Evening star., 1936-09-07

First OF all, owls on the fence are
for a great many things that Roose-
yelt has done. They are for the
measures which were taken to end
the defiation. They are not sold on
the infallibility and all-embracing
wisdom of business. In fact, they
are a little fed up with the whole
idea of purely business civilization.
Their memories are pretty good. They
remember only too well the grand and
glorious spree Of 1924-1929, and they
don't want that time back. They are
sold on the idea that the depression
was due in large part to unrestrained
speculation for quick profits and the
artificial forcing up Of values. They
know that business had pretty much
its own way in this country for
generation, and that the process end
ed in horrible catastrophe.
What They Think.
The Pecora Investigations made
their mark. So did the scandals in
some of the income tax hearings.
They confess that many income tax
cases were aired for purely political
purposes; they observe that no prom
inent supporters of Mr.. Roosevelt
have had their financial affairs pub
licly washed, but just the same the
hearings made an impression. They
don't think any longer that Mr.. Mel
lon was the greatest Secretary of the
Treasury since Hamilton, and they
don't think Calvin Coolidge was an
other Lincoln. They think Coolidge
was a very shrewd fellow, who was
smart enough to get off while the
ship was still afloat.
When Mr.. Knox makes such a
speech as he did on Wednesday in
Pittsfield he doesn't win any of these
Mugwumps. They don't like the New
Deal attacked as made up Of allen
elements" They know that Henry
Wallace and Rexford Tugwel and
some Of the others of the most New
Dealish of the New Dealers are no
more alien than doughnuts. They
listen skeptically to the theory that
depressions will just cure themselves
If you let them alone. They think:
Probably they do. but meanwhile a
lot Of people die. 1t only takes a
few days without food to starve q
man, and he, as an individual, can't
hibernate and suspend his digestive
process until the wheel of the busi-
ness cycle swings up again in, say,
five years time"
They've read the papers and they
know that depressions haven't cured
themselves anywhere in the world
without great deal Of governmental
interference. They want as little as
possible and they want it to be wise,
but they don't accept the laissez-faire
idea at all.
See Tide of Prosperity.
And these Mugwumps can't be
brought to deny the evidence of their
senses. They know that the country
is recovering; is, indeed, prosperous
at this moment. They aren't much
impressed by being told that If the
Republicans had been in it would
have been more prosperous. Too many
OF them think: Maybe so, but I
might not have been here to see it."
And when Knox says: Elect Landon
and you are electing another Cool
idge," they are, as often as not, a bit
alarmed. They remember Mr.. Oool-
idge as the Yankee who didn't choose
to run, for, they thin, very good
reasons.
These Mugwumps, as far as my in
vestigations reveal, like the following
things about the administration: They
like the S. E. c., the deposit insurance,
the reorganization of the Federal Re-
serve (by and large they blame the
bankers for good deaD. In princi-
pie they like the spending program.
They think it was often extravagant
and they think it is now time to re-
trench, but they believe that with
things as they were it was necessary
for Government to step in, use its
credit in big way, and start things
off again. They are convinced that
it was this policy which did start
things off again. They believe that
relief, with Federal funds, was and is
necessary. They are for the C. C. c.
They are doubtful about the social
security bill. They are skeptical about
the A. A. A. and its heirs, although
they like the objective. They are sold
on the idea that Government has So
cial functions, and must exercise con-