Evening star., 1936-06-26
the cost Of Federal Government, and
we call upon the Democratic party in
the States to make q Jealous effort to
aNhioyc O y,roeoyf fe

the States to make Jealous effort to
achieve a proportionate result.
I'VE favor maintenance of the ma
tional credit by Federal budget an
nually balanced on the basis of accu-
rate executive. estimates within reve-
nues, raised by q system Of taxation
levied on the principle of ability to
pay"
In the new platform the promise
to curtail governmental expenditures
Is made conditional upon recovery Of
the Nation, and the pledge to balance
the budget is matter Of the future.
Prevailing Wage Change.
The labor plank of the new plat
form Is said to be satisfactory to
organized labor. 1t should be read
in conjunction with the plank deal
ing with unemployment. And the
latter declares that where business
fails to supply employment I'VE believe
that work at prevailing wages should
be provided in cooperation with State
and local governments on useful pub
lie projects" There is no mention
whatever of the so-called prevailing
wage" for which the Roosevelt admin
istration fought so hard in the relief
bill Of 1885. The labor plank asserts
that I'VE have given the army Of
Americas industrial workers some
thing more substantial than the Re-
publicans' dinner pail full Of promises"
including increased pay and shortened
working hours
1t asserts also that the Roosevelt
administration has undertaken to end
sweat shop labor and to write into
the law of the land the laborer's
right to collective bargaining and
self organization. 1t makes q further
promise:
I'VE will continue to protect the
worker and we will guard his rights,
both as wage Garner and consumer,
in the production and consumption
of all commodities, including coal and
water power and other natural re-
source products"
Lewis Approval Claimed.
This is the language in the platform
which Is understood to have been
approved by John L. Lewis. president
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea.
The foreign policy plank of the
platform declares the intention of the
Democrats Ito extend the policy of
the good neighbor." 1t reaf1irms op-
position to war as an instrument Of
national policy and declares that
disputes between the nations should
be settled by peaceful means and that
America should continue to observe
a true neutrality in the disputes of
others. 1t makes no mention, however.
of American adherence to the World
Court, which was promised In the
Democratic platform Of 1882. The
Republican platform recently adopted
in Cleveland affrmatively declares
against American membership in the
World Court. The supporters Of the
World Court made strenuous efforts to
have the Democrats, in their new
platform. again demand adherence
to that tribunal.
Promises to Avoid Wars.
The Democrats promised to take the
profits out of war and to guard against
being drawn by political commitments,
international banking or private trad
ing, into any war anywhere.
The Democratic platform does not
make mention of reciprocal trade
agreement" as such. 1t says. how
ever. that the Democrats will continue
to seek by mutual agreement the low
ering of tariff barriers, quotas and
embargoes which have been raised
against exports of American agricul-
tural and industrial products. Then
it continues that they will give. "as
in the past, adequate protection to
our farmers and manufacturers against
unfair competition or the dumping on
our shores of commodities and goods
produced abroad by cheap labor or
subsidized by foreign governments"
Here indeed is a promise to the
industrial East, as well as to the farm
ers. different from earlier Democratic
platforms. Reciprocal trade agree
ments have been bitterly criticized by
certain sections Of the country. The
administration, however, appears to be
pledged by the new platform to q con-
tinuance Of these agreements.