Evening star., 1935-02-25
Observer Believes Time Is
Ripe for People to Ex-
press Definite View.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

leadership.
Today, as one takes q panorama of
the whole legislative situation, the
following are the striking develop
ments which have come upon the
scene one by one, but which, when
viewed collectively and In q group,
serve to emphasize the fundamental
transformation Of the American eco
nomic and business and financial and
labor picture:
First, complete control OF all bank
deposits and all credit by q politically
appointed. or, rather, governmentally
dominated, board.
Second, complete control OF the is
suance of paper money by the Gov
eminent without permitting any Of
the gold backing to be used for re-
demption.
Control Of Food.
Third, complete control by the Gov
ernment of all food businesses, all
FARMS and all professors or handlers
Of products that come out Of the
soil-everybody from farmer to retail
grocer.
Fourth. complete control by the
Government of oil, coal, electricity,
power and businesses derived there
from, and of all forms of transporta-
ton, including railroads. busses. air.
ways and merchant marine. Also reg
ulatcry control Of telephones, tele-
graph and radio broadcasting.
Fifth, complete control Of the capi-
tai markets through the Securities
Exchange Commission.
Sixth, complete control by the Gov
ernment Of the relations between EN-
ployers and employees.
Seventh, direct and indirect control
of manufacturing and all other forms
Of business through the extension Of
the N. r. A. system for another two
years.
Some OF the foregoing controls
already are in existence, others now are
proposed in legislation now pending.
Whoever suggests that much Of the
foregoing Is unconstitutional because
it interferes with commerce inside
State boundaries is reminded that the
administration expects in due time. as
the Supreme Court delineates Federal
and State powers. to see the State Leg
islatures enact whatever legislation is
necessary to make the New Deal
legally effective.
Resistance in Congress.
The concentration of authority in
the Federal Government and the de-
sire to put more In the hands Of the
executive branch of the Government
has awakened In Congress some re-
Sistance and opposition, but the main
pillars Of the administration program
\ appear to be safe from attack. at least
till the next elections. when the issues
created by the program will be judged
again.
Looking at Europe and its Fascism
and Communism and at England,
where . managed currency has also
substituted the old gold standard, the
American experiment has taken on
some Of the main features Of the
Old Worlds emergency policies and
attempted an adaptation to the Amer
ican scene.
The one thing which Is not par
alleled abroad anywhere at the mo-
ment Is the size of the deficit and
borrowings Of the United States Gov
ernment. Europe has had and has
the dole and work relief and various
forms Of unemployment insurance and
schemes for economic security, and,
indeed, drastic methods of govern
mental control, extending from the
corporate state in Italy to the gov
ernment controls over everything, in
cluding freedom Of speech and thought,
in Germany.
Big Business Attacked.
Notwithstanding that the condition
Of many individuals and many busi-
was two years ago, there are defla-
tionary and dissolution processes in
store for other businesses and indi-
viduals not so fortunate. One form
Of attack in Congress Is against big
ness in business as such, disregard
ing wholly the fact that, in America,
the bringing of small units together
has resulted in low prices in the
merchandising of products Of the farm
and of the mines and that diversi-
fed use of capital has made posi-
BILE at low cost many things that
might shoot up in price If the clock
n the economic world Is turned back
to the days of small cumbersome and
inefficient units.
But in Washington today no such
objective thinking Is being done. Off,
cials are too busy or too preoccupied
to see what Q huge governmental
bureaucracy they are fashioning and
how the entire success Of their plans
for governmental control Of every
thing depends on the wisdom, skill.
disinterestedness and vision Of the
men in Government.
II there were signs that Govern
ment officials were eschewing politics
and headlines, were giving up their
political vengeances and punitive cru
sades and trying to put the Nations
economic structure into some kind Of
cohesive and well-integrated scheme
or plan, there would be cause for great
encouragement.
But he would be an unfaithful re-
porter here of things as they are who
would say that the legislative hodge
podge before Congress today Is plan
ned economy. Rather, it is mixture
Of the plans Of rival groups and forces,
each striving for advantage and men
acing the administrators political
future If it dares to cross the will Of
the asserting groups.
Shows Evidence Of Fatigue.
Mr.. Roosevelt shows evidences OF
fatigue. This Is the time he usually
goes on a vacation. Maybe he Will
turn to Florida waters again for rest
and recreation. Sometimes 1t helps
Presidents to get away from the thou
sand and one cross-currents OF WASH
ington pressure and to look at the
whole thing from detached post OF
observation.
For Washington Is at present fun OF
irritations and bad tempers. Labor.
meaning the A. r. Of L., IS restsve
and welding its power In an insistent
lobby which has Just mutilated the
works relief bill.
Business Is chafing ut the bit and
| >ver<ino hoh;,d the ecAneS what little