The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-08-20
An Analysis

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l. publican editors outing show that the
Indiana G. o. P. has learned nothing from its
recent population by the people.
Senator Arthur Robinson opened his cam
paign for reelection on a q~uerulous note that
was reminiscent Of the dark days when the
late Mr.. Hoover tried to ~terrorize the voters
With a silly Jeremiad about grass growing in
the streets If Mr.. Roosevelt were elected.
Since that idle threat was uttered not a
single spear Of timothy has poked through the
paving. On the contrary, most Of the nations
main streets and highways have been improved
and extended.
The senator put on his ususal performance
in his Saturday speech. All he lacked was a
devil mask and a tom tom. Like a primitive
witch doctor, he conjured up all the affreets'
fends, hobgoblins. shedims, jinns and were
wolves that occurred to him.
out from the tomb he dragged the stale
corpse Of American Communism. He worried
it I'D and down the platform, making it pos
ture and bleed, but for all his putting he could
not give it the breath of life.
"Subversive forces" he shouted, "are now
taking US Enthusiastically on a trek to Moscow!
Regeneration! Collectivism!"
Accuracy has never been an attribute of
the senator. SO it made no difference to him
that the Communist party has shrunk until
it is less than one-one-thousandth of the pop
ulation Of this country
He is Indifferent to the fact that the in
significant publications of this handful Of
radicals spend most of their space in venomous
attacks on the Roosevelt administration
He either is ignorant or insincere when he
Identifies the Presidents enlightened capital
ism with philosophy of Stain. An hour with
any standard reference work would show him
the inhnity that lies between the two political
PHILOSOPHERS.
During the coming campaign the Republi-
cans are going to say a great deal about Com
munism. The people know why. They real
ize that when a pious fraud is caught with
his hand in the collection plate he is likely
to call the man that turned up the lights some
mighty nasty names.
Careful study of the senator's keynote
speech discloses only the vaguest references to
real issues. He gave the impression that he
favored some sort of food dole for the I'M
employed instead of the present plan OF
honest wages for honest work.
He opposed the Presidents emergency ex-
penditureS. but offered no substitute. He
thought it was wrong that coming generations
should help pay the cost of the present fight
on economic depression.
Yet this country has never been without a
49, I,LN L;1L -
take over from its elders. Why is it not as
sensible to hand future generations a bill for
saving lives as it is to charge them for the
organized slaughter of war?
Mr.. Robinson Shuddered at the whole
fiscal policy of the administration. Yet we
venture to say that if the senator were con-
fronted by a critical illness in his own family
he would spare no expense, even though he
had to borrow heavily, to insure recovery.
And the extent of his credit would depend
largely upon his ability to show that his every
6ay-eXpenSeS were we'll within his normal in
come.
The Roosevelt administration merely is
doing the same thing on an infinitely larger
scale.
He expressed indignation over the new
bureaus which the government has set up and
over the fact that many employees have gone
on the public pay roll without benefit of civil
service.
The Times certainly does not indorse many
of the stupid things which Postmaster General
Farley, patronage chief, has done. This news
paper is for civil service. 1t regrets that the
senator's own party did not see fit, during the
many years it was in power in Indiana, to
build up a real civil service system, particularly
in the several police forces of the state.
However, when Mr.. Roosevelt took office
the country was PROSTATE from a great eco
nomic disaster which had been augmented by
the do-nothing policy of the previous admin
istration. He had to act quickly.
After all, when ones house is burning one
can not stop to look up the character and Gre
dentials of every fireman before he is permit
ted to enter the blazing dwelling. The main
objective is to e~xtinguish the fire, even though
some of the fiat silver does disappear during
the excitement.
Senator Robinson also declared himself in
violent opposition to the so-called- brain
trust" This is a group of presidential advisers,
most OF whom have spent a lifetime studying
various specialized phases of social and
economic problems.
Some Of them are distinguished university
ton officials got more interested in making