Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1938-04-22
HereAnd
There
By w. M. Smith

Il ~ SAAO0AN NV w S~A FAAcAA0 sA-@~s
the great mass of the American
people are very much at sea in
their lack of understanding of the
state of the nation and its attitudes
on some of its more important poll
cies.
Not surprising in view of the
fact that the president Of these
United States, his cabinet, his con-
gress, as well as the foremost and
most astute of the leaders of the
financial world appear to be equal
ly far removed from an under
standing of and an agreement
upon the methods to be followed
in making the adjustment that
everyone knows to be vitality neees-
sary.
1t goes without saying that the
President is one of the outstand-
ing intelhgences of the nation. OF
his ability and the honesty of his
intentions there can be no serious
doubt. The same is true of those
others cited. Why then are we
vexed with a continuing depres-
sion, with mass unemployment,
with business recessions and why
the failure to work out a remedy
when the government, business and
citizens generally are all deeply
concerned. This is the puzzlement
of the man in the street.
In a recent editorial The Mime
apois Tribune states the situation
very concisely.
Why, it asks, cannot the several
definitely interested groups, includ-
ing the President, the bankers, the
labor leaders and other persons
with ideas and theories, get to-
gether, lay the problems and their
varied solutions on the table and
with serious study and without the
introduction of the offending ego
or political or business differences,
build a way out that will really
work.
Then the next day, unwittingly
as this and other papers SO fire.
quently do, it answers its own
question, exposing clearly why the
best brains of this country don't
succeed in unraveling our difficult
ties. 1t won't admit that there are
any best brains, any plans that can
succeed unless those brains think
as it thinks and the plans ad-
vanced parallel the plans it ap-
proves. Says the Tribune:
So the President proposes new
OUTLAWS of approximately $5,OO0,-
100000, and a $2,OOO,O 900, 900
expansion of bank credit to boot.
He recommends an appropriation
of $1,25O,OOO,OOO for the WPA
alone to be used during the first
seven months of the next fiscal
year. He asks congress to ap-
prove billion dollar loan to the
states for public works, and the
expenditure of $45O,OOO,OOO in
addition by the public works adj
ministration.
But the Tribune can't find any
good in all this. It not only ques-
tons the efficacy of such a pro-
gram, but discOurages not only the
adoption of such a program but
even a reasonable consideration of
it by those who only the day be-
fore it suggested should come to-
gether in fair endeavOr to find a
plan upon which all might support.
1t continues:
But how can such a recovery
result from such a program?
How can the national income be
increased by spending borrowed
billions which must ultimately be
repaid through taxation? Grant
ing that those billions will tenn
porarily stimulate consumer de-
mand, is it not clear that we
shall be no better off when they
are finally exhausted, and we
must face the problems repre-
scented by our new indebtedness ?
So there we are, Mr.. American
Citizen. We don't get anywhere
with our problems because we
can't agree to be reasonable, to be
sensible, to come together in frank
discussion, with determination to
try the course majority decides is
best. -.. .....
There was time when such
blind selfishness was presumed to
be characteristic of the Negro peo-
pie. Today I write of the superior
Cd race and of the thinking We