The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-15

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private person we're to coerce his
neighbor into selling him something
for less than it was worth. he would
be sent to jail. If financial honor
does not rest in the government, can
we expect it in the people?
The Republican Party has never
dishonored the government promise
to pay. we must demand a return
to financial honor in government.
The Spells System
There is a gigantic question of
morals in this spoils system. Presi-
dent Theodore Roosevelt said:
The man who debauches our
public life, by the corrupt use
of the offices as Spoils is a
greater foe to our well-being as a
nation than is even the defaulting
cashier of a bank. or the betrayer of
private trust"
Recently had opportunity to OBJ
serve comparative morals in the
spoils systems by contrast between
Tammany Hall and the New Deal.
In Tammany-cominated Dor rough
in New York in early 1888 be-
fore the New Deal. there were
about 1000 persons on relief. Tam
many had appointed about 270 adj
ditional officials under their particu-
lar spoils system to manage the
relief at a cost of under $4,000 a
month for the officials. This job was
taken away from wicked Tammany
influence and directly administered
by the New Deal.
At a recent date there were in
the same borough 1000 Federal Of
ficials appointed under the New
Deal spoils system at a cost of
100000 a month for salaries to
manage $1,000 persons on relief.
Tammany may learn something new
in the Spoils system. 1t was only
10 per cent efficient. And the same
thing is going on all over the coun-
try and you know it.
Can the American people he
bought with their own money?
And does any one seriously be-
lieve that when practically all of the
people on relief over the whole
country register Democratic that
they are Democrats? We know
thousands do not intend to vote
the Democratic ticket. Does the
action taken by these people to pro-
tect themselves from their own gov
eminent make for character build
ing and morals?
Does it improve national morals
and character in our people when
they see huge sums being rushed
into politically important districts
two jumps ahead of an election?
Fidelity to Public Trust
There is no fidelity higher than
that owed by public officials to the
Constitution and the safeguards of
liberty in our government. That ex-
tends far beyond the letter of the
law. 1t must be supported in spirit.
anything less is betrayal of trust il
this republic is to live.
When the New Dealers Conven-
ton meets near independence Hall
they will no doubt summon with
powerful oratory over a hundred
broadcasting stations the shades of
that heroic Continental Congress. /
trust at that moment the American
people will remember what the New
Deal has done to the Congress of the
United States in these recent years
The Independence of Congress,
the Executive, and the Supreme
Court are the pillars at the door of
liberty. For three years we have
not had an independent Congress.
We have not even had good de-
batting society. We have had a rub
Der stamp applied by preSidentially
inspired gag rule. That is not fidelity
to the spirit of the Constitution.
For the first time in American his
tory the word must" has been di-
rected to an independent arm of the
government by the Executive. The
NRA was enacted by the House Of
Representative in six hours. The
AAA was given eight hours.
These measures would have gone
far to transform the whole of
America into a Fascist state if they
had not been set aside by the Su-
preme Court. Yet they had been
operated for months in violation of
the whole foundation precepts of
democracy. Small business people
have been penalized, people lost
their jobs, and thousand discour-
agements loosed in violation of the
Constitution.
Great groups of people receiving
some special privilege have been
| built up. When this privilege is de-
MED by the courts then the New
Deal has sought to incite these
| people against the court as pub
lie enemy.
The parliamentary principle of
control of the purse has saved lib
erty a hundred times over these
last 300 years. 1t has saved the peo-
pie from injustice in taxes many
| thousand times. So little is the New
Deal Congress interested that it
made only casual inquiry into what
would be done with a whole 4 bill
lion 300 million dollars in one
lump.
There is also that gigantic secret
fund of $2,OOo,O0O,OOO, which was
slipped to the President to operate
in foreign exchange or to support
| government bonds on the market
| Why, for the first time in American
history. is there secrecy in govern
ment expenditures? Manipulation
to support market quotations is
| properly prohibited to Wall Street
under the Securities Act. There is
little point of taking sharp practices
out of private life and putting them
into government. Is that a training
in morals?
We have worried much in our his
tory over the independence of the
Supreme Court. We have more
cause to worry over the independ-
| ence of Congress. Congress has
delegated its conscience.
If we examine the fate of wrecked
republics the world over and