Evening star., 1936-01-30

all human history. Our people are
disappointed and amazed. They realize
now that the promise to make human
needs the sole guide for action has
been broken. Victory is In the hands
of the party spoilsmen.
Honest Critisim Declared
Unwanted by New Deal.
Non-political relief administrators
have been forced out. Citizens have
poured the evidences Of intolerable
conditions upon Washington. The
only result has been loss of poise and
a resort to abuse by the administration
and its spokesmen, who take the un-
democratic attitude that all criticism
is abuse and that all who do not agree
have base motives and selfish purposes.
They seem to forget chat true democ-
racy thrives on honest criticism.
With some of the avowed objectives
of those in Washington no right
thinking person can quarrel. But
there has been constant shifting
back and forth in decisions. Utterly
wasteful policies have prevailed. There
has been too great an attempt to
pass of just criticism Of the ad-
ministration of relief by branding
the critics hard-hearted persons who
propose to let every one starve.
Epithets. evasions and sophistries do
not answer
If there is any place more than
another where common sense in gov
ernment is needed. it is in the relief
problem. Although many millions Of
our people still depend on relief and
the outpouring of billions is greater
than ever, l do not believe that the
problems presented are unsurmounta-
BILE in this land of potential plenty.
No good American wants any of
his fellow citizens to be hungry, much
less starve. But if there is to be
no hunger it is imperative that the
administration of relief be purged of
waste and partisanship.
Permanent Jobs Cure
For Relief Evil.
The emphasis on relief has obscured
the fact that employment, not aid,
is our larger problem. The clinching
proof of the New Deals failure Is
that almost as many persons are out
of work today as there were when
it first set up shop in 1888. The key
to real stability is not boondoggling.
but permanent jobs. with the laborer
worthy of his hire. Theories Will not
produce them. nor can unemployment
be made to vanish overnight. Help
wanted" signs will blossom out Of
restored confidence in the Nations
finances. Work for those who want
it comes from the assurance to busi-
ness and industry that they may
plan wisely for the future. Employ
ment comes from the common coll
viction that the American system Of
representative government is secure.
Confidence is far more important han
. the exploitation of a multiplicity Of
pretentious plans which do not work.
History and experience alike teach
us that government is protection.
When it ceases to protect it ceases
to be government. AS Nation We
have begun to protect childhood,
but the obligation to protect old age
lies straight before us. This obliga-
ton is .hc legacy from the machine
age in which we live. It is an es-
sential part of the unemployment
problem of great industrial civiliza-
ton.
The hope that we will deal with
our unemployment problem success
fully lies in the fact that the hard
ships and suffering of the depression
have made us conscious of certain
defects in our society brought about
by the rapid growth in our industrial
structure.
We are aware that we must make
our Just contributions to the solution
of the problems of the times. Each
generation in turn has its own prob
lens to solve for posterity. No age
has escaped this inspiring RESPONSE
bility. II such there were, then that
was an age Of stagnation.
Rabid Partisanship Hit
As Hindering Recovery.
Our problem of unemployment will
not be solved by rabid partisanship on
the one hand or wishful thinking on
the other We may differ as to meth
ods of procedure. but there can be no
difference as to the imperative neces-
sity for solution.
Fundamentally, we must always
keep in nina the answer We seek is not
based alone on the query. Am I my
brothers keeper" The solution rests
on considering it in a major sense
from the viewpoint OF problem Gre
ated by the rapid development of our
industrial machine.
The problem is national in scope
and should be solved on national
basis. This involves the most care
full consideration of the limitations of
the Federal and State Constitutions.
Solving this problem of unemploy-
ment and old-age pensions is both
humane and economic. and we shall
solve it in spite of our past neglect and
recent well intended, but utterly un-
workable. hastily thrown together,
makeshift legislation.
We have witnessed bureaucratic
agencies vying one with another in ef-
forts to excel in experimentation.
Fuzzy thinking and unorderly proceed
ure have characterized the manner in
which all of the goals have been ap-
preached There has been confusion,
reversal of policies, haphazard admin
istration, pickering and repeated de.
lay.
Recovery Declared Greatest Of
Reforms Ahead.
There is much discussion whether
reform of our social and economic sys-
tenn should go before recovery or
whether recovery should precede re-
form. My answer is that the greatest
reform that we could have is recov-
cry. We are going to be many years
unscramnlirg the eggs cooked up by
the kitchen cabinet of this administra-
ton. Ore Of the greatest failures Of
these cooks was that they were un-
able to Lell the bad eggs from the
good The result has been indiges-
ton for all Of us.