The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-06

l Roy w. Howard
 Answer of President
 The president, on September 2, wrote the following reply:
 My dear MT. Howard:
 | T appreciate the tone and pur-
 pose of your letter, and fairness impels me to note with no little
 sympathy and understanding the facts which you record, based on your observations as a reporter of
 opinion throughout the United
 States. can well realize, moreover,
 that the many legislative details and processes incident to the long
 and arduous session of the congress should have had the unavoidable effect of promoting some confusion
 in many peoples minds.
 l Disregard Skeptics
 "1 think we can safely disregard
 the skeptics of whom you speak.
 Skeptics were present when Noah said 1t was going to rain, and they
 refused to go into the. ark. We can also disregard those who are actu-
 ated by spirit of political parti-
 sanship or by willingness to gain
 or retain personal profit at the ex- pense of, and detriment to, their
 neighbors. Then there were those
 who told us to do nothing We
 had heard of the do nothing policy
 before and from the same sources, individuals. We heard 1t when The
 odore Roosevelt and Woodrow | Wilson proposed reforms.
 | "The country has learned how to measure that kind of opposition,
 but there are critics who are honest and non-partisan and who are will ing to discuss and to learn. I be- lieve we owe, therefore, a positive duty to clarify our purposes, to
 describe our methods and to re- iterate our ideals. Such clarification Is greatly aided by the efforts of those public-spirited newspapers which serve the public well by q true portrayal of the facts and an unbiased printing of the news. PICK UP TAKE 5-.. .. .. .. Result Best Evidence However, experience Is the best | teacher and results are the best evidence. As the essential outline of WIld Ildo DcSII uOIlt IloCS lhLO FlCWB am confident that doubts and
 misapprehension will vanish. I am confident further that business as a whole will agree with you and with me that the interests of what We broadly term business are not in conflict with, but wholly in harmony with, mass interests.
 T note what you say of the hos tility emanating from financial racketters, public explointers and sinister forces. Such criticism 1t is an honor to bear. A car with many cylinders can keep running in spite of plenty of carbon-but 1t knocks. When 1t Is overhauled an import ant part of the job is the removal of that carbon
 "In the large, the depression was the continuation of unhealthy, however innocent, arrangements in agriculture, in business and In fi- ance. Our legislation was remedial, and as such, 1t would serve no pur-
 pose to make doctrinaire effort to distinguish between that which
 was addressed to recovery and that which was addressed to reform
 The two, in an effort toward sound and fundamental recovery, are in- separable. Our actions were in conformity with the basic eco-
 homie purposes which were set forth three years ago.
 Wish Balance Necessary ''As spokesman for those pur- poses I pointed out that 1t was ne- cessary to seek a wise balance in American economic life, to restore our banking system to public con- | fidence, to protect investors in the security market. to give labor free | dom to organize and protection from exploitation, to safeguard and | develop our national resouces, to set up protection against the vicis- situdes incident to old age and un- employment, to relieve Restitution and suffering and to relieve in- vestors and consumers from the burden of unnecessary corporate machinery. I do not believe that any responsible political party in | the country will dare go before | the public in opposition to any Of these major objectives.
 "The tax program of which you speak is based upon broad and | just social and economic purpose. Such a purpose, 1t goes without saving, is not to destroy wealth, | but to create broader range of oj- i portunity, to restrain the growth or l unwholcsome and sterile accumula- i tions, to lay the burdens of gov ernment where they can best be 1 carried. This law affects only those individual people who have in- comes over $50,000 a year, and 1n-
 dividual estates of descendants
 who have over $40.O00. Consumers
 taxes will drop only per cent. | This administration came into power pledged to very consider able legislative program. It found the condition of the country such as to require drastic and far-reach- ing action. Duty and necessity re-
 quired us to move on broad front l for more than two years. It seemed
 to the congress and to me better to achieve these objectives as ex-
 peditiously as possible in order that not only business but the public generally might know those modi- fications in the conditions and rules l of economic enterprise which were involved in our program. This basic program, however, has now reach ed substantial completion and the breathing spelp of which you speak Is here-very decidedly so. Further Recovery
 "It Is a source of great satisfac- tion that at this moment conditions are such as to offer further sub stantial and widespread recovery.
 Unemployment is still with us but 1t is steadily diminishing and our efforts to meet its problems are un-
 nagging. do not claim the magi- clans wand. do not claim that government alone Is responsible for these definitely better circum-