The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-10-07
Your Washington
And Mine!!
FROM
Behind the Scenes
By DIR. James E. Pope
By DR.. James E. Pope

opinions are MS OWN, duO Ills al IL
cles do not necessarily always re-
fleet the editorial opinions or po-
licies of this paper. Another YOUR
WASHINGTON and MINE" will
appear in our columns next week. }
Hebert Hoover, White House ten
ant at the turn of the decade, and
who, as the late depression's goat,
became the Republican also ran in
1882 urges a mid-term convention
for his party. Whether or not this
prQposedly genial folkmoot will un-
fold itself as mild game of cross
ruff, or as political poker game
with joker and deucheS running wild
and the sky for limit, is too much
to say right off. But fairly safe
prognosis is that they will prog
about and, in the wind-up, bring
home some new and shiny cuss-
words with which that small but
loud group of subsidized columnists
and yours for the highest bid gen.
tlemen of the press may smear the
New Deal.
Then former Gov.Landon of 1886
and Kansas fame - another like
wise ran publicly, challenges Presi-
dent Roosevelt to submit his court
reorganization plan to the people
and, to quote Mr.. Landon, "take a
licking.
This country is fortunate in having
a strong minority party ever in the
offing. Whether the Republicans are
in power, or the Democrats, the
threat of strong opposing element
acts as wholesome check and bal
ance, and serves to help make this
America of ours what it is a land
too dangerously democratic to af-
ford even a safe recuperating resort
or picnic ground for any walking
delegate from Hitler, Stain or Mus
solini!
But what Mr.. Hoover and Mr..
Landon should by this time know
is that the public's pet anathema
is the -betiding croak, and his
song of evil bodement. They should
encourage the writer-boys to de-
louise and fumigate their scriptor-
battle against President Roosevelt's
court plan, now being geared into
and sicken the people against mean
ingless issues in general, and head
line hunters in particular.
There are good Democrats and
good Republicans who do not sup
port Mr.. Roosevelt's wage-hour con-
troll plan, nor his court reform pro
posal. The South may be so well
pleased with extra legal short cuts,
and they may not be convinced that
his nine cent cotton loan compro-
mise is everything it should be.
However, the country is not ready
to come down with that miasmatic
political milk sickness now so pre-
valent in the ranks of the hagrid-
ing hellkites.
There may be some who doubt
the Presidents sincerity of purpose,
but they are surprisingly few in
number, and there are many who
disagree with him on one or several
of his pet projects. But they do not
by this token join up with that
shouting varletry of indevout po-
htical chameleons who, with male
ficent iconocalsm geared to harass-
ment and harangue, seek to discre-
dit everything bearing the Roosevelt
indicia.
One needs must travel but a few
short miles from this Badad- on the
Potomac to find that the people of
the graSs-roots are not so much con-
cerned with abstract issues, such as
budget balancing, judiciary reforms.
national debt and foreighisms, as
they are with concrete problems
like the continuation of the golden
flow of Federal relief, made work
programs, jobs, and Governmental
projects involving expenditures
from which they may benefit. The
people, in their exaltered and XII
brant eagerness to share in more
money from Washington, are no
longer as mindful of party lines and
partisan Squabbles as they were in
the good old days before Govern
mental paternalism. To them a pat
ernalistic Washington means food,
drink and raiment. What else is
there of so great moment?
President Roosevelt, enormously
held by some as their personal eco
nomic deliverer, savior and utilita-
rian, could, in their imaginations,
step out from the pages of mytholo-
gy. The story of King Midas of
Phrygia for example, at whose touch
everything turned to gold, suggests
a fitting role. Paralling Midas in
this fanciful drama, let us dream
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