Imperial Valley press., 1937-12-31
News Behind the News
- The Message to Congress

WASHINGTON.-It's anybodys guess as to
what RooSevelt's message to the regular ses-
sion of Congress will be like. According to some
standards of values this question is supremely
important
But those who adhere to other and more
cynical evaluationS believe that the Presidents
message, whether hot or cold. will not be espe-
eially meaningful because Congress is in revolt,
and will pay FDR. but little heed.
There is a fairly good chance Of-and at least
it can be said that the President is considering
an attack on private capitalism and its un-
willingness to support the New Deal program.
Ordinarily it would be safe to predict that
Roosevelt, who consistently has thrown his
weight toward the left when nearly everyone
articulate was saying he had turned right"
would adopt that course of address. But there
is a slight holiday upturn in the business curve
and the Presidents conservative advisers are
jubilantly assuring him that this will continue.
and that there Will be no need for government
TO step into the situation with a new spending
program.
Consequently Roosevelt may decide to lust
coast and send up a message which will create
no excitement even though it may please those
conservative advisers.
On the other hand Roosevelt may decide
during the holidays to assume again the role
of a fighting president" and seek to rally his
supporters for a New Deal attack on the domeS-
tic front, perhaps adroity tying up foreign men
aces with economic and political menaces at
home.
In this case, F.DR. will say that until private
capital demonstrates its capacity to take the
initiative in bringing about recovery and keep
ing the economic ship on even keel it will be up
to the government TO do that
He viii argue that business by and large is
wiling and eager to march on. but that a few
key men in positions of economic and financial
control are impeding the recovery parade.
If the President does follow this line of at
tack, the effect if not the word will be a threat
promise to expand government spending.
One train of Roosevelt thought was expressed
in a recent speech to the Consumers National
Federation at New York by Assistant Attorney
General Robert H Jackson, RooSeVelt's close
adviser confdante and aide. The speech
approved at the White House. jackson said
" The attempt last spring to taper off
government expenditures was spoiled by the
failure of private enterprise to realize that the
consumer could not be gouged without serious
effect upon the survival of private enterprise
itself . The government not only knows it
must step in, if necessary, if private enterprise
is organized to do so in time, as it was not
organized in the emergency days of 1888.
The biggest task facing American business
is how TO restore the unemployed to our eX-
change system by accepting their services-the
only thing they can use for money-in exchange
for the product OF industry If big business
holds back from production and unemployment
grows, an irresistible demand will arise which
responsible government can ignore, for more
rather than less government expenditures. In
creased government expenditures will mean in
creased taxation . -