The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-02-28
10 DRIFTS IN NATION ARE HIT
(continued from Page D

| termine what American citizens really think and feel about current trends, desirable goals and workable policies"
 Frank was introduced by National Committee Chairman John D. M. Hamilton. One hundred and fifty of the committees PIT members were registered for the two-day session.
 Ten Major Drifts
 "The areas of policy which this commission must enter and explore are becoming daily more evident" Frank said. "There have been 10 major drifts in national policy dur ing recent years. The present ad- ministration is responsible for most of these drifts and has accelerated all of them."
 They were, he said:
 q. The drift from the balanced powers of representative self-gov- ernment towards the centralization of unchecked authority in the hands of the chief executive.
 g. The drift from the assump- tion that we should have the mini mum necessary public servants to- wards vast and ver-expanding bureaucracy that swarmS over the nation like an army of occupation, devoting an increasing measure of its energies to party rather than governmental interests.
 B. The drift from 8 belief that governmental economy is in the in- terest of the peoples well-being to- wards a planned extravaganza of federal expenditure.
 "4. The drift from regulated free- dom in economic enterprise toward an increasingly intimate and de- tailed domination of private enter prise, both small and large, by po- liticians.
 $. The drift from an economy of plenty through ceaselesS develop ment toward an economy of scarcity by legislation.
 "6. The drift from a progressive expansion of the nations enterprise, in the interest of higher living standards for all Americans, toward a deliberate restriction of the na- tion's enterprise, in the interest of a will-o'-the wisp stabilization which, to the end of time, will prove | impossible unless we are willing to stabilize at a lower and lower standard of living, to which present policies of government will inevit- ably drive us.
 Buck Passing Dependence "7. The drift from local reSpon- Sibility towards a buck-paSSing de- pendence upon the federal govern ment, which is creating a problem of human erosion more critical than the problem of soil erosion, school ing millions upon millions of Amer jeans to confine their social respon- sibility to the payment of taxes and to farm out their social conscience to federal agents as proxies.
 8. The drift from Self-reliant trade unionism towards a political ly nursed labor movement, which subtly transfers the hopes of the working millions from their own leaders and their own organized strength to the uncertain fortunes of politics, transfer which, in one European nation after another, has robbed labor of all it's hard-won rights to organize, to strike when no other effective course lies open, and to stand vigilant guard over its own interests.
 | "9. The drift from self-initiated and self-managed agricultural CO., operative organization towards an increasingly detailed federal over lordship of farms and farmers. Conflicting Policies
 "10. The drift from coherent na- tional policies towards conflicting group policies; drift from nation al policies designed to be just and workable in the interest of the whole people, policies that permit no special interest to take precedence over the common interest, policies that refuse to coddle any class or any section to the detriment of the people as whole; drift towards I policies that represent a series of surrenders to militant and conflict ing minorities in return for their voteS."
 Frank said that if those drifts" were permitted to run to their log ical conclusions, an America would result fin which representative self government will give way to a to- | talitarian state with the courts, the Congress, the commissions and, fi- nally, the people themselves sub caryyinY1t fn f11n will # r1nf fv.IaaI %A the whim, of the chief executive" Honest Audit Needed "In dealing with these problems" Frank said, this commission must make an utterly honest and objec- tive audit of the New Deal, begin ming with March, 1933, and coming down to date"
 Methods of making the survey was one of the committees first concern. One group believed the country should be divided into re- gions. The other believed the sur vey should be made under subject headingS-with subcommittees con- ducting surveys on labor, unem- ployment, monetary policy, and other issues.
 A central staff will be established in Chicago for research, Hamilton said. Expert advisers will be sum- moned as needed.
 The program group, Hamilton ex- plained, was charged only with the task of selecting routine for for mutation of pertinent policies and | issues of government" GA nt1lal nao1ininc and