Evening star., 1938-01-09
lighted briefly by the stubborn in
tApritv NJ C$rovAr C1oun1ard

tegrlty OF Grover Cleveland.
Then came Theodore Roosevelt and
resurgence Of the morals of democracy,
He, too, preached majority rule to
end the autocracy of the same old
type Of opposition. He pleaded for
decency-strenuous decency-in pub
lie as well as in private life. He
laughed at those who called him un-
printable names, and challenged again
the small minority which claimed vest
ed rights to power.
You know how Wilson carried on
the fight. If the cataclysm of the
World War had not stopped his hand
neither you nor would today be fac
ing such difficult task of recon-
struction and reform.
On the 9th of every January we
honor Andrew jackson for his un-
ending contribution to the vitality Of
our democracy. We look back on his
amazing personality, we review his
battles because the struggles he went
through, the enemies he encountered,
the defeats he suffered and the VIC
tories he won are part and parcel OF
the struggles, the enmities, the de-
feats and the victories of those who
have lived in all the generations that
have followed.
Asserts Menace Continues
In Our Nation Today.
In our Nation today we have still
the continuing menace of a compara-
lively small number of people who
honestly believe in their superior
right to influence and direct Govern
ment, and who are unable to see or
unwilling to admit that the practices
by which they maintain their privil-
eges are harmful to the body polite.
After Jefferson's election over their
violent opposition. such people said
to him: LET us alone-do not destroy
confidence" After Jackson had won
his fight against the Bank of the
United States, they said the same
thing They said it to Lincoln, to
Theodore Roosevelt and to Wilson.
Strangely enough. although they had
no confidence in a peoples govern
ment. they demanded that a peoples
government have confidence in them.
In my message to the Congress on
Monday last, I made it abundantly
clear that this administration seeks
to serve the needs. and to make
effective the will, of the overwhelm-
ing majority of our citizens and seeks
to curb only abuses of power and
privilege by small minorities. Thus
we in turn are striving to uphold the
integrity Of the morals of our de-
mocracy.
Declares Ancient Strategy
Employed by Exploiters.
There is an ancient strategy which
We have seen recently employed where
by those who would exploit or DOM
mate a people, seek to delude their
victims into fighting their battles for
them. And in these days of organ
lied Nationwide publicity, the strategy
for undermining a government at
tack upon minority abuses is to make
this appear to be an attack upon the
exploited majority itself. Thus dur
ing the past few months attacks on
the misuse of concentrated power have
been distorted into attacks upon all
business, big and little, and upon
our whole system of private profit and
private enterprise. During the past
few days I have been happy to note
definite improvement of understand
ing on the part of many who have
been led to follow this false guild
ance.
The source and influence of such
misguidance of public opinion can be
easily located.
I was interested the other day to
read the report of a correspondent
Of London financial magazine who
had recently surveyed conditions In
the Middle West and other parts of
the Nation. He found point of view
in other parts of the country wholly
different from that of the principal
financial centers such as New York,
Philadelphia and Chicago. And he
found this other interesting develop
ment. Wherever an enterprise is con-
trolled locally its managers have q
local independent point of view. But
when the business is controlled from
great financial centers, the local man.
ager takes his cue from what his
bosses are saying and reflects the
state of mind prevailing hundreds of
miles away.
Asserts 1t Confirms
Traditional Antagonism,
That. from an outsider, confirms
our traditional democratic antagon-
ism to concentration of control over
large areas of industry beyond the
needs of operating efficiency and
strengthens our resolve to outlaw the
methods by which such control is
achieved and to re-establish the in
dependence Of local or regional en-
terprise.
Let me give you an example. As
you know. I have been discussing the
problem Of the electric utilities with
business men and lawyers and public
officials during the past month or
two.
I am convinced that the great ma
jority of local or regional operating
utility companies can come to an un-
derstanding with the Government and
with the people Of the territories which
they serve. That would enable them
to obtain, within their own localities
or regions, all of the new capital neces-
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