The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-10
SATURDAY. AUG. 10. 1885.
AGAIN WE URGE-CONCENTRATE!

CUPPOsE you were already in debt. And
- suppose some one said to YOU: Here's
fine 100000 country estate you ought to own
You borrow SIS 600 more: III give you $4,000
and Wen buy the place for you. The only
condition being that you live in it and of
course, it being yours, pay for the upkeep."
You probably would answer: No. Your gift
would cost me too much"
That's what the Rhode Island voters said
to the proposition that they bond their state
for 100000 additional in order to get a
S7OGc, 900 Federal gift and spend the whole SIS
100000 on new state-owned beaches. parkwsys
parks and police barracks. As much as Rhode
Islands jobess need the work that the pro-
gram would give. the voters decided: NO. It
would cost us too much money that We haven't
got"
And as they cast their negative ballots
Rhode Islanders probably also reasoned that
the Federal government might turn out to be
an Indian giyer," and come some day to take
back that 100000 in the form of taxes.
IN that respect, as we'll as in others, Rhode
AoAclAAN . dNLlOAl 4ooho INT a pOAlliCdl hIOIH
signal. II spells a new phase in the public
attitude toward Federal borrowing and Fed
eraI spending. Had the big spending program.
the s48OO,OOOOOO main chance. been working
up to schedule had it been putting millions
instead of a few thousand to work and making
good on unemployment Of one person in pri-
vate industry for every one on public projects,
the attitude Of Rhode Island voters probably
would have been different.
All of Which-as the Rhode Island result
may be typical Of public sentiment in other
states that haven't voted vets further and
eloquent argument for President Roosevelt
concentrating on his one big bet
AS the New Deals relief and public en-
ployment expenditures were originally pro-
posed, they seemed necessary. as the only way
to ease the misery OF hapless humans who were
the victims of the botch that the old order
had made of our economic system. And IS
viewed now in retrospect. we can see no other
way by which the economic machine could
have been kicked of dead center. The credit
of the Federal government had to be tapped
at time when private units were creditless.
So the Federal credit was tapped. early and
often, even back in the days of Hoover. and
then on in the regime of Roosevelt. Then came
the biggest tap of all-the one that was to put
every cmployable back on the job.
a S the high hopes of that endeavor began
L y to dim with the begging down that came
with red tape and internal pulling and hauling.
as the national debt continued to mount with
nothing much in the way of unemployment to
show for it, a large question mark began to
grow in the mind of the citizens of Rhode Is
land and elsewhere. The question asked
whittier are We going and where do We come
out?"
And as that question was followed by the
presentation of a tax measure which after
much ballyhoo, proved capable of producing
not enough money to run our government for
three weeks. public attention began to con-
oentrate on the subject of a terminal on the
whole business of governmental borrowing.
1t was in that state of mind We believe. that
Rhode Island voted.
So without wanting to become unduly
monotonous we desire to reiterate:
Mr.. President, the key to success for YOU
and your Administration and to the success of
the many splendid and human reforms that
you have brought about lies in that "a 300.
100000 work relief program which now so
direy needs your own personal direction
Make that go. and all the rest Will go. and
there will be no more Rhode Islands when the
next votes are cast"