Evening star., 1934-08-12

+ RECOMMENDATION Of the last year may
/ yet be nuliifed by the Supreme Court
In the midst of industrial distress
and political hysteria. RECOMMENDATION
may pinch some major interest Sc
yerely. Some important group may
yield ground. but not for long. It
/ ORGANIZES It's forces and seeks allies.
+ The whole congeries Of experiments
shows this phenomenon in operation,
/ They all have In them q promise 70
help some powerful interest They
could not be passed until a bait was
held cut. The money program wes
20 help export trade and domestic
merchants and stockholders. The
A. A. A. was to beneft a vast aeri-
cultural area But 10 could not be
passed until the infstionist element
and the silver spectators we're al
lowed 70 fasten an imitation measure
on II.
The n. r. A. was TO give the whole
employer class large favors. but II
could not be enacted until union labor
wrote section IA into It.
Even more Illuminating is the set
OF regulation measures adopted. The
money changers we're TO be driven
from the temple In the end they got
measure that led them to 90 on a
mild speculative spree. they are even
represented on the regulative body.
The problem OF stock gambling is
untouched The banks we're to be
chastened and reformed. The meas
ure passed did not 60 near the hornets
nest that must be faced before the
problem Is solved.
A ma tority Of Congressman believe
in 30-hour week. II was not passed,
despite strong pressure. II wss killed
by interests that realized II would
destroy them. What will stop the
Government operation of power
plants? 10 will not be any recognition
OF the notorious inefficiency Of Gov
eminent in industry. It will be the
private utilities and the coal COM
panies and their workers. What
stopped the Wagner union labor bill,
the psy-off of bank depositors. the
proposed A. A. A. amendments? What
became Of the food and drug bill?
The Sherman act, the inter State
commerce act. the Federal Reserve
act, the Federal Trade Commission
Law and many others that we're passed
without a bass-drum accompaniment
of propaganda make the tnnocuous
measures of the last Congress look like
gentle wrist pats. The shades Of Jack
son and Cleveland must be smiling at
the delusions of dictatorship.
Dictatorship Absent.
The sudden and unannounced ap-
plication of the experiments has been
bitterly assailed as the tyranny of
dictatorship. On the contrary. 1t
proves the absence of dictatorship.
1t merely demonstrates that an ad-
ministration cannot announce its
plans in advance when it does not
know what they are or what they can
be. The halting and shifting fnaneu-
vers that finally arrived at devaluation
and the labor disputes law, and the
silver surrender are striking evidence
of the absence Of ruthless planning.
How can an administration an
uuuilCc AeS pldIlS III huNdnCe when III
does not yet know what the farmers
are going to put through Congress,
Just what will be necessary TO keep
Union zlabor in line, just what the in
vestment interests win stand for and
just what subsidy the silver miners
have decided to take?
-, What this country needs, even more
than good scent cigar. is some real
downright economic planning. 1t does
not need the ruthless type, and it
cannot have that type. 1t badly needs
the sane. constructive, practical type
that knows its limitations. recognizes
the proper points of attack and has
the courage to put through the pro-
gram. 1t has needed this type of plan
ming a long time.