The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-16

with practically no civil disorder and
with the governments of the states
and the United States still function
ing under their constitutional safe
guards of individual liberty and
social security"
Touching on criticism that the
government has failed TO live up to
the 1882 Democratic platform which
promised government expenses would
be cut, the budget balanced and the
government taken out of the field
Of private business, Mr.. Richberg
commented:
Flags UnsOund Criticism
THE fundamental unsoundneSs of
this variety of criticism lies in three
facts: First, the Democratic plat
form was adopted in June, 1882.
Second, our financial and industrial
structure was on the verge of col
lapse in March, 1888, when the pres
ent administration came into power
Third, from that day to this the
continuing improvement of our eco
nOmic health has depended abso-
lutely upon the maintenance of pub
lie support for millions of ihdivid-
uals and for the huge institutions
upon which the welfare of 100000
600 people depends"
Huge expenditures of the federal
government have been made under
the driving necessity of protecting
the entire population from the &C
cumulated evils of a long depres-
sion, he pointed out, promising,
however, that these emergency re-
lief expenditures should not be
continued and will not be continued
beyond the period of necessity.
Lauds Founding Fathers
ITO protect individual freedom in
our industrial civilization is a far
different problem from the one pre-
sented to those who wrote the Con-
stitution of the United States to Sc
cure the blessings of liberty to them
selves and their posterity," Mr. Rich
berg said in defending the so-called
brain trust" against its critics.
But it is a problem which can
be solved by a government estab-
lished under that Constitution and
through democratic measures of CO.
operation which are consistent with
the traditions and ideals of Amer
lea.
Every American citizen who
knows the history of his country
must recognize the profound wis
dom of those who framed our ma
tional Constitution; but sometimes
when I read criticisms of a mythical
brain trust of young college men
which is supposed to be operating
in Washington today, I wonder if
such critics know any more about
the writer's of the Constitution than
they know about the lawmakers of
the present day.
The facts are that the average
age in the present executive coun-
Gil, which includes President RooSe-
welt, his cabinet and the heads of
emergency agencies, must be over so
years. and that the leaders in the
Seante and house are no younger.
In contrast to this rather mature
group, the average in the Constitu-
tional convention Of 1877 was AZ
years. James Madison, the So
called father of the Constitution,
was SO, and it may again be recalled
that Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Declaration of Independence at the
ripe age Of SO.
Let us hope that it will not I'M
dermine faith in the practical wis
dom of the trainers of the Constitu-
ton if it also be mentioned that out
of flfty-fve members, thirty had
received a college education and
that twenty-six properly could be
classified with college professors"