The times-news., 1937-12-30
WAR OR COOPERATION?

Washington commentators are almost
unanimously of the opinion that in spite
of the fair and reaSsuring words recently
spoken by President Roosevelt in regard
to business conditions and business men,
the chances are that the national admins
tration'S war on business will be continued.
1t is believed it will be resumed immedi-
ately on the assembling of the next session
of Congress. when the President will de-
liver several messages to that body and 1t
is anticipated he will crack down on busi-
ness along the old and well known new
deal lines.
Washington commentators consider that
the opening gun in this new campaign was
fired several days ago by Robert II. jack
son, assistant attorney general, ostensibly
against monopoly but in reality in what
swas badly covered attempt to fix respon-
~sibility for the recession" on business and
relieve new deal policies and legislation OF
the responsibility. Now, it is announced
that Secretary IckeS. considered one of the
oratorical big guns of the administration
is to deliver an address tonight and this
may be followed by others, designed to
build up the nationwide view that the
recession has resulted from sit-down
strike of business or something akin to that
policy.
Jackson's blast against high prices,
chargeable to monopoly, he contends, falls
flat in the consideration of intelligent citi-
szens in view of the record of the admins
stration over a period of five years to IN
duce initiation and to raise prices all along
the line. The Washington correspondent
,gof The Greensboro News quotes several
authorities on this point as follows:
t. Many have regarded the Jackson utteranceS as
accumuative evidence that hostility TO business is
20 continue, and that breathing spells during 1888
will be rare indeed and of short duration. The
New York Times referred today to the Jackson
address as a remarkable performance adding that
the talk held strange threat of still greater gov
.ernment intervention unless business knows what
is good for it, and hustes up and RECEIVERS
- "Of course The Times, like all others who have
taken occasion to answer the Jackson speech. Is
adrectins attention to the fact that raising the
price level was an avowed deal objective, that
Sst was the aim of dollar devauatior and of all
such agencies as NRA and AAA, and thas 1t is at
t}fs moment the aim of the Guffey coal act, which
fosters the monopoistic control of fuel prices
John I. Flynn, economist, Is quoted,
also, on this point as follows:
From the point of view of recovery the central
and even tragic blunder of the president was his
surrender TO the drive for higher prices. he be-
,sleved that raising prices TO the 1895 level was
essential to his program and apparently ne has
persisted in this belief until now. The present
price structure can be supported only on an infa-
hoy;s Ard IL vhat wc
recently. The borrowing of the federal govern
'ment has been wholly inflationary."
o. The speech of Jackson is also roundly
criticised by General Hugh Johnson, from
whose article we quote as follows ..
"It is destructive, decetful and unwise. Mr.
Jacksons speech makes it quite clear that the pol
icy of the administration is that business shall be
run through fear of punshment-that If 1t doesn't
run that way government will take its profits away
through taxation to create purchasing power by
sharing our wealth.
"a .It won't work II has been tried for five years,
and il didn't work All that it can possibly do is
eause greater fear and more quickly paralyze pro-
~duction and unemployment. If that is admnistra-
Zion desire let it be spoken clearly. But let us
not pursue this policy to destruction and at
The same time blame the terrible results on the
victims of it,"
War or cooperation between business
and politics, between business men and the
national administration?
- For while public opinion was about to
conclude that President Roosevelt was con-
WINGED of the defects of his policies and
sfbe mistakes of his course by the evident
breaking down of the new deal as indi-