Evening star., 1936-02-02

of everything that has happened. 1t
is the only explanation there is. The
administration, without economic phi
losophy or program. exalted by its
messianic delusion, showered these
schemes upon Congress badly fright
ened by the mass emotions reused by
the depression and inflamed by the
election. Driven by the pressure
groups, the administration ran rough
shod over the small minority coura-
geous enough to protest. This gave
the quite false appearance OF at
tempted dictatorship. A dictator's
ideas are his own He does not get
them from the Committee for the
Nation, the Rev. Coughlin, Elmer
Thomas. Irving Fisher, William Green
or Senator Pittman.
There was no Communist or Fascist
plot. There was just most increoloie
hash of experiments, opportunist coups
and economic tricks. The A. A. A.
was a direct contradiction Of the plat
form and the promises of the admin
istratioE The Thomas imitation act,
the worst money law in American
history, was midnight amendment
to this agricultural bill. The awful
silver surrender was made on train
The absurd N r. A.. which the ad-
ministration later said was the corner
stone of its program, was a hastily
devised measure rushed through to
head off a 30-hour week. The squan-
der-our- -way-out policy was borrowed
from a visiting foreigner.
Here we find also the explanation
of that vacillation which keeps Wash
ington reporters announcing one day
that the administration is going Left
and the next day that it has headed
Right again-the kind of driving
which a traffic cop would not permit
for an automobilist but which has
been submitted to by Nation for
three years.
Attack-Then Retreat.
The banks, unpopular because OF
their depression losses, are harried and
abused until they at last fight back
and then there is lovefeast. Big
business is cursed and vilified and
then placated by the creation OF an
advisory council. When big business
refuses to approve unsound courses it
is again abused. RECOMMENDATION is
pressed until the whole country re-
bells. and then a breathing space is
announced.
As with measures, so with men. Fol
many months sober-minded men have
visualized little group OF plotters
pressing the administration toward
destruction OF our existing order. This
borders on the ridiculous Where are
the mighty reformers of last year OF
last month or last week? They are
gone. Most of them are now pur'
suing the ignoble proft-motive in the
service of the highly capitalistic press
Nearly every one of them is busy
explaining to the people why the pro-
grams they formerly insisted Wouie
save the Nation we're dismal failures
One of them is roaring attacks on the
monetary program he formerly shoutee
for. while the one responsible 1ol
the money program Is Savagely at
tacking the agricultural program.
There is no little band Of plotter'
circling the administration. They looi
more like people in revolving door
They have gone whenever they hav'
become political liabilities. ever!
time. They go when they displeas'
the pressure groups. There will b.
others going in the near future. Le
any one of the Treasury forces glv'
his real opinion of the silver subsidie
and see how long he lasts.
There Il no economic planning ant