Evening star., 1936-10-11
New Deal Idea Men
and Politicians
BY OVEN L. SCOTT.

Il o y,
able as an executive, but equally adept
at the art Of holding power.
Not so long ago Mr.. Roosevelt treated
the people to parade of heavy thinkers,
with sleeves rolled up. ready to make
over the country. Their experiments,
which the President sponsored, blos-
somed all over the land in bewildering
display.
DR.. Rexford Tugwell. Prof. Felix
Frankfurter. Donald Richberg, Harry
Hopkins, M. l.. Wilson-all idea men,
were among the group that held the ear
OF the Chief Executive and dominated
the scene. They, and q multitude of en-
| thusiastic young aides, were thinking up
ways to control industrial profits, to
divide up income more equally and to
regulate business in the interest of q
| New Deal
But even during the period when new
| ideas were at a premium, older ideas
| and more practical matters received con-
| sideration.
Former Governors, like Bilbo of Mis-
| sissippi former Senators, like Brookhart
OF Iowa. and an aggregation of char
acters seemingly out of tune with the
whole note of reform began to attach
themselves to the Government pay roll.
AT first the idea men were too busy
with their own plans to notice the in
truSion OF old-timers. After that they
became suspicious. Fears were privately
expressed that the President was cooling
IN his zeal for reform. Newcomers, fired
with enthusiasm for ideas and ideals
wondered why Big Jim" Farley figured
more and more prominently in the choice
OF personnel to carry out their ideas
and ideals.
Now they know.
Men who had been hanging around
clipping newspapers. or parking their
heels on desks, or puttering with appar-
emily weighty matters. suddenly were out
on the firing line. Their speeches began
to resound in the home districts. Their
hard work began to bring in dollars to
campaign chests. Their endeavors began
to be reflected in increased registrations,
in new political clubs and in other signs
that carry election day importance.
And the idea men were glad to slip
quietly into the background. where they
can view with admiration the tactics of
the very men that they regarded with
scorn only few months ago.
AAuc, III. 4ueWcu lS III WllaL amounts
to hiding-warned to keep quiet, and
pleased with that opportunity. Harry
Hopkins is busy with denials that w.
+. A. Is being turned into an election
machine. Prof. Frankfurter is not
needed for the work now going on at
the White House. The money doctors
of early New Deal days are back in their
class rooms. Ben Cohen and Tom Cor
coran are buried deeply in the labyrinth
OF Government departments.
President Roosevelt, who not long ago
was directing an array of heavy thinkers.
today is directing bigger array of highly
practical political operators
The ability Of the President to effect
this Transformation in type of leader
ship now appears to the idea men to
be highly important. They realize that
inability Of President to make the
change might spell the end of their
opportunity to try out the ideas they
have.
When N. r. A. was thrown out by the
supreme Court, number Of the idea
men wanted the President to try to
revive the experiment on q different
basis. He turned them down, and they
were suspicious of his reasons. Now the
fact is obvious that the Presidents DO
utical sense guided him.
When A. A. A. went the way of N.
r. A., the same inner New Deal group
wanted Mr.. Roosevelt to attack the Su-
preme Court or to declare for a change
in the Constitution. But again he saw
political breakers ahead and carefully
avoided the issue while seeking to patch
up a program of continued aid for
farmers.
When Upton Sinclair appeared to be
sweeping California with his E. p I. c.
idea OF production for use to soak I'D the
unemployed. the pressure on the Presi- |
dent was strong to join up. He toyed |
with the thought, but turned away |
from 1t.
When the country was In a spending
mood, Senator La Toilette and Senator |
wagner were enthusiastically back of the |
idea OF appropriating ten billion dollars
Tor public works. But the White House |
turned thumbs down.
The idea men were annoyed at the |
Time, out now they are asking them
selves:
What if Mr.. Roosevelt had tried to
drlve ahead with plan of farm pro-
N-~SeAoAA SoAA1Aoi' Oluy 10 run lnCO LQe
1886 drought? How, then, could a high
cost Of living and a crop destruction
issue be lodged?
Or what if the President were battling
for change in the Constitution and for
socialistic production -for-use program
IN campaign based on the charge that
the party in power was seeking to change
the American form of Government?
And what if President Roosevelt. at a
time when spending is the chief issue
IN his battle for reelection, needed to
defend outlays billions larger than those
actually made?
The very aides who were critical of
the White House attitude toward the
Supreme Court, toward Industrial con-
trolls and toward the use of relief labor.
now are cheering the astute political
decisions that enabled the President to
avoid issues that might be complicating
his campaign for reelection at this time.
Incidentally, the same issues would be
affecting the chance the idea men have
OF continuing to supply ideas after next
January 20. >'
NOW the question is: Would Mr.. Roose.
velt, II reelected and assured of a ne.
Rod OF political peace, turn back tn the
men who supplied him with the ideas
on which much Of the New Deal is built
or would he forsake the reformers and