Evening star., 1935-03-19
The National Vaudeville.

lC HdIlOnu1 ooASNAA4Ss
Donald r. Richberg, executive di-
rector of the National Emergency
Council, new dealer par excellence,
speaking in the National Radio Forum
last night, pictured the American peo-
pie as engaged in a national vaude-
vile show" The stage, Mr.. Richberg
said, is crowded with political come
dians, contortionists, wise-crackers,
ballad singers, crooners and exhibi-
tionistS." There is no hope for
America unless the sober, sensible,
hard-working men and women"
the progressive leaders of busi-
ness, of agriculture and of politics,
rally behind President Roosevelt and
help him to put over his program
Mr.. Richberg's voice was raised in
protest at the criticisms which have
rolled in waves against the New Deal
in recent weeks. 1t was a rallying
cry. 1t fitted in with a campaign
which pictures Roosevelt as a bulwark
to protect American business and
American Government against the
radicals.
The denunciation of the Destroy
ers"-the radical fringe-by Mr.. Rich
berg was quite complete. He did not
overlook the conservative "Old Guard"
in his hour of criticism of the op-
ponents CT the New Deal. But il is
the "Destroyers" who for the mo-
ment have become the center of ad-
miniStration attack, and it was against
the "Destroyers" rather than the Old
Guard that Mr.. Richberg was warm
ing the people. 1t was the necessity
of checkmating these radicals that
he particularly stressed. AS Caesar
divided Gaul IN three parts, 20 Mr..
Richberg divided the American people
and their leaders into three groups,
the Old Guard, the ProgreSsives and
the Destroyers. To the Progressives
he gave the palm. With them, ne said,
lay the way to safety under the read
ership of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Without mentioning names, Mr..
Richberg scathingly denounced those
who appeal only to selfish emotions"
and the idea that they should become
the shapers of public opinion. And
he added: DO they (the people, real
ize the danger of having public poll
cieS determined solely by appeals to
prejudice and class interests?"
Mr.. Richberg and other new dealers
may ask themselves who it was that
started this fashion of calling names,
of denunciation and appeal to class
prejudice. They might think back to
earlier days of the New Deal when
they discuss the question of who and
what raised the feeling of class
prejudice which has gained such
headway that now Mr. Richberg teels
called upon to denounce it. Mr.. Rich
berg said that the serious trouble with
Rome lay not in the fact that Nero
fddled while the city burned, but that
the people had come to look upon
their government as the provider of
free bread and free circuses. The
people, he said, had forgotten that
Self-government and self-support are
the essentials. Yet more has been
done in the last two years than ever
before to turn the thoughts of the
American people away from such
sober contemplation and to teach
them to think in terms of Govern
ment bread and Government enter
tainment.
The executive director of the Ma
tional Emergency Council said many
things last night that the sober and
sensible and hard-working people of
America will applaud. They may
wish, however, to be shown" before
they are inclined to accept the new
dealers in the role of the protectors of
America against radical change.