Evening star., 1937-12-28
Needed, a Goat.

The rather frantic manner in which
some New Dealers are seeking to pin the
business recession Of the past few months
on some one, or some group other than
themselves, is scarcely convincing. The
brilliant and youthful Assistant Attor-
ney General Robert H. Jackson, is the
latest. His attack is not exactly a nov-
elty-it is on big business He accuses
the monopolists with having priced
themselves into slump.
There was time when New Dealers
were chanting the need of higher and
higher prices. But that was when the
country was on the way up from de-
preston. 1t seemed stupid chant. For
the higher the prices, the less the con-
suming public may consume the less the
manufacturers may manufacture, and
the fewer the jobs. On the contrary, when
prices are comparatively low, the con-
suming public buys and buys. Now
things are different There is business
recession. No longer do New Dealers say
pridefully that is the way we planned
It." And now big business is accused of
raising prices and thereby bringing on
. slump.
Mr.. jackson has advanced a theory
that is decidedly New Dealish. He said:
"The only way to insure a reasonably
steady well-being for the Nation as a
whole is for government to act as an i'm
partial overseer of our industrial prog
ress, ready at all times to call halt on
monopolistic practices which threaten
to throw our economy out of order"
What makes Mr.. Jackson believe that the
Government, political instrument in
tent upon maintaining itself in power,
can or will act as an Impartial over
seer? The attacks which the present
administration continues to make upon
business and industry, its threats Of COM
petition with business and industry, are
not such as to give the idea that Gov
ernment will be impartial in this matter.
But the New Dealers, confronted with
of another depression, wish to avoid all
blame. They have been in control of
the Government for approximately five
years. They have been given more
power than any government of this coun-
try ever was given before. They have
mixed themselves into the private affairs
Of the American people-as overseers-
as no government has ever done before.
They have discouraged the employment
Of capital - through their constant
threats of legislation and through their
huge expenditure-in private industry.
And so they turn their guns on big
business, on monopolies, on the news
papers. They even 60 to the extent Of
claiming that business has conspired to
bring about a recession. They must be
seeing things in the dark, indeed, if
they can imagine business men actually
seeking to ruin their own business. It
does not make sense. As for news-
papers-they are likely to be the first
hit by a recession in business. Instead
Of trying to frighten business and the
public generally, the effort through
their news columns has been to convey
good news, encouraging news. If they
have disagreed with some of the eco
nomic theories of the administration and
some of its legislative proposals, they
have not hesitated, editorially, to say so.
But editorially they have sought to in
spire confidence, not to destroy It,
When Congress convenes next Mon
day, there will be demand from many
Of its members that something be done
to aid business. Mr.. Jackson's address,
however, coming from an important
member of the administration, does not
indicate that the Government is to en-
courage business. Rather does it seem
. forerunner of another attack upon
business. in an effort to make it appear
that the ills of the American people are
attributable only to business.