The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-08-11
But-,...
BOake Carter
Constructive Criticism
A Matter of Opinion
Each One Thinks Self Right

Jimmie Cromwell, who mar.
ried Doris Duke and plays at be-
ing q "parlor pink" made an
interesting point in a lecture the
other day.
Heaven knows that President
Roosevelt has been sufficiently
criticized" he said; "but has he
been constructively criticized
Have the business men Of Amer
lea offered a complete, sound
and practical program to replace
those policies which they diSap-
prove?"
What is constructive criti-
cism?"
That has been the cry Of the
Administration for a long time:
make criticism constructive"
The same demand is written to
newspaper editors and news
paper columnists day in and
day out.
Constructive criticism, I be-
neve, amounts to nothing more
or less than just this:
One man or a group Of men
telling another man or another
group of men that the latter are
wrong and why the former
thinks so.
What is that but one mans
viewpoint arraigned against an.
other mans viewpoint?
In regard to criticism Of Mr..
Roosevelt and his Administra-
ton, it seems to me all to boil
down to this:
Business men Of America have
never been asked to contribute
their views on any proposed
plan. Plans affecting their daily
lives and business have all been
made, not by business men, but
by small group of theorists
and special advisers" within
the "holy of holes" of the Ad-
ministration.
When these plans have been
sprung on bewildered business
men Of America and they have
risen to voice their objections to
this or that plan, they have been
Immediately cursed as being
mot constructive.
If I find my star boarder is
about to set fire to my house,
and I shout, Don't do that; you
will kill everybody" under the
Administrations theory Of con-
structive criticism I should stand
around with my star boarder
and point out to him wherein
his ideas for burning down the
house are wrong, and show him
the right way to burn down the
house.
If I say to Mr.. Roosevelt,
II think you are wrong to at
tempt to pack the Supreme
Court with six justices. I think
instead you ought to do it by
constitutional amendment so
that the people have a say in
the matter" myself think am
being constructive.
At least I try to give an al
tentative. However, all those
who made the very same argu.
ment in the Supreme Court
fight were denounced as being
mot constructive"
Therefore it is very clear that
what is constructive criticism"
is all a matter of personal
opinion. Court plan critics
thought they were being con.
Structive. The Administration
said that such viewpoints were
not constructive.
The keynote lies in the fact
that any type of criticism is OBJ
jectionable to some people. They
work on the theory that they
can't be wrong in anything that
they say or do because they are
IN a position to direct and con-
troll.
The only method the ordinary
person has for disagreement is
criticism. This is unacceptable
to those doing the directing be-
cause by virtue of their position
they are quite certain THEY
are right.
1t takes a big man to differen.
tiate between criticism of ideas
and criticism of person. When
those two things become con.
fused in a mans mind. he in.