The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-03
SATURDAY. MARCH ,. 1884.
THE FIRST YEAR

a YEAR ago We had prohibition, general
\ bank holiday wholesale business fall
ures and farm foreclosures, sweap shops and
child labor. and one man in every tour out Of
work. Today we are climbing out of the de-
preston. And most citizens, regardless of
party, pay tribute to President Roosevelt for
his courageous leadership.
Probably no other President at the end of
his first year has been so popular as Mr..
Roosevelt. This is not an accident. 1t can
not be explained on grounds Of propaganda or
of partisan political cleverness. The Presi-
dent has the faith Of the nation because he
has earned it.
The curious thing about this is that Moth
ing the President has done is beyond criti-
cism. Take any of his major policies and
you will find that il has failed to produce
expected results. For instance, the most pub
Icized of all the NRA; General Johnson him
self has just indicted the operation of the
MIRA on twelve serious counts which 60 to
very heart of its usefulness.
The AAA has had to reverse its policy on
marketing agreements and its switching from
voluntary compulsory crop control. PWA
was so slow in producing results that CWA
had to be improvised, and it in turn now is
being abolished for something else.
After many months of backing and forth
ing on initiation, the administration this
week informed congress that it is not yet sure
that its latest monetary policy will work and
that more sudden changes are possible. In
the foreign field the administration began
with a tariff reduction and an international
cooperation program, which at the London
conference was revoked without warning in
favor Of economic nationalism, and that pol
icy in turn now IS being discarded for the
earlier program of lower reciprocal tariffs,
stimulation of foreign business with special
trade banks and general cooperation abroad.
The list of false starts and half-failures could
be extended through most of the administra-
tons activities.
Why is it. then, that the President is so
popular today and the country so much bet
ter of despite all Of these changes and coun-
ter-changes of policy? It is not despite these
changes but because of them.
year ago the economic system had bro
ken down. The old ways had failed The
president was not witch doctor; he had no
cure-alIs and no shortcuts. He had to eX-
pertinent That is what he did. Of course
he made mistakes. He still is making mis-
takes. But each month he brings, order out
of chaos Or, to use his own favorite figure,
he is like the captain of a football team who
must change his plays in the uncertain and
zigzag course down the field to the distant
goal.
Thus President Roosevelt's great contri-
button to the nation has been a political
method the method of planned experiment.
His goal is not only recovery, but basic re-
form. He does not believe the nation can
return to the old system and survive Either
we go back to misery and chaos or forward
to a planned and Just economic order The
President is heading forward. unafraid. And
that is why the people are following him.
The next year will be harder. Bureau
cracv will grow and the President will have
difficulty in keeping close to the people Re
dictionary business and political forces will
gather more power And among the rank and
file much of the excitement and glory CT the
new deal will wear thin. little temporary
recovery may go to our heads and make us
forget the basic reforms still waiting
The second years even more than the first
will be the test of the Presidents leadership
end of the character of the American people.