The Republican., 1936-03-19
GOV. RITCHIE'S CAUSTIC
TONGUE LASHED NEW DEAL
Maryland's Democratic Idol Bent
His Best Efforts to End the
Roosevelt Reign

The recent death of former Govern
or Albert c. Richie in Maryland ha
removed one of the most caustic, out
spoke critics of President Roosevelt
and the New Deal. Time. and again
Governor Ritchie, during the pas
year, fayed the Administration il
power. He himself had been foul
times elected Democratic Governor o.
Maryland and had several times been ;
contender for the Democratic Presi
Dental nomination. ~
Probably no more scathing arraign
ment of the New Deal ever fell from
the lips of Governor Ritchic than his
memorable address before the An
cient Order of Hibernians several
months ago. In the course of that ad-
dress he said: r.,... .r
"The New Deal has had its trial. II
has been fair trial. There was nc
lack of cooperation. As a whole, the
country hoped it would succeed and
tried to make it succeed. But as we
watched it's high hopes, and as we now
observe the results, + think the con-
clusion is inescapable. The New Deal
has not worked, and 1T is on the
rocks. Il y
eve should jettison politics which
have proved to be unsound and un-
American. We should return to the
truths which are fundamental in the
American Government.
"If you say this means going back,
/ answer that it is the part Of wisdom
to go back if you embark on the wrong
route. $ 8
eve do not want government to be
autocratic or despotic. We want it to
be democratic-the servent, not the
master.
"We want in this country revival
of the democracy of the Constitution,
faith in its efficacy to adjust itself to
our present-day problems, and the
determination to practice that faith.
"The Supreme Court of the United
States has charted the way. *
"The Supreme Court decided that
the National Legislature must legis-
late and cannot pass that duty on to
the Executive. That has been the Am
erican conception from the beginning.
If the Executive takes over the func-
tion of the Legislature, then the end is
dictatorship. In this country we do
not want dictatorship. We want de-
mocracy.
"The Court decided also that Con-
gress cannot legislate on subjects of
commerce which operate wholly with
in the State. This also has been the
American conception from the begin
ming, and if you abandon it, then you
go far toward abandoning local self
government and setting up a costly,
bureaucratic, high-powered central
lied government, which always grows
by what it feeds on.
eve should recognize that we can
not spend our way back to recovery.
No nation has ever done that.
"From 1881 to 1885 our national
public debt has increased over $14,000,-
100000, OF more than 80 per cent.
"The increase in the public debt of
Great Britain since 1929 is reliably
said to be per cent; that Of France
Is per cent; Canada 20 per cent; Ger
many 25 per cent. Does anyone be-
lieve the United States can long stand
an increase which has reached the rate
of more than so per cent?
eve cannot go on spending more
than we take in. Balancing the ma
tional budget may not be spectacular
thing to talk about, but it is an es-
sential thing to do. In Washington they
have almost stopped talking about
it, and certainly they are not attempt
ing it. The Treasury reports show
that the annual deficit has grown from
$685. 100000 for 1881 to just little
short of $4,000,O00,000 for 1884, and
that for 1885 it is estimated at about
100000. The cumulative deficit
since 1932-one scarcely ever hears
that mentioned-is about Is billion
dollars.
"If this keeps on, there can be only
one end. The dollar will become worth
less and less, capital will invest less
and less, and unemployment will mount
more and more. The rich man may
pull through somehow, but the wage
Garner, the salaried man and the man
with fixed income will be hit harder
and harder as time goes on. Then will
come imitation, and then bankruptcy"
-o--
EVANSVILLE