The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1936-04-16
THE OLD ORDER CHANGES

1t is refreshing to know and only fair state that
all so-called big business men are not of the same
thought the American Liberty League 1t is the worst
kind of mistake to say that the League represents
all big business. In fact, it only represents small
part of it, and some whose names are well known to
the public Thus it attracts attention But there are
great many others, many of them equally well
known who step with the progress of the nation
and thinking in tune with the most good for the
greatest number
There is Edward A. Filene of Boston, co-founder
of the Boston Chamber of Commerce the United
States Chamber of Commerce merchant of interna-
tiona repute and of the wealthy men of the
nation. Mr.. Fiene recently returned to his home
in the east after trip throughout the country and
In making address shortly after he returned spoke
of the political picture in these words:
This is no time for partisanshp. We Americans
all want the same thing. We all want prosperity
What want to know is whether best achieve
prosperity by supporting President Roosevelt under
whose Administration recovery has undeniaby be-
gun, or by wrecking the New Deal and returning to
the system in vogue when President Roosevelt was
naugurated.
Il have recently returned from another coast-to-
coast study tour of America; and in the West well
in the East found many bankers and many con-
sentative business leaders bitterly opposing the New
Deal Administration and everything it stands Tor
while workingmen and farmers were generally foi
Roosevelt. .f.-~,... 49,
But these bankers and business leaders, coudn'
help noticing, content to criticize New Dea
measures They objected to the whole idea. MOI
did they suggest a program to take the place
of the New Deal. They had plan to employ the
unemployed. They had solution of the farm
problem, What such men said was that business
must be allowed to go its own way, and that the
salvation of the country depended upon the defeat
of President Roosevelt
81 am not claiming that the New Deal has brought
prosperity. Our problems have not yet been solved
by any means and they will not be solved until or
gained business from this fit of angry
embarrassment and is willing to cooperate with
organized agriculture for nationwide planned pros
perty. believe in business leadership; and I wan
business to regain its leadership But we business
men not do that until we openly recognize the
tragic mistake we made in the days when our leader
ship unchallenged.
organized business had its way for decades; ant
30 long way in harmony with industrial
development, the masses of Americans did not object
But industrial development brought to turning
point, and did moi recognize that it turning
point. Our machines had become productive tina
we could not keep them running unless the income O
the masses greatly increased that they coult
buy in such volume never before possible
new necessary but did not take it
We were asleep at the switch; and economi
mechanism failing to make the turn, went forwar,
to the worst crash in history"
Pointing out that the Republican party did nothing
in that crisis, Mr.. Fiene continues:
Republicans need New Deal, surely, quite a
much as Democrats They need an utterly differen
administration of business from that which brough
us to depression. And while all of us may disagree
with some New Deal measures even criticize thu
administration of these measures this one fact stand
out plainly. The Roosevelt Administration recognize
the necessity for fundamentally different admins
tration of business from that which brought us t.
disaster in 1929 and has worked courageously on thu
Herculean task: whereas if the Republican party is
be the party of those who furnish its campaign
it can not now recognize any such necessity and il
therefore committed to establishing the Old Deal
The Roosevelt Administration makes no elias
appeal Standing it does for planned prosperity
it stands for the prosperity of all legitimate
but the nature of this opposition, however has TO
the time being made the Democratic party the part
of the wage-earner and the farmer and the party
those who still suffer from unemployment and pow
erty-suffer, not because of any fault of their ow
but because the rich and powerful beneficiaries Q
the old order have become concerned with thei
traditional rights and privileges that they have nc
yet awakened to the necessity of New Deal
But Mr. Filene holds out hope for the Republican
if they can but the light when he says:
TN 1910. providing Roosevelt is reelected thi
year. the case will be different Just as no part
after the Civil War would think of re-establishin
slavery, no party four years from now can possbl
think of re-estabishng the Old Deal We may loo
to the Republican party, then, to become party G
constructive opposition Undoubtedly opposing tn