The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1936-07-30
A HUMANE PROGRAM

THE Democratic party has at all times, consis-
enty and mantly held to the ideal that the people
have the right to live under honest and progressive
government and to demand the safeguarding of human
rights and values well those property" said
Gov. Herbert H. Lehman of New York at the national
convention in Philadelphia.
These principles of government have been firmly
embraced and adhered to by President Roosevelt
They were not to him when he entered the White
House He had been first this wide land to insti-
tute State participation in unemployment relief in
New York in 1881 year and half before President
Hoover addressed himself to the problem. In that
year Governor Roosevelt set up non-poltca State
agency which in the past five years has been sub
jected to breath of suspicion or word of ustfiable
criticism.
Likewise old-age assistance was first instituted
by him when Governor of New York. And so Frank
lin D. Roosevelt President simply ran true to form
When he had cared for the urgent economic needs
he Immediately turned his attention to broad, social
needs. He has never wavered in his conviction that
our democratic form of government is vehicle
ated by the people for the purpose securing for all
citizens equal opportunity and equal security SO far
as human intelligence achieve.
Public spirited Republicans are un-
questionably just deeply concerned with and
sincerely devoted to the principle of social JUS
tice as are Democrats. They will continue to
support sound measures proposed for the
benefit of the underpriviIeged But there
not the least doubt in my mind that there is
determined effort on the part of Republican
political leadership to discredit, tear down and
block the great movement of which Pres-
dent has been the spearhead and the inspra-
ton am convinced, too, that the attack
the entire program extends not only to the
Federal Government but to the States them
selves. In my State ! have the
cruel, the most arrogant, attempt on the part
of the Republican leadership TO sabotage Fed
eral and State social and labor legislation.
And yet these same dare to claim that
they are concerned with the welfare of the
peOple!" at
The Republican platform adopted at Cleveland
contains this deeply significant statement: We pro-
pose to encourage adoption by the States and Terri
tories of honest and practical for meeting
the problems of unemployment insurance The un-
employment insurance and old-age annuity sections
OF the present Social Security Act are unavoidable
IF those words had been written hundred feet
high they could not clearly serve as notice that
if the Republican party gains control of our govern
ment next November the nation wide establishment
of unemployment insurance will be completely de-
stroyed The political leaders of the Republican
party, when they wrote those words knew as do all
of us that an effective system of unemployment in
cannot possibly be enacted save on the basis
of minimum standards set by the Federal Government
for the nation whole These very men will be
the first to oppose its adoption by any single State
unless all the other States in the industrial COM
petitiye class have the same statute That was the
position taken by their party in New York this year
it is significant because of the position held by
New York Republican leaders in the Republican