Evening star., 1936-01-27
.|CKES POINTS OUT
/. SMITHS REVERSAL
In 1928 He Said Socialism
Cry Always Came From
Big Interests.

secretary 1cKeS assumed the role Of
New Deal champion IN his Town Hail
address last night at the Shoreham
Hotel. making singing reply to the
Saturday night speech of Alfred E.
Smith before the American Liberty
League attacking the socialistic doc
trines Of the Roosevelt administration.
Taking page from Smiths own
record in the 1923 campaign, Ickes
quoted his own reply during the cam
paign to charges Of Herbert Hoover
that he was advocating socialism.
1ckes' counter-attack came at the
end OF his prepared address in sup
port OF a permanent public works
program and was in response to ques-
tionS by Senator Alben w. Barkley Of
Kentucky, member Of the panel.
Only once, at the outset Of his speech,
had the administration spokesman re-
ferred to Smith, disappointing the big
audience by quickly passing on to his
general subject
Coincidence Occurs.
Senator Barkley, who managed the
Smith campaign in Kentucky in 1928,
gave Ickes the cue, but the latter
"shied" at answering the first ques-
ton propounded to him. That was
when Barkley asked if it were not
true that on January 8. 1893, Smith
had called for national public works
dictator and suggested that we put
the Constitution on the shelf"
LAT
Ickes replied.
The Kentucky Senator then stated
that he recalled, as Kentucky man.
ager for Smith in 1928 that there had
been certain controversy as to what
constituted socialism"
Ickes smiled broadly Senator by
q coincidence have what appears TO
be the precise language he said.
He then went on to read: "Mr.
Hoover on October %. 1923, at Mad
ison Square Garden declared with re-
gard to Mr.. Smith. then Demo-
cratic candidate, that our opponents,
in effect. abandoned the tenets OF their
party for those Of the Socialists
Same Language Held Used.
HE demanded of Mr. Smith what
he was going to do with regard to
certain problems and said that Smiths
plans for relief, electric power and
other national troubles were thrusting
the Government to turn to state So
cialism for solutions.
Last night MIR. Smith spoke Of the
foul breath Of Communistic Russia.
He referred to the red flag of the
goddess Union of Soviets. at the same
time that he appealed for an end Of
class prejudice. BY some unconscious
assimilation he used the same Ian.
guage Herbert Hoover used in 1923.
But what did AL Smith say in 1928
in reply to Hoover? Two days later
at Boston Mr. Smith said, The cry of
socialism has been patented by the
powerful interests that desire to put
damper on progressive legislation
els this cry of socialism anything
new? Not to man of my experience.
I have heard it raised by reactionary
elements and the Republican party in
my State for over a quarter of CEN
tury'"
Turning to Senator Barkley with
pleased smile, Secretary Ickes then
said:
well. here we are"
Some Skeptics Have Dark Thought.
There was prevailing thought that
Ickes and Barkley might have con-
nived in bringing up the incident.
With the passing Of the Smith dis
cussion, there were no other fire
works" Mr.. Ickes had begun his ad-
dress by alluding to the fact that he
would have liked to have chosen some
other subject to speak on. you know.
Al Smith spoke last night" he said.
But he passed on to his own defense
of public works.
Burden Held Too Great.
With sharp thrusts at his critics,
Ickes defended public works with the
assertion, This theory has not failed
it has never really been tested"
He asserted that the Federal Gov
900 in the last two and one-half years
for public works, although he declared
there had been shrinkage in private
construction work Of S8,000000,000 a
year.
1T was like sending out a tugboat
to capture the Atlantic fleet" Ickes
said.
He advocated a continuing works
program to take up an unemployment
slack which he attributed to depletion
of national resources.