Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-05-16
NEW DEAL WATERING HIT
AS REAL PROGRESS CHECK
Congress Rudderless Without Roose-
velt-May Be Sweated Into Consent
on Plan to Revamp Court.

LIllIlSS Llldt are novel ana eXClLlQ9.
And all the things he does do not
add up to a consistent pattern.
Washington, and America, are in .
tangle of contradictory directions.
About one fundamental policy after
another, We do not know which direc-
ton we are taking, or if We are TAX
Ing two directions at once.
There Is the old contradiction, In
which the Roosevelt administration
has always been involved, between
recovery and reform At this mo-
ment, we don't know whether steps
we take are meant to facilitate re-
covery, or to bring about reform.
There are close observers who think
that at this moment some OF the ad-
ministration's policies are designed
consciously to slow down recovery.
Part of the administration is alarmed
at the pace Of recovery, wishes to re-
tard it. They fear a boom, and later
on what follows a boom. Hence the
recent utterances and gestures de.
signed to arrest rise OF prices.
This Is explainable by change Of
conditions. But many do not realize
this, and are puzzled when they re-
call that not very long ago Mr.. Roose.
welt was proclaiming that higher
prices were the first of his economic
| obJectives: If we cannot do this
'raise prices one way. we will do it
| another-do it We will"
We don't know whether we are
moving toward enforced competition
IN business, or toward monopolistic
| prlce-hxing paternally regulated N.
r. A. looked toward monopoly, in.
deed, made monopoly mandatory,
and In some cases penalized compete
ton In the criminal courts. Believe it
or not, less than two years ago, tust
before the unanimous decision of the
Supreme Court ended NJ R. A.. it was
violation Of law for a man to set up
an Ice manufacturing plant without
first getting the consent of those al.
| ready in the business. Whether this
Is still an administration policy. we
don't know; there is frequent talk
OF new N. r. A., which shall take
advantage OF recent Supreme Court
decisions that seem to make a modi-
fed N. R. A. possible.
| But at the same time the admin
lstratlon moves in the direction of
enforced competition, disruption Of
monopoly reduced prices. The alu-
minimum industry is sued as mo-
nopoly, and Attorney General Cum
mmgs says he would like to at
TACK the steel industry Is
monopoly. Mr.. Roosevelt tells Sen
ate committee to stop considering
Dill which would legalize some
forms OF pr1ce-fixing. Right when
Attorney General Cummings says he
Is going to bust the trusts, the GufYey
coal act goes the opposite way-let
EN- grow big and regulate EN-. It's
very hard to understand.
States Rights or Capitalization.
We don't know whether we are
moving In the direction Of States
rights or GENERALIZATION at Washing.
ton. The Supreme Court in its recent
decisions opened both paths. The
states can now regulate business, and
so can the Federal Government.
hight at this moment is being deter.
mined which of the two paths Amer
lea Is to take. 1t is being determined
not by conscious intent but by events.
Many States are hurrying to take
advantage Of their new privilege
State after State is passing minimum
wage acts. and child labor acts. and
acts designed for the broad regula-
ton OF labor and industry relations.
Gov. Murphy of Michigan, though an
ace New Dealer, recommends that
each State have its own machinery
Tor regulating labor relations.
AT the same time the administration
at Washington preserves the Federal
Wagner act and contemplates improy
ing it. And Mr. Roosevelt urges that
child labor be regulated on a national
basis. by the pending constitutional
amendment, which just now hats be-
cause OF uncertainty whether child
labor should be regulated by the Ma
ton or by the States.
In this confusion between the path
OF State regulation and that of Fed
eral regulation. Congress is influenced
by the fact that many Of It's leaders
are Southern Democrats. They have
become alarmed about measures
which authorize the Federal Govern
ment to invade the States-especiall
the antl-lynch1ng law, which author.
lies the Federal Government to ar.
rest and imprison State official for
acts done, or not done, by the State
Official in the course of his State
duties.
Many In Congress Hesitating.
Much OF Congress, without fully
realizing 1t yet. Is partial to the idea
Of expanding the functions of States.
under the opportunity created by re-
cent Supreme Court decisions. Con-
sequently Congress hesitates and
halts about enacting the Federal reg
ulatlon which is New Deal credo.
and which presumably Mr.. Roosevelt
wants.
There is confusion of direction.
actually contradictory direction, with
respect to policy after policy, all
fundamental. The Roosevelt admin.
istration has never known whether it
Is going toward collectivism or In.
dividualism One OF the collectivists.
formerly Mr.. Tugwen and now his
disciples, drops a collectivist sugges-
ton in Mr.. Roosevelts ear. He does
not realize it is collectivist, but 1t ia
novel and exciting, And SO he tries
1t. The next day one OF the old
schoolers drops suggestion into his
ear. and he tries that. The two won't
mix -. The administration at Wash.
ington seems to condone the sit-down
strike; Mr.. Roosevelt won't say any,
thing about them, Secretary of Labor
Perkins is not certain they are illegal.
and Congress halts and hesitates about
passing even mild resolution of dis
approval. At the same time several
States-including Texas, where most
OF the Democratic leadership In Con-
gress comes from-passes laws with
teeth making a Shutdown a felony
Does Mr.. Roosevelt really mean it
when he talks economy this time?
| He talked 1t even more vigorously IN