almost on the eve
Of the Maine election. to which the
country is looking as q straw in the
wind Of public opinion.
How can we unmask the ignorance
and the fallacy, the malice and the
danger Of what passes now in wash
ington for 'policy'?" Mr.. Colby asked
his Maine audience, and he answered
the question himself: why, it Is In
Congress-and Congress alone"
To Mr.. Colby the Roosevelt admin
istration is in no sense representative
Of the principles Of democracy 80 dear
10 the heart Of Thomas Jefferson. To
Mr.. Colby "the Democratic party of
today Ia only q so-called Democratic
party. 1t bears but little resemblance,
II any, to the party which carried the
1882 election" The administration, he
said, has strewn the way with broken
promises, broken campaign pledges.
1t has failed to keep the platform
pledge Of reduced Government ex-
penditures and has piled up billions
Of dollars Of Government debt. It
promised sound currency, to be pre-
served at all hazards; 1t promised to
enforce strictly the antitrust laws;
It promised the removal Of Govern
ment from all fields of private enter
prise, except where necessary for
public works and natural resources In
the common interest.
This" said Mr.. Colby, was the
platform, these were the pledges
which the President, In accepting his
nomination, said he was fer one
hundred per cent" He added that q
much smaller percentage would repre-
sent the extent to which this plat
form has been observed. IF the
hundred per cent Is to figure at all. !"
he said, "it might be said 1t more
nearly represents the extent to which
the platform has been ignored and
Eepudiated."
n Mr.. Colby quoted from . letter
written to him recently by an un-
named Democratic Senator, who said
that the threatened transformation Of
the Democratic party into q party Of
State socialism has already been sac-
complished. "as far as the administra-
ton at Washington can accomplish
IT," The Senator added: 1T seems
to me q hopeless task to do any
thing more than await with patience
and fortitude the certain crash, now
rapidly approaching" Bitter words,
indeed, coming from q Democratic
Senator, said by Mr.. Colby to be an
outstanding figure In the Upper House.
Another Democrat of high oficial
position and o wheel horse Of the
Democratic party for years, even dur
ing the New Deal, Mr.. Colby said. had
predicted that the administration
course was taking 1t straight to State
socialism, and this Democrat predicted
that from that point America would
be driven to Communism.
Mr.. Colby brought his criticism
direct to the door of President Roose-
welt. He spoke Of the bolshevik chat
ter which bubbles from the lips of
Tugwell and his fellow brain-trusters, /"
and pointed out that the President
had recently rewarded Tugwell with
promotion to be Undersecretary Of
Agriculture.
It looks as though the Democratic
party-the Roosevelt Democratic party
may have exchanged o Colby for q
Sinclair.