Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1936-01-09
The Presidents Speech


The Presidents Speech
"They seek the restoration Of
their selfish power. They offer tC
lead us back round the same old
corner into the same old dreary
street"
In exactly 25 words Franklin D
| Roosevelt sums up his case.
| Swinging from an attack on au-
| tocracy abroad, he describes what
| he conceives as the danger of re-
viyed autocracy at home-the au-
ity;" domination of government
| by financial and industrial groups
numerically small but politically
dominant in the IL years that sue
ceeded the World war The II
years that led us to the precipice
Of 1888
In short, those who were driven
out of the temple are trying to get
back in. So:
They steal the livery of great
national constitutional ideals to
| serve discredited special interests.
AS guardians and trustees for great
groups of industrial stockholders
| they wrongfuIly seek to carry the
property and interests entrusted to
them into the area of partisan pol
itics. They seek-this minority in
business and 1inance-to control
and often do control and use for
their own purposes legitimate and
highly honored business associa-
tions; they engage i'll vast propa-
ganda to spread fear and discord
among the people--they would
gang up against the peoples lib
critics.
You don't have to stop and tell
the story Of the one-eyed man in
the poker game to indicate who the
President OF these United States is
talking about
And then having stated the case,
comes the challenge.
4 X \
eff these gentlemen believe, as
they say they believe, that the mea-
sures adopted by this congress and
its predecessor, and carried out by
this administration, have hindered
rather than promoted recovery, let
them be consistent. Let them pro-
pose to this congress the complete
repeal of these measures. The way
is open to such proposal. Let ac
ton be positive and not negative.
Shall we say that values are re-
stored and that the congress will
therefore repeal the laws under
which we have been bringing them
back? Shall we say that because
national income has grown with
rising prosperity, we shall repeal
existing taxes and thereby put off
the day of approaching a balanced
budget and starting to reduce the
national debt?
''Shall we abandon the reason
able support and regulation of bank
ing? Shall we restore the dollar to
its former gold content?
"Shall we say to the farmer
the prices for your products are in
part restored, now go and hoe your
own row.
''Shall we say to the home own
ers and the debtors-'we have re-
duced your rates Of interest-we
have no further concern with how
you keep your home or what you
pay for your money; that is your af-
fair?'
"Shall we say to the several mil
lions of unemployed citizens who
face the very problem of existence
Of getting enough to eat-'we will
withdraw from giving you work, we
will turn you back to the charity
of your communities and to those
men of selfish power who tell you
that perhaps they will employ you
if the government leaves them
alone?'
"Shall we say to the laborer--
your right to organize, your rela-
tons with your employer have moth |
ing to do with the public interest;
if your employer will not even meet
witt -o-7 70 discuss your problems
an rs, thai is none of our AFFAIR."
hall we say to the unemployed |
al he aged social security lies !,
hin the province OF the fed
Vernment, you must seek re-
eWhere?'
laIl we expose our population |
more by the repeal Of laws to
protect them against the loss of
their honest investments and |
against the manipulations of dis
honest speculators?'
In that manner are the lines for |
]" drawn, the issues described, |
opponents and the weapons
III ed.
And, speaking of breathing spells,
so far as the "old order" is concern. |
ed there'll be little relaxed respira-
ton from now until November
Columbus Citizen.