The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-05-26
Amiable But Futile

Washington, May %.
In the New York Times last Sunday,
Mr.. John Hanes, the new Under Sec
rotary of the Treasury, again dis
coursed at great, platitudinous length
upon the necessity Of cooperation be-
tween the Administration and bust
ness. Somewhat unnecessarily, he re-
told the story of the sixteen business
leaders whom he had induced to sign
a declaration pledging help to the
President, which the President de-
clared Excellent" And, Mr.. Hanes
assures US, he is continuing his efforts
to bring about "better understand
ing"
l., Eas
Some one ought to take Mr.. Hanes
aside and acquaint him with the facts
about the game in which he is play
ing. Undoubtedly, he is an earnest and
well-meaning young man, but he
either does not see things clearly or he
has been filled with the same kind of
false hopes which, at different times,
inspired Mr.. Lewis W. Douglas, Mr..
Dean Acheson, Mr.. I. Jefferson Cool
idge, Mr.. Joseph P. Kennedy and other
men of that type who had their day
of intimate contact with the Presi-
dent. If Mr.. Hanes is the sort of man
his friends say he is, ultimately he,
like the others, will shake off his CO.
operative illusions and get out. If,
however, his friends overrate him, he
may stick along after he wakes up,
thus emulating his new chief, Mr..
Morgenthau, whose voluntary retire
ment is almost inconceivable.
x**
At the moment, Mr.. Hanes is plain
ly thrilled with the novelty of public
service and is in the state of mind
where he thinks he has a mission.
Actually, his efforts to bring about
cooperation between Mr.. Roosevelt
and business do harm rather than
good. That seems a strange thing to
say of any move in a direction which
nearly everybody agrees is desirable,
but it happens to be the truth. 1t
would be different if, as he seems to
think, Mr.. Hanes had discovered this
idea or his efforts were the first along
these lines The fact, however, is that
q dozen-and more-efforts, not per-
haps as fully advertised as his but es-
sentially the same, have been made
in the past five years and failed with
singular completeness, just as his will
fail. To think otherwise is to ignore
experience, disregard the facts and
delude ourselves.
#*%
The harm in encouraging this new
move by this new man is that it def
nitely misleads the public, obscures
the real situation, promotes an I'M
founded hope that the thing is posi-
BILE. Thus, it makes matters worse
rather than better 1t adds to the ma
tional confusion. 1t diminishes the
strength of those who oppose the Ad-
ministration policies as inherently I'M
sound, without any real prospect Of
altering these policies or persuading
Mr.. Roosevelt to change his point of
view. 1t is infinitely better to face
realities, cease deceiving ourselves
and acknowledge the irreconcilable ma
ture of the differences. A few days
ago Mr.. Walter Lippmann made clear
the basic reason these verbal express
sions of good will toward and amia-
BILE words to business are so perfectly
futile.
u s*t
1t is, he truthfully points out, SIM
ply against the interests of Admins
tration politicians to hing about a
business recovery in the normal way,
just as it is against the interests of
business men to aid in the pump-prim-
ing way, which produces an unsound
temporary and artificial prosperity
To expect these intrenched politicians
to accept a normal recovery is to ex-
pect them to abdicate 1t would be
equivalent to relinquishing a power
which they have acquired through the
spending process, and which not only
works in a way and for time but is
the most potent political asset ever
known. In Mr.. Roosevelt's case, to ac-
cept Constructive suggestions" from
business men, or to really cooperate
with business in promoting recovery
in the normal way, also involves ad-
mission of error and a retreat from
his spectacular position, from which
he recoils.
No better proof of this can be found
than in the recovery program" he is
now forcing through Congress
against the judgment of little as well
as big business, and with the private