Evening star., 1938-03-13
1893 Elections to Shed Light
On Reaction to Old New Deal
Administration Put on Defensive by Recession and
Legislative Setbacks, Setting Stage for
Right or Left SWING

present time only one important item Of
Mr.. Roosevelt's legislative program has be-
come law. That is the crop control law.
And much of Congress-enough to make
the margin which gave majority-voted
for the crop control bill with their tongues
in their cheeks. They voted for it not be-
cause they believed it would further the
New Deal, but because they believed the
law, after it pressed down upon the coun-
try, would become so unpopular as to wreck
the New Deal.
Other conditions are partly causes and
partly effects and signs of the ebbing of
New Deal momentum. One after another
of the New Deal innovations is begged down
in trouble Conspicuously the Tennessee
Valley Authority is in condition which
calls for and sooner or later will get, Con-
gressional investigation The National Btu
minous Coal Commission, by scores of
orders applying to different localities, fixed
minimum prices of soft coal everywhere,
and then suspended its orders and began
all over
But practically the largest cause of the
New Deal let-down is the business recess
sion. That is the denial of all their prom
ises of abundance. Whatever way the New
Dealers turn, the business recession thwarts
them, surrounds them like a bog. They
know no way out of the bog.
For many reasons thoughtful persons will
not look upon the New Deal let-down with
unqualified satisfaction. Many things that
needed to be done remain undone. Many
OF the faults that had grown up in our
economic and business structure are still
unremoved. Every unbiased person knows
that America, few years ago, was ripe and
overripe for period of Jacksonian re-
form. Had Mr.. Roosevelt confined himself
merely to reform of our economic system.
had he patterned himself after Andrew
jackson only, he probably could have rene
died all the faults that needed cure. But
he fell under the influence of persons who
wanted to do much more, wanted to graft
upon America some of the features Of the
authoritarian conception of society that
has arisen in Europe. Attempting to do
this, Mr.. Roosevelt neglected reforms that
could have been kept within the framework
Of the American system.
For another and even more serious rea-
son, the present situation contains danger
The country is in serious economic re-
cession. 1t is not certain we can climb
out in the usual American way. For the
American economic mechanism contains
formidable monkey-wrenches injected into
it by the persons who hoped to transform
it into something different.
1t is a question whether We can have
recovery without elimination of some of
the New Deal innovations, drastic altera-
ton of others. leadership in bringing
about such changes can hardly be expected
from the New Deal leaders whose actions
made the changes necessary. To acknowl-
edge mistakes and undo them would be
loss of political face and can hardly be ex-
pected from the administration. And al
though Congress sees the need Of changes,
it Is a question whether Congress can
achieve the compactness and produce the
leadership necessary to bring the changes
about.
Meanwhile, so long as the recession ex-
lists, there exists also the economic unhappi-
ness that goes with it. In such economic
unhappiness there is always danger. It is
in the soil of economic discomfort that
radicalism thrives. The economic discon-
tent will hardly express itself in demand
that the New Deal continue. About the
New Deal, the discontented are disillu-
stoned. This is recognized by political
leaders of all kinds. One of the signs of
the present condition is a widespread con-
viction just now that Mr.. Roosevelt will
neither ask for a third term nor be given
one.
But at the same time there is always
possibility that the discontented may ask
for, or give welcome to, some new variety
of radicalism, some other kind Of New
Deal, under different leadership.
Yet it is also possible that discomfort.
coupled with disillusionment about the
New Deal, may express itself In skepticism
about all radical proposals. 1t is at least
q possibility that we may be on the verge
of a return to faith In political and eco
nomic common sense.
As to this we will shortly begin to get
light from the country. 1t will come in
the form of results of local elections, and
Of the primaries for Representatives and
Senators, which begin in Illinois next
month. and continue in other States from
week to week. In Illinois there is already
a sign The New Deal Senator from Illinois,
Mr.. William H. Dieterich, who supported
Mr.. Roosevelt's court measure, and con-
spicuously supported Mr.. Roosevelt in other
respects, will not try for denomination.
In two other recent events there is light
of the same kind. In Seattle, Wash, a
local election for mayor resulted rather
sensationally in the triumph Of . con.
servative. In Pennsylvania, the head Of
c. I. O., Mr.. John L. Lewis, when he tried
to have one Of his own labor union ON.
cials put on the Democratic slate for gov.
ernor, was rebuked BY the Democratic
leaders.
(copyzishA 1889