Evening star., 1936-01-04
The State of the Union.

President Roosevelt told Congress and
the Nation last night what BENEFITS
America had derived from the New
Deal and warned the people against
the industrial autocrats who would en-
slave them. Many of the legislators are
probably asking themselves today Just
why a joint session of Congress was
necessary for this particular speech OF
the President. The joint session, COM
posed of Democrats in a more than
3-to-1 ratio as compared to the Repub-
licans, provided, it is true, cheering
section, whose plaudits were carried over
the radio to listening millions.
Just as the President smashed prece-
dent when he asked for night session
at which to deliver his annual message
ION the state of the Union he smashed
still another. 1t has been the custom
of Presidents of the United States to
make recommendations to the Congress
for legislative action in their messages to
Congress on the sessions opening. In the
terpiece of words and excellently de-
Nyered, it was difficult to discern a rec
ommendation, with the exception OF
commendation to the Congress of Amer
ican neutrality and new law on that
subject.
The Constitution, which in the eyes
of some has become outmoded, speaking
of the duty of the President to address
Congress, says: He shall from time to
time give to the Congress information on
the state of the Union, and recommend
to their consideration such measures as
he shall judge necessary and expedient."
Outside of his discussion of the state
of the foreign world, President Roosevelt
last night confined his remarks to
defense of the policies of his admins
tration and a description of the condi-
tions which he insists have been result
of those policies. Upon the critics of his
administration-whom he does not admit
to be many-he poured the full vial OF
his invective. No word was too harsh.
The Presidents challenge to his oppo-
nentS was to come out into the open
with specific statements of what New
Deal laws they would ask the Seventy
fourth Congress to repeal and to get away
from generalities. And yet the Presi-
dents address to the Congress appeared.
at least to the ordinary listener, to be
a thing of generalities. He spoke several
times of the selfish business and financial
interests in the country attacking the
New Deal-without mentioning any
names. He insisted that the American
business men who are opposing his poll
cies are only a small minority. This is
a statement which the business fraternity
of the country, including all business
men, great and small, may ponder and
answer for themselves. 1t is, of course,
possible that the President may be mis-
taken in his estimate of the numerical
strength of the American business men
who do not support his theories and
administration.
Replying, perhaps, to the critics who
have declared his own administration of
government has been autocratic, the
President had as an underlying theme of
his whole address autocracy. He at
tackled the autocrats abroad-who are
governmental autocrats. He lambasted
autocrats at home-who are, he said, in
dustrial autocrats. Generally speaking,
the picture which the President at
tempted to draw was of the autocratic
big business man, seeking always to
trample labor under foot to gouge the
consumer and to rob the stockholder
and investor. Perhaps this is to be the
tempo of the approaching national cam
paign for the election of President.
For this address of the President to Con-
eress has been widely heralded as just
another of his speeches launching his
campaign for reelection. How many
votes did it influence?