Evening star., 1935-07-20
NEW DEAL FACING
RISING OPPOSITION
Many Answers in Prospect
for Contentious OF
BaCkerS.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Criticism of the New Deal is increas-
ing throughout the country. AS a
consequence defenders Of the admin
istration usually ask the critics:
do you want to go back to Hoover
g. days? Do you want to go back to the
old system? Why not suggest an al
tentative or something constructive?
Why tear down without offering way
to build up?"
y, These questions are fair, and critics
ought not in any way to evade an
swering them. The chances are that
~ in the next II months plenty of an
swers will be forthcoming. Members
of Congress who are going to defend
their votes in opposition to the New
Deal, as we'll as candidates for seats
of the New Dealers, will find the fore
going queries to be the kernel of the
public reaction to criticism. Let US,
therefore, take each one of the ques
tions and report the answers which
most opponents of the New Deal here
abouts would make:
l. Do you want to go back to Hoover
days? Nobody wants to go back to
the low point of this depression in
the Summer of 1882. But if there is
to be any examination of the record
before 1882, it may be that there will
be lots of people who would like to
go back as far as Coolidge days, any
way. For wage levels were then
higher and earnings better than in
any year since The New Deal has
not yet restored the wage levels of
those days.
None Wants Fraud System.
2. Do you want to go back to the
"old system? Nobody wants to go
back to fraud or misrepresentation or
any dishonest practices, if that is
meant by the phrase "old system" ."
But if by "old system" is meant the
building up of America during $50
years so that the highest standard
of living in the world could be en-
joyed By millions of people, then a
return to the old system would be
desirable indeed and cannot come
too soon.
g. Why not suggest an alternative
or something constructive? The an
swer is that the files Of the executive
Offices and the files of the different
departments of the Government and
the emergency agencies are piled high
with constructive suggestions from
everybody who could possibly have
special or expert knowledge in a
given field. But the administration
has repeatedly rejected suggestions
from persons who believe funda-
mentally in the proflt-and-lo sys-
TEN. Unless suggestion fits in
with the New Deals ideas of State
socialism it is usually rejected.
The few good things about the New
Deal which have conformed to ortho-
dox economics, particularly in the field
of credit, as the Federal Housing Ad-
ministration, the Federal Home Own
ers' Loan Corp. and the Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corp, had their origin in
statutes passed before the New Deal
came into power. The amplification
of these laws came about as a result
of pressure from the people and has
proved their real value To the extent
that these laws have been we'll admin
1stered, the New Deal deserves praise,
but where political influence has been
permitted to creep into administrative
matters the severest condemnation
should be registered.
4. Why tear down without trying to
build up? The answer to this is that
it is necessary, first of all, to tear
down the SocialiStic philosophy which
permeates the New Deal, for, unless
that is proved fallacious, no construc-
tive suggestions can be offered. It's
a fundamental theme which runs
through the whole New Deal and the
administration is certainly consistent
in demanding that all suggestions con-
form to its pattern.
Change Up to Average Man.
How can state socialism be proved
unwise? The answer tc this is that
the average man will decide that ques-
ton when he finds that the unbal-
anced budget and the failure to provide
adequate revenues cast doubt eventu-
ally on the soundneSs of our currency.
To put it another way, the decline of
real wages and the decline of the pur-
chasing power of the dollar are the
same thing. AS prices rise on costs
of living, as tax revenues are proved
insufficient, there will be disillusion-
ment on the subject of state socialism.
There is another influence which is
bound to reveal the fallacies of the
state socialism idea. 1t is the action
of the Federal courts in declaring such
steps unconstitutional And as the
unconstitutional legislation is grad
ually weeded out, the New Deal will
not have an opportunity, except by
constitutional amendment, to put its
ideas into effect, by which time the
country will have to make up its mind
whether recovery, which seems in
evitable, was because of or in spite of
the New Deal reform measures.
Copyright. 1880