The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-06-24


fairs fall into disfavor, to absolve from
responsibility the man really respon-
sible. When a policy or practice boys
down or begins to smell, nearly always
way has been found to blame ad-
visory groups or selected subordinates.
Nearly always the head man has been
acquitted.
In the early days of the first term
this got to be general habit. Large
numbers of people to whom the Roose-
welt doctrines were distasteful and the
Roosevelt direction seemed dangerous
earnestly denounced the Brain Trust
or DR.. Tugwell, at the same time high
ly praising the President. The obvious
fact was ignored that the two things
could not be sensibly done. Largely
this absurdity was due to the Presi
dents personality and a general belief
in the nobility of his purposes, which
now exist in a much diminished de-
gree. 1t took quite while to wear this
sort of thing thin and have the facts
accepted that Mr.. Roosevelt and his
academic advisers were inseparable,
with identical purposes, a single view
point, and that to condemn one while
commencing the other was ridiculous.
$50
There are still people who do it in
defiance of reason, but the more clear
headed have abandoned the custom.
All of which makes interesting the
extraordinary revival of Administra-
ton alibis which has marked the past
fortnight. Some of these apply to
small things, some to big ones. Some
concern Mr.. Roosevelt, personally;
others are intended to relieve his sub
ordinates and aides. All of them are
based on the idea of freeing the re-
sponsible man from the onus of an ac-
ton which leaves him in an unfavora-
BILE Highland some of the are pretty
silly.
To present the smaller ones first,
there are the two "book" alibis. One of
these relieves-or is intended to-Mr.
Roosevelt of the charge Of having CO.
operated with the Democratic National
Committee in an effort to evade the
Corrupt Practices Act by autograph
ing campaign books which, by reason
of his signature, were then peddled to
corporations at an inflated price. The
official excuse is that Mr.. Roosevelt
did not know what he was doing. He
signed his name on pieces of blank
paper but was not informed for what
purpose. In other words, he was de-
ceived by his friends.
The Hopkins book alibi is of SINH
lar kind. Mr.. Hopkins has written a
book eulogistic of his WPA work. One
of his WPA aides writes letter to
WPA workers urging the desirability
of their purchasing this book at the
low rate of 81. WPA workers are hard
~ in a position to decline. When the
letter was published the official eX-
PLANTATION was that Mr.. Hopkins aide
acted without his knowledge and that
Mr.. Hopkins disapproved Of the action.
Another little alibi is that of the emf
nent Mr.. Farley. Out in Ohio, the Post
office, of which he is the head, declined
to receive as mail packages of food
addressed to picketed and non-striking
steel workers. A loud protest was
made. 1t was then explained that Mr..
Farley knew nothing of this at all.
The ruling was made by one of his
subordinates who just didn't tell him
about it.
More interesting and of larger size
is the alibi for Mr.. Roosevelt absolv-
ing him from responsibility for his
present amazing legislative program.
Chiefly, this is advanced by his one
time right-hand man, the able and as
tute General Johnson. The general de-
nounces the program. He brands it as
slick, deceptive, unsound and revolu-
tionary. 1t is, he thinks, designed to
change the American system and to
do it in such furtive way that the
people will not realize what is happen
ing to them until it is over. But he
does not blame this on Mr.. Roosevelt
not at all. On the contrary, he regards
it as the wicked work of the new Brain
Trust composed of men of the Cor.
coran-Cohen type-"houris" he calls
them, who infest the "palace." These
he thinks, are not only trying to slip
their revolutionary schemes over OF
Congress and the American people
but over on the President himself
who he intimates is not in their con
fidence.
Of course, General johnson is much
too intelligent man not to know thai
this is nonsense. His alibi for Mr.
Roosevelt makes him out a complete
boob. He draws picture of him a:
deceived and deluded by group o.
smart, smooth fellows, who use him a.
a scTeon IN mt over their adino