Milford chronicle., 1935-06-14
II. G. WELLS ATTACKS
COUCHLIN AND LONG IN
APPRAlSING NEW DEAL
Their Opponents Just As Bad, He
Adds

Adds
H. G. Wells, British author who
was recently brought to this country
: by Golfers Weekly to make a study
/ and appraisal Of the New Deal, turns
/ on Father COughlin and Huey Long
in his second article, published
May 18th.
Il arrived In America" he saws
amidst a tornado of angry voices.
A great slanging match was in prog
ress between General Johnson and
Huey Long. Father Coughlin was
on the air Everybody seemed to be
talking about these vehement per-
sOnalities.
Il listened in to Father Coughlin
and heard him unfold a vague, pre-
tentiOus demand for a new Declara-
tiOn of independence. Indictment to
hostile action against the rich
mingled with demands that the peo-
pie control their own money. The
empty poverty of his method, con-
/ sidered in relation to his immense
| popularity, was discOncertine
symptom.
Il visited Hney Long in the SEN
ate office building. He is much more
definite in his proposals than the |
radio priest, but IL anything, cruder,
He promises to tax or cOnfiscate |
away all large fortunes and distrib- |
ute the proceeds. Americans re- |
spOnded to this idea by the millions
Long is like a Winston Churchill
who has never been at Harrow. He
abOunds in promises and is capable,
| suspect. Of the same political YER
salty. His knowledge is limited, his
mental movements swift and undis-
ciplined, but for some time he is
likely to remain an important voice
in the readjustment of America
Some people imagine a kind OF
parallel between Long and Hitler,
but found little in common between
them except a certain mental crud-
ity. Hitler talks crude Germanism,
which enables all that is wrong in
the popular history and political
thought of Germany; Long talks
crude. Southern pOOr-white Ameri-
canism. which embOdies all that is
wrong in the education of a South y
arn American Baptist. But the Ger
man brand Of popular poison is pro- !,
different from the American. =
Just exactly what, weight these =
'aucOus voices carry is difficult to !,
determine. 1t may be a mistake to =
ldd the millions who follow Long :,
o the millions who follow COughlin y
md the millions who follow DR..
Townsend and Upton Sinclair. These
nay be extensively overlapping
rOwds and when it comes to an =.
Electoral test, it may be found that ~
hey are less numerically important. ie
Il am not so much impressed by ~
that Long or Coughlin asserts and ~
uggests as by the weakness of those u
Tho would oppose and discredit "a "a
lem. If the inferior voices are ~ ~
lucous and vague. the superior pi
Oices seem to me thin and even less ~
xplicit. Vi
Nobody now has anything much /.
} say about the Brain Trust. That ue
as last years fashion and old pI
Othes. ~
THAT axis Of strong clear thought al
hich | had hoped. to find, found
idnt appeared, not even in the "
hite House. The United States has re- re-
I
,litics, to economic development, w
an in 1884. On the whole the m lll1
nerican mind is less disposed to m ~,
me down to elements. Pe ,
Il had quite extraordinary con- "''
rsatiOn with a group of govern
snt administrators. l doubt if these
sy responsible men were in the
bit of discussing the general 10,
heme, the strategic conception of 80
e New Deal They had done little
the way of assimilation. There VI
as yet no clear idea of what Amer
is up to- The real reason why
ere is no reply to the crudities of
: raucOus voices is because in fact -
ere is nothing to be told. Over Di''
ainst the raucOus voices are the in Ihe
lsistent. inexplicit men. b
The President looked well and ell
ergetic. He is a politician, but an $
subtle and exalted poll law
ian. The role of President i'm a mot
Democracy is to sub OF
ate, clarity and express the ad- stoI
icing thought of the community. s.
the President seemed to me to som
listening. | think he would be visi
d If something more definite and pun
began to come in. He thai
rather an air Of waiting for that. faul
IL IS moi communism that threat imp
America, or any fascism of a ten
'Opean type. These things come
because of the moral and intellec- ia.