Evening star., 1936-12-10

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may or may not be reflected in the
writings Of J. Franklin Carter, who
until last year was an associate Of
Mr.. Tugwell in the Government, and
was credited with helping to write
speeches and articles for some of the
New Deal officials while he was en-
ployed in one Of the Government de-
partments.
Coming Slump Feared.
Mr.. Carter, who writes for news
papers under the pen name Of Jay
Franklin" and who is, of course, no
longer connected with the Govern
nent in any way, has been voicing
fears of a coming slump" in business
and has been talking of the possibility
that Mr.. Roosevelt in his second term
might sell down the river" his lib
eral supporters.
''The slump" writes Mr.. Franklin,
'by all appearances, will catch both
the people and the administration
of guard. 1t will find us with seven
or eight million unemployed people
who, with their dependents, account
for one-fifth Of our entire popula-
ton. -
Worse still, it will find the Presi-
dents personal prestige weakened by
petty incidents calculated to arouse
the average mans suspicion that he
is going to be sold down the river
again to the same old economic roy
alists. Young Franklin's engagement
to marry one Of the du Pont girls
looks as though the era Of good feel
ing was to be based on q compromise
with the beaten opponents.
$50 does Mr.. Hearst's selection Of
President Roosevelt's son-in-law to
edit one of his newspapers. And the
appointment of Jimmy Roosevelt as
a lieutenant colonel of Marine Corps
Reserves, no matter how well justi-
fed. has a slightly regal touch which
Is disturbing to the American mass
mind. Does all this mean that the
President is falling for the wave Of
big business adulation and that the
big boys are going to do business at
che same old standard of ethics?"
Discusses New Deals Nerve.
In later article, Mr.. Franklin con-
Nnues in the same vein Of criticism
Of business and adds this query: Has
the New Deal got the necessary nerve
70 break UP the present love feast with
big business by direct action in the
housing fleld?"
Mr. Franklin has been q consistent
supporter of most of the. New Deal
policies and the introduction of q crit
ical point of view at time when most
Of the former critics have, in defer
personal victory, declared moratorium
on criticism is wholesome, to say the
least. No administration can succeed
without the benefit of criticism. At
the moment, it may be that the peo-
pie generally are tired of the polemics
Of the campaign and want to know
what is going on in the National Cap
ital without regard to whether such
reports tend to help or hurt the po-
Etical fortunes of anybody.
There can be no doubt that many
business men are sincerely trying to
meet the specifications laid down by
the reelected New Deal. This does
not mean that they surrender their
convictions or what they believed be-
fore November has now come to
mean to them the exact opposite.
The truth is that in a great democ-
racy like ours adjustment of majority
and minority viewpoints Is the most
valuable piece of governmental mech
anism we can possibly have. To get
such an adjustment does not mean
compromise or surrender by one view
point to the other, but merely rec
ognition that maybe some of the
thoughts expressed in that voting
strength of the 16,60o,O0o who voted
the Republican ticket did somehow
have certain validity, and that con-
versely not all of the 277O0,0O0 who
voted for Mr.. Roosevelt did SO because
they had obtained governmental bene-
Ats of one kind or another.
Non-Political Questions.
What is to be sought is an ap-
praisal of the viewpoints of those on
both sides who have definite beliefs
with respect to. the degree or extent
that Intervention by the State Is
necessary to promote the general well
fare. How shall the unemployed be
given jobs and how shall the finances
Of the country be kept from a dam
gerous imitation and how shall re-
lief be administered for those who
cannot get jobs right away-these
are non-political questions now and
they require careful study of what
"controlled economy" really means,
how much of it can be absorbed and
how much Of 1t may prove frustra-
ton of recovery already under way.
Mr.. Roosevelt's own plans and in
eentions will be revealed in due time
after his return. Unfortunately, too
many people are paying attention to
the personal equation believing that
Mr.. Roosevelt holds, the answer to
al problems in the palm Of his hand.
To accept this view Is to ignore the
huge forces which made possible his
victory and which must be kept in
line II period Of good feeling and
successful economic operation Is to
be attained.
The tug Of war between the 'f1aves"
and the "have nots," between the
champions Of a governmental control
Of wages and prices and the oponents
Of the economic school which believes
In government Intervention only to
prevent fraud and monopoly has by
no means been changed materially
by the election results except to indi-
cate clearly that the present adminis-
tration must, II it travels the middle
course, get certain criticism from both
sides. And maybe that's the best way
after all to develop the all-important
processes Of adjustment which make
possible progress In democracy.
scopyrisht. 1850