Evening star., 1935-10-13
ROOSEVELT BID FOR 80
SEEN AIMED AT FARMER
West, Plus additionally Democratic
South, Gives Encouragement to Party
Criticized by Business, Observer Saws.

ofice. An isolated other State, partic-
ularly II 1t were New York, would put
him over comfortably.
The President has clearly decided
on policy Of being nice to business.
That this policy, put out little more
than q year before the election, is
intended to last until the election, can
be taken for granted. But will Mr..
Roosevelt's intention last for q year?
Continuity Of intention Is not one
Of the Presidents strong traits: in
deed, lack Of continuity Of intention
is one Of the most frequent charges
made against him and made by the
most detached and discriminating OBJ
servers Of his course. That analogy.
made by the President himself, Of
himself as the head of foot ball team
who may at any moment change the
play, has drawbacks to persons who
prize continuity Of intention.
However, one Of Mr.. Roosevelt's In
tentions in the present situation is
the intention to get himself reelected.
and that intention, we can assume.
will last. The question is, will the
other last. the intention to be nice to
business?
It is hardly to be doubted that if
conditions should make it desirable
for Mr.. Roosevelt again to turn to-
ward the radical left" to the left
he will 60. Some of Mr.. Roosevelt's
most loyal friends justify his policy
Of never letting any distance arise be-
tween him and the forces of discon-
tent; they argue that for him to keep
touching elbows with the discontented
and the radical Is the best way tc
prevent them from becoming danger
GUS.
Farmer Safe From Radicals
Will we have another wave Of
radicalism between now and electionH
We may, but If 1t arises it will be
less formidable than in the past. II
will be less formidable, for 1t will not
embrace the farmer. The farmer has
had his lot eased. He is getting ade-
quate prices for most of his crops; he
as able to pay the interest on his
mortgage. He no longer fears much
that any day he may see the sheriff
turn into his lane to take his farm
away from him. either for the mort-
gage holder or the tax collector The
farmer, freed of panicky fear. may be
depended on not to listen to the more
violent radicals.
Mr.. Roosevelt, as he sets out TO be
nice to business, no doubt expects that
the business recovery now apparent
will last and grow for the full year
until election. If it does, and if 1t
lasts wholesomely, his reelection
should be assured. There Is hadly
any effective political argument
against good business. Already, one
can observe business men who Q
year ago ragged at the President. now
abating their rancor.
Mr.. Roosevelt now has 1t In his
power to make things easy for busines.
or, if he should choose. practically ia
destroy individual businesses or classe.
of business. One essential nature OF
the carefully planned New Deal leg.
islation is that it gives enormous dis.
cretionary powers to the President
Under the public utility legislation
coupled with other powers, and activi.
ties, including the Federal funds hs
can advance for building competitive
plants under public ownership, the
President, as practical matter, could
extirpate any one public utility OF
group Of them, or he can let them
thrive. The same thing is true o.
other areas of business, covered bJ
other legislation. The securities-reg,
istration act, for example, is moi
merely an act to regulate issue ol
securities by corporations, it, witk
other legislation, gives the Fedora.
Government power to regulate the in,
ternal affairs of corporations.
Roosevelt and Business.
By one power or another that the
President and his appointees have been
given, any individual business or any
class of business, which encounters the
unfavorable attention of the admin,
istration, can be made to suffer ex,
tremely unpleasant experiences. About
these statutes the Supreme Court will
have something to say. But there is no
doubt Mr.. Roosevelt has the power, il
he wishes, to be nice to business for
year by merely sbstaining from use OF
his powers.
There is room for, and possibility
of, a business recovery that could
go on without material interruption
for the full year until election, OF
even longer. But in this business re,
covery there are some disturbing dis,
tortions. The distortions are largely
due to the New Deal legislation-ws
should have had a sounder recovery
had it been allowed to be normal
There are still many unemployed
Gen. Hugh johnson says the num-
Der IS practically as great as ever;
but there are no exact figures about
unemployment and I am inclined II
doubt the Blue Eagle generals as.
sertion as a characteristic superlative
Yet no one need doubt that there is a
much larger quantity Of unemploy-
ment than there should be, or would
be, had the recovery been permitted
to take its normal course.
Almost more disturbing is the high
cost Of living. due partly to the arti,
fetal prices of food caused by A. A. A.
Cost of living has increased greatly
Increase in cost of living is fantas,
tically out Of proportion with any in.
crease in wages or any increase Of
employment. High cost Of living may
give Mr.. Roosevelt some trouble be-
tween now and election. It is not
possible artificially to increase the cost
of food and thereby make the farming
West loyal to him, and at the same
time prevent resentment against the
cost of living.
(Copyright. 1885. New York Tribune. Incl