Evening star., 1934-08-19
BY REXFORD G. TUGWELL,
United States Undersecretary of Agri-

'IT IS PECUL
BY REXFORD G. TUGWELL,
United States Undersecretary Of Agri-
culture.
~ URING the campaign of 1882
the Democratic candidate
advocated a program which
~ involved both recovery and
reconstruction. In other
words, he assumed that the people not
only wanted to recover from this de-
preston, but also wanted to build
their defenses, in so far as possible,
against future depressions.
But between election day, 1882, and
March 4, 1888, it became plain that
the new administration would have
still another task to dispose of before
it could undertake either recovery or
reconstruction. The added task was
nothing less than to stave off disaster.
Already many of us have forgotten
what we were up against in the first
few weeks of 1898. We soon lose the
feel of terror. So it is little startling
today to recall expressions like this
one, from the United States Business
Service on February 18, 1888:
mot since Lincoln took Office in
1861 has as critical situation faced
an incoming President. A suffering
people, including many millions of
unemployed seething with discomfort
and unrest, and millions more of
farmers and small busineS men hang
ing on by precarious hold, look to
the new administration for effective
measures of speedy relief.
One ought to go easy on COMPARE
sons with 1861, but for once it does
not seem too strong. Unlike 1861,
however, 1888 found us united
united in fear, in an ominous help
leSSneSS.
Time Only for Swift Action.
Not for a long time should we be
permitted to forget that in the Win
ter of 1928 we had at least 13,000,-
600 persons out of work. Business ac-
tivity had sunk nearly 40 per cent be-
low normal. Industrial production
was limping along at SO per cent of
normal factory employment at SO
per cent and factory pay rolls at 40
per cent. (There had been, you re-
member, a share -the-work campaign
Farm incomes were on a par with
factory pay rolls, or even lower, if the
huge burden of farm debts were con-
sidered along with the phenomenally
low farm prices. There were farm
strikes in the West, bonus marches in
the East and interminable bread lines
East and West. Relief was every mans
burden-and no mans. And then,
like house of cards, the banks COL
lapsed.
How does a nation recover from
situation as appalling as that? Ger
tainly there is no time for automatic"
recovery, for the so-called natural
forces to bring relief. There is not
even time for debate. There is time
only for swift action, and it must
somehow be the action of 125 1000, 900
individuals moving as one.
That is a difficult prescription to
NIL In any country, in any period; but
once more America was lucky. The
right man happened to be in the right
place at the right time.
He reminded us on March 4, 1888,
that the only thing We have to fear
is fear itself" and his words and his
buoyant confidence in America seemed
at once to convert our fears into
hopes. He described what had hap
pened to us, and we agreed that
strenuous measures would be required.
He castigated "a generation of self
seekers" and we nodded vigorously
in agreement. We accepted, if we did
not sense the full import of his rev
marks about social values more noble
than mere monetary profit" When
he had laid down the proposition
that our greatest primary task is to
put people to work." when he said we
must move to raise purchasing power,
in both city and country, we applaud
ed, for here was the very opposite of
the 'trickle down from the top"
school of economic thought. And
when he declared that this Nation
asks for action, and action now" we
cheered-for this, above all, was what
we demanded.
Disaster Prevented.
We got it, 1t came swift and sure.
and it did the job; it STAYED off dis
aSter.
The mood was right, after that,
for a program both of recovery and
reconstruction. There were some who
didn't want reconstruction. but only
recovery-who wanted to return, that
is, to precisely the same set of condi-
tionS which led up to this depression:
but there was no mistaking the desire
of an overwhelming majority for a
new deal. In any event, to talk as
II recovery were a problem only of
the present, and reconstruction
problem only of the future, is to talk
nonsense. Furthermore, those meas
ures which seem primarily concerned
with recovery may leave a residue of
method, of social machinery, we shall
want to hold on to for many years; on
the other hand, some of the measures
which seem primarily concerned with
reconstruction, with long-range plans,
may IN one way or another contribute
heavily to recovery. There is rarely
a sharp line of demarcation.
The general objective has been sim
pie enough to restore a workable ex-
changeability among the separate
parts of our economic machine and to
set it functioning again; and beyond
this TO perfect arrangements which
may prevent its future disorganiza-
ton. Tc accomplish this farm in
comes and factory pay rolls had to go
up most Of all, but there had also to
be some assurance of an adequate re-
turn to useful capital and to manage
ment.
The farmer, who had had trouble
enough in 1928 in exchanging IS BUSH