Evening star., 1938-02-25
'sThe Plain People," "

the Republican party again the party Of
the plain people" He has offered a
number of suggestions which his fellow
Republicans could adopt to this end.
The G. O. P. must eschew high tariffs
that breed monopoly; must go after
monopolies hammer and tongs: must
not take large campaign contributions
from wealthy men and women, and
finally must stick to free competition
In business, which means democracy,
and avoid planned economy, which
means in the end an authoritarian
state.
The advice sounds good, but difficult
to carry out. 1t is large order. Colonel
Knox, who was the vice presidential
nominee on the Republican ticket in
1886, frankly admits that the plain
people deserted the G. o. p in the last
two presidential elections. Where are
the plain people now? They have
hitched their wagon to the New Deal.
The old full dinner pail, which stood
the Republican party in such good stead
Tor half century, when the infant in
dustries Of the country were growing,
became empty. From the New Deal the
plain people have obtained, If not full
dinner pail, something closely resembling
it, paid for out Of the public treasury.
feeding process is likely to be difncult.
Colonel Knox, in his address on the
subject of the plain people delivered at
Des Moines on Saturday last, declared
himself as opposed to all Government
subsidies. That means the subsidies for
the American farmers as well as the
Government handouts for the industrial
workers not employed by private in
dustry. These have taken many forms.
They started, perhaps. with the protec-
tive tariff. For the industrialists, not
satisfied with moderate tariff protec-
ton, insisted upon higher and higher
tariff duties. Behind this wall Of pro-
lection, they were enabled to gain
monopolistic control Of the American
market.
About the tariff, Colonel Knox insists
That we must. Of course, continue to
support protective tarif1 high enough
to compensate for the wide difference
In wage standards between this and
foreign countries. That is essential to
the preservation of American standards
Of living How high should the
standards Of American living be? II
they are high enough, there seems
little likelihood that tariff duties could
be much reduced on many articles. In
deed. New England manufacturers-and
others-today are complaining bitterly
because the duties on shoes and fabrics
are not high enough.
If We are to continue to subsidize in
dustry through the tariff, then, in the
opinion of Colonel Knox, the Republicans
should not balk at the subsidies granted
the farmers. So the whole problem re-
solves itself apparently to how subsidies
should be handled. It seems impossible
TO get away from them altogether. And
yet, as Colonel Knox says, "a subsidy is
merely taking the money out of the
pocket OF one man and putting it in
the pocket of another. It is not a cure
for economic maladjustments." Yet the
plain people 1ind subsidy welcome
palliative for the time being.
Large campaign contributions by
wealthy ndividuals-which are now
made public by law-have figured too
much In recent. campaigns, according to
Colonel Knox. They have convinced the
plain people that the Republican party
is bought and paid for by the Interests"
and the privileged class" So he pro-
poses that no persons should contribute
more than $1,000 to the g. o. p. for
campaign purposes, and that the great
mass Of contributions should be limited
to 500 or less. He suggests that 10000
men and women be found, each willing
TO contribute 500 year for the upkeep
OF the Republican party. In presidential
campaigns Colonel Knox would ind two
thousand persons willing to contribute
$1,000 each, which would bring in $2,o0o,.
0O0 These funds, he maintains, should
be sufacient for al legitimate purposes.
Another Knox proposal is that radio
time be given free to the great political
parties during = campaign. The radio
companies. he points out, are granted
the use Of wave .freQuencies by the
Government. They should be willing, rs
partial compensation for this privilege,
to make this contribution to the people.
What Colonel Knox has proposed to
effAce the idea that the g. O. p IN