Evening star., 1934-06-17
BY OWEN L. SCOTT.


campaign issue this Fall. That is
because DR.. Rexford Guy Tugwel,
brain truster. in spite Of his winning
ways with Senators. symbolizes the
issue that is rising in this country.
This issue is whether the people want
to turn back to the old ways Of
free competition and rugged indi-
vidualiSm. or whether they want to
push further along the road leading
to some sort of planned economic
system. President Roosevelt is de-
termined to point the country toward
planning
The idea has successfully been
spread that Dr. Tugwell has influ-
enced the President in that decision.
The mere fact that there is very
little to the idea, owing to the fact
that Mr.. Roosevelt has capable mind
of his own, does not make the new
Undersecretary Of Agriculture any less
conspicuous target. Nor does the
fact that Democratic Senators them
selves have raised the issue make it
less attractive to politicians.
For an issue there is. Reports from
competent observers travelling over the
country tell of increased irritation on
the part of farmers and business men
with the rules and regulations of the
A. A. A. and the N. r. A. Farmers
have their own ideas of how many
hogs they raised in the past, or what
their yield Of wheat or corn was. They
are baking strenuously at having the
Government tell them how much they
can raise or market on the basis of
the Governments idea of their past
production. Similarly. business men
are pictured as irritated by code rules
and regulations.
II the truth were known, Dr. Tug
well has had almost nothing to do
with either the A. A. A. administra-
ton or the N. r. A. administration.
He actually has been a Woodworking
and a very efficient Assistant Secre-
tary of Agriculture His job has been
to run the old Department of Agri-
culture, while Henry Wallace and
Chester Davis were struggling with
the emergency farm problems and the
A. A. A. Secretary Wallace is the
real boss, both of the Department of
Agriculture and the Adjustment Ad-
ministration. He and Tugwell and
Davis all work in complete harmony,
but when it comes to setting policy
Wallace does the deciding.
Most of the attack against Tugwell
and much Of the fire that will be di-
rected at the administration through
him are expected to be based on an
address made by Tugwell before the
American Economic Association three
years ago. On that occasion he
warned the country tnat If it wanted
to go along the path of planning the
changes would be far-reaching and
dlfncult. He commented on the
wrench that would be given to most
American beliefs and the resistance
that would be put up to change.
Since this address is most likely
to be used as the basis for attack on
the new deal, when that attack comes
more vigorously into the open, a brief
resume can show why it has excited
part of the Senate.
DR.. Tugwell has said that in this
address he was speaking as a scientist
to scientists and was explaining
viewpoint. and not advocating any,
thing. There are some statements in
that address that probably cause the
hair to bristle on the heads of con-
servative business men.
y X
The thesis Of Tugwell in his 1881
speech Is that business essentially Is
warfare and that many of the same
motives apply and assert themselves
in industry as in actual battles be-
tween nations. At the time he was
speaking the Chamber. of Commerce
had Just begun to interest itself In
some form of Industrial planning
board such as finally developed into
N. R. A. Said DR.. Tugwell, with q
foresight that now can be appraised:
Strange as it may seem-directly
antithetical to the interests of busi-
ness and unlikely to be allowed free
dom of speech, to say nothing of ac-
tion-it seems altogether likely that
we shall set up, and soon, such a con-
sultative body.
1T seems to me quite possible to
argue that, in spite of its innocuous
nature, the day on which it comes
into existence will be a dangerous one
for business, Just as the founding day
of the League Of Nations was a dan
gerous one for nationalism.
There may be long and linger-
ing death, but it must be regarded as
inevitable. Any new economic coun-
Gil will be hampered on every side;
it will be pressed for favors and I'M
dermined by political jobbery. 1t
will not dare call its soul its own, nor
speak its mind in any emergency.
But it win be clear recognition, one
that cannot be undone, that order
and reason are superior to adven-
turous competition"
Any change in the old order, the
speaker asserted, would be difficult.
For" he said, I'VE have century
and more of development to undo.
The institutions Of Laissez- Faire have
become so much a part Of the fabric
of modern life that the untangling
and removing Of their tissues will be
almost like dispensing with civiHza-