Evening star., 1937-04-22
Showdown on Spending
Another Failure in Presidents Resolve to Economic
Would Be Hard to Explain Away.

posal is official party policy, thereby
implying that Democrats in Congress
who fail to support it will be marked
for political death when they come up
in the primaries for denomination. II
the administration were willing to do
this in behalf of restraining expendi-
lures, and do half the other things
that are being done for the court pro-
posal, then the expenditures would be
restrained.
Resolution Is Questioned.
Opponents Of the President and
critics OF him are digging up records
to show that, with respect to economy
in government, the President lacks
continuity Of intention. Yet the
Presidents past lapses in this respect
could be explained True, the Presi-
dent, in his 1882 campaign, promised
great economies. True, the President,
as almost his earliest act, in March,
1888, moved In the direction OF econ
omy with greater force than any other
President had ever done: he actually
performed what was deemed incred-
ible; he brought about an extreme
reduction in payments to veterans.
True, these early economy moves were
later undone and the campaign prom
ie Of economy was thrown out the
window.
But this reversal in 1888 could be
explained as a change of fundamental
rNoliov odoptod hacousa ~ op,.roor,,,
For the economy policy Of the cam
paign and OF the first month OF his
administration, there was substituted
the spending policy which some
economists recommended as the better
cure for depression. Whether SPEND
ing actually is a better cure: whether
the change from an economy policy
to a spending one was justified by
new conditions that arose In the
interval between the two policies-all
that is question over which his
torians and economists will long dis
pute.
Another reproach now thrust at
the President has to do with his
repeated holding out Of expectation
that the budget would be balanced.
1t Is recalled that in 1888 he said
there was reasonable prospect" Of a
balanced budget within year.;
that In 1884 he said we should plan
to have definitely balanced budget
for the third year Of recovery: that
again in January this year, in his
message to Congress. he still seemed
to expect early balance Of the budget.
Answer to Be Had Soon.
All that, however, can be seen as
mere excess Of optimism. That the
President is an optimistic person is
not denied by either friends or foes.
Whether optimism is at all times a
virtue is a question. Immunity from
worry is commonly supposed to be
a desirable human attribute. But
immunity from worry may be merely
one way Of describing inability to
see possible unpleasant outcomes Of
present actions.
However. the Presidents past record
on economy may be explained or
excused, the fact remains that this
record 1mpairs his moral authority
for insisting on economy now, the
fifth year of his administration. Any,
how, the coming weeks will constitute
almost last call for Mr.. Roosevelt
and for the country.
One more failure in continuity Of
intention about economy, added to
the previous ones, would make .
record not easy to defend.
And II Mr. Roosevelt cannot or
does not balance the budget at this
stage of recovery, If he does not
balance it when times are as good
as they now are, there will be
general feeling that he will not bal
ance 1t at ALL And II that feeling