Evening star., 1936-02-22
By Mary.Carfer Roberts.

LIBERALISM FIGHTS ON. BY
Ogden L. Mills. New York: The
Macmillan Co.
TN THIS book the former Secretary
of the Treasury sets forth his
political creed. declaring himself
Il unequivocally in favor Of the ira
ditional liberalism of our institutions
as opposed to what he feels is the
present threat of bureaucracy. Not
to allow these currently widely-used
terms to become generalities, he de-
fines pretty clearly what he means by
them. and why it is that he feels
that the present administration is, in
actuality, no matter what its inten-
tions may be, opposing the liberal
inheritance of the American people.
Taking the administrators own
claim that it aims to establish recov-
cry and the attendant condition of
adequate employment opportunities,
Mr.. Mills utters a fiat denial. In the
six years since the stock market crash,
he says. our economic organism, by its
own workings, has undergone a dras-
tic readjustment, and now would be
able to start functioning on scale
that would keep the country near
the industrial peak for many years to
come" were 1t not that governmental
interference impedes it.
The trouble is" he says, that,
whereas economic uncertainties have
vanished, political uncertainties cast
an ever-lengthening shadow. What
stands between the American people
and prosperity today is their Govern
ment."
For the benefit of the reader who
Is no economist, he explains why he
feels that the claim that economic
uncertainties have vanished" is JUS
tilted. There exists. he says. "a six
year accumulated demand of enor-
NOUS proportions for all manner of
goods, principally capital and durable
goods, and an ample supply of capital
is available at low rates of interest;
while the country over enterprising
American business men stand ready
and eager to answer the call of op-
portunity. There is work enough
waiting to be done to put millions at
work on constructive enterprises at
normal American wages"
He continues: THE wheels of in
dustry would soon be turning . if,
instead of trying to remake us the
Government would be content to
make us we'll; if, instead of attempt
ing to impose new system which
will not work, it would permit the one
we know will, to do so: and if, instead
of pursuing all sorts of foreign "isms,"
it would but turn to tried and proved
American-ism."
WITHOUT GREASE. By Frank r.
Kent. New York: William Nor
row e Co.
THE author of this book calls it "a
blueprint for Americas most vital
presidential election" 1t is sharp
shooting epigrammatical attack on
what the present administration has
been doing and weighing of chances
as to what, in its turn, the electorate
will do next November The shrewd
thrusts that it makes against current
governmental policies will undoubt-
edly anuse those who feel little SYM
pathy with President Roosevelt,s ad-
ministration.
A good idea of Mr.. Kent's style is
to be had from his impreSsionistic
word picture of the political situation
as it was about June /, 1884. cat
that time" he says, "a. a great,
new. enormously expanded and en-
} larged Federal machine, bursting with
new gadgetS, inventions and devices
and jammed with professors, politi-
clans, theorists, welfare workers, re-
formers, seers, third-rate economists.
backward students, boy wonders, pub
llcity experts, religious mystics, musi-
cal f1nanciers, financial horticulturists,
army flag wavers and plain propa-
gandists, was tearing down the road
at top speed, everybody shouting with
the always smiling leader, We are on
our way 1t was thrilling spectacle
Nothing like it had been seen before"
Dealing in a similar manner with
the numbers of New Deal personages
and programs, Mr.. Kent sums up
what has been done Cor promised)
and concludes, unlike many writer's
on this topic, not that we are faced
with revolution of either Fascist or
Communist variety, but that our pro-
found national conservatism will lead
us back to our habitual political
modes. Whether you agree or not you
will find the book entertaining-and
very few of the recent works of this
kind have been that, no matter how
meritorious otherwise.
RAW MATERIALS, POPULATION
PRESSURE AND WAR. BY Sir
Norman Angel. New York: World |
Peace Foundation.
THIS is another book which gives
- reasons why we should have no
more wars. While to merely intelli- |
gent observer 1t is sometimes puzzling |
that reasons should need to be given, |
the spokesmen of the pacif1sts un-
doubtedly consider that the apologize |
of facts must be put forward for their
case. So Sir Norman here tells us
all over again how it is that the pro-
duction of raw materials, the transfer |
OF territory, the need for markets and |
such like other things are all bound |
up in the question of why we fight |
If you have not read it in any of the
other books, you might just as well |
read it here.
AMERICAN POINTS OF VIEW. A
Readers Guide. Edited by william |
H. Corden and Kathryn Coe Cor
dell. Garden City: Doubleday, Do |
ran & Co.
THIS is collection of essays written |
by SO leading literary personages.
The selections have already been pub
1ished in magazine or other form,
appearing between June, 1894, and |
September, 1885. The volume is the
second of its type brought out by
the present editors, their purpose be-
ing, they tell us, to illustrate the uses