Evening star., 1936-07-31
Text of Knox Acceptance Speech

Of our currency, in the hloated
reserves Of our banks, In the
swollen expenditures for relief.
Above all, you see the results in
the millions still unemployed. I
charge the present administration
with delaying recovery in the
United States and In the world.
! charge the present adminlstra-
ton with responsibility for the
100000 still unemployed. 1t
would not be truthful to say that
all the measures of the present
administration have been failures.
In the mad whirl Of economic ex-
periments there have been o few
sound and desirable measures Of
regulation. That must be freely
conceded. But In the major
measures of recovery and In the
task of administration 1t has failed
completely. II has not kept faith
with the Nation. It has not full
filled the duties Of its stewardship.
On this one iSsue-that 1t has not
conducted the affairs of govern
ment efflciently and economically
it should be condemned and re.
jected by the people.
New Deal Never
Defined by Proponents.
This endless succession Of inter-
ferences and experiments was in
augurated under the deceptive
slogan of a New Deal. This policy
of government by guess, officially
unexplained by President Roose-
welt as founded on a philosophy Of
try-anything-once, was initiated
under the title Of economic plan
ming. No one Of its proponents
has been able to define the New
Deal or to explain what it is
aimed at or where it is going. No
one of them has been able to make
clear what the economic plan is.
It began with a proposal for belt
of trees In q territory that Nature
had decided should not have
trees. 1t is ending with the use Of
public funds to conduct classes in
tapdancing. No one can explain
the New Deal, or economic plan
ming, but every one knows what
came from it. The major meas
ures were the N. r. A., the A. A.
A., the p. w. A., the c. w. A.,
the w. P. A. and devaluation Of
the dollar. Such measures are not
new. They were old in history
before America was discovered.
They failed in Babylon and Rome
and England centuries ago. Not
one of these New Deal measures
Is mentioned in the 1886 platform
of the Democratic party. There is
no reference to the fate of these
strange experiments. There is no
reference in all that platform to
the New Deal or to economic plan
ming But in this omission they
are entirely consistent. There was
no mention of them in the 1882
platform either. They are a
strange interlude between the SOL
emn promises of the 1882 platform
and the vague generalizationS of
the 1885 platform.
It is constantly asserted that the
Republican party has always stood
for a strong Federal Government.
The assertion is correct. It still
stands for a vigorous Federal au-
thority. But it advocates this au-
thority within the limits set by the
Constitution. 1t has always exer-
cised that authority by legislation
constitutionally passed and con-
stitutionally executed. 1t always
will. 1t has always exerted that
authority without passing the
boundaries of States rights and
local self-government.
The Republican party recognizes
that changing social and economic
conditions call for increased Fed
eral activities. But it always in
sists that such new activities shall
be legalized by proper constitutional
amendment. 1t always will. 1t
approves the horse and buggy
method Of changing the Constitu-
ton, and it disapproves a phil
osophy that laughs at the horse
and-buggy method and wants to
use only the buggy whip. 1t con-
demns the abuse Of Federal power
to invade local rights. 1t does not
believe in putting a New Jersey
pants-presser in jail for charging
less than the amount dictated by
board in Washington. It disap-
proved a government Of men in
stead of a government Of law. 1t
prefers a government guided by
constitutions to government
guided only by caprice.
The Republican platform of
1886 lays down in simple language
the program of Federal regulation
and legislation to which it commits
itself on many issues. Where the
specific program Is not definitely