Evening star., 1936-04-10
The Swinging Pendulum.


swered-is the country growing more
radical or is it becoming more conserva-
tive? The answer is sought in the re-
suits of primary elections and in the
highways and byways. The Repub-
licans are wondering how far they should
"liberalize" the @. o. p, while the Demo-
Gratis are considering how much Of a
swing to the right may be necessary IN
the coming campaign.
The pendulum between radicalism and
conservatism swings with the changing
conditions. It has done so in the past,
and it is reasonably certain it will do so
in the future. 1t has done so in foreign
countries, and the swing of the pendu-
lum has been evident, very clearly evil
dent, in the United States. Are condi-
tions in this country developing in way
that will bring return to conservatism?
The swing of the pendulum, ever since
the depths of the depression became
abysmal, has been toward radicalism.
Old tenets-such as thrift and attending
to ones own affairs-have been thrown
into the discard. Americans, however,
are beginning to catch their breath. They
are getting back to the idea that in the
long run there must be some saving of
money as well as spending.
What are the things in the New Deal
which are inclining the people to think
more conservatively? Attempted regi-
mentation of farmers and Of business,
more and more regulation Of many kinds
of activities, an ever-increasing Govern
ment pay roll, with its development OF
a huge and expensive bureaucracy, and,
finally and most important, the con-
tinued spending of huge sums of money
which the Government must take even
tually from the pockets of the American
people. There are more people that have
stakes of their own in this country than
there are people who have none: there are
more people who are living of their own
private efforts and labor than there are
people who live of the Government.
Furthermore, it is impossible to live of
government perpetually, particularly If
the government is running cut Of funds.
The money-spending orgy of the Roose-
velt New Deal is today the most serious
issue it has to meet in the coming polit-
ical campaign. 1t is noticeable that in
recent weeks and months the admins
tration, from the President down, has
sought to give the impression that there
is retrenchment going on, that govern
mental economy is to be the order Of the
day. 1t is quite possible that the Presi-
dent has come to the conclusion that he
must call a halt as fast as he can to the
spending activities Of his subordinates.
1t is also clear that the resentment
among great masses of the people over
reckless expenditures by governmental
agencies is making itself felt.
When faced with the need of bringing
forward some kind of a tax program to
raise more revenue, the President pro-
duced his plan to levy tax on un-
distributed surpluses of corporations. 1t
would, it was predicted, be a popular
move, because the tax would fall upon
comparatively few persons and the stock
holders would be glad to have the cor
poration melons cut in their favor. Well,
it seems clear that if the surpluses are
distributed to the stockholders and not
allowed to accumulate the Government
will not get great deal of revenue. On
the other hand, If the Government takes
the surpluses in taxes, the stockholders
will get little of the melons. In the end,
the tax is not likely to be popular, al
though it may be less unpopular than
some other taxes.
The revelations brought finally from
Secretary Wallace Of huge payments
made to some individuals and corpora
tions for not producing foodstuffs and
cotton, by the persistent Senator Van
denberg of Michigan, are making the
farmers of the country as well as the
workers in industry sit up. A govern
ment that turns over scores of thou
sands of dollars to individuals, as SUBJ
sides, in the name Of assistance to hard
pressed farmers, is somewhat reckless,
to say the least.
The huge spending has not made it
possible to return the millions of un-
employed to work. Many persons who
were willing to go along with the New
Deal in its earlier stages see today two
things: First, huge spending, vast pub.
lie debt and increasing taxes; second,
vast army of unemployed. The COM
bination is enough to make the whole
people wonder If, after all, the country
would not be better of with less govern
ment and more business. The pendu-
lum may be on the swing.