Evening star., 1936-11-24
The Poor Rich.

Concentrated wealth, Clifford Pinchot
insists, is Political Liability No. l." How
times have changed! The political leader
who could fill his campaign chest with
dollars from the rich used to be ac-
counted lucky man. But now, If 1t Is
even breathed that the Morgans. the
MELONS, the Du Points, the Rockefellers
or any of the other wealthy persons in
the country are contributing to political
party, the effect is terrifying. devastating.
The remark of the former Governor
Of Pennsylvania was made in an inter-
view dealing with the future of the Re-
publican party. If the G. o. P. Is to
stage a comeback, Pinchot said, 1t must
rid itself of domination by concentrated
wealth. It must be no longer possible
to refer to 1t as the party of the rich,
the party Of the big interests. And 1t
must not be known as the ally, for ex-
ample, of the American Liberty League
In support of his argument Mr.. Pinchot
called attention to the recent election.
In which President Roosevelt, running as
the friend of the poor, piled up almost
IL 1000 900 votes more than did his Re
publican opponent. In effect, Mr.. Pin
chot said: Look what the rich have
done to the Republican party!"
The rich bear a bad name in politics
these days. Some of them deserve it,
though not all. But the sins of those
who have sought special privilege through
the use of their wealth in political cam
paigns are visited upon all the rest.
There are other Republicans who are
shouting that the G. o. P. must disasso-
ciate itself from the big interests; that
1t must no longer bear the name Of the
party of the rich. No one has done more
to pin this label on the G. o. p. than
has President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He
has proclaimed himself the friend of the
poor and the enemy of the economic
royalists"; in fact, the President has
been very effective In dividing the voters
along the only class lines which have
been developed in the United States.
What is going to become of the rich,
politically2 Are their feelings hurt, be-
cause of the attacks of Mr.. Roosevelt,
and are they still more hurt by the
diatribes of Pinchot, Borah and other
Republicans Are they to be cast into
0 political no mans land? Are they to
be denied association with any political
party2 Or will the Democrats FIRST
endure, then pity, then embrace? In
recent days some Of the rich seem to be
making overtures to the New Dealers.
II the New Dealers are inclined, they
would better listen privately.
Not all the wealth was on one side
In the late presidential election, al
though the Republicans had the name
for 1t. God, Napoleon once said, is on
the side of the army with the biggest
guns. II the Republicans had the sup
port Of many men of wealth, "concen-
trated wealth." Mr.. Roosevelt, on the
other hand, reaped the benefit of billions
Of dollars doled out from the Federal
Treasury to millions Of voters for one
thing or another.
While the New Deal Democrats are
growing and the Republicans are sor-
rowfully shaking their heads and aiming
to remake their party organization on
purified lines, what is to become Of these
orphans of the political storm, the rich?
Perhaps they will find niche all their
own; or perhaps they will become pro-
gressive and leap aboard the bandwagon.