Evening star., 1938-01-25

lnlO some klnQ OF E$#*; e::*:::#:
political embar- n,.
raSsment.o T at
fantastic tale was much in use during
November and December, and if any
large number of intelligent citizens
really believed any such thing, they
are now confronted with the impor-
tant fact that business Is responding
to Governments invitation and try
ing to think up ways and means of
getting recovery going again. Clearly
this is not the way "conspirators" to
damage the administrations political
prestige would be apt to behave.
So far as the President is concerned,
1t is not easy to conjecture what the
main motive of the conference plan
happens to be. Mr. Roosevelt has been
told, to be sure. that business feels
bit jittery and wants anything or
everything done to re-establish con-
f1dence' and he would naturally want
to do what he could to promote con-
fldence. provided in the process of its
re-establishment no great concessions
had to be made on his reform program.
here are merely talk and conversa-
ton, it is not, after all, an expensive
concession, from the administration
viewpoint
Subjects Not Novel.
What. then. did the President have
In mind in calling business men to-
gether and discussing a lot Of gen.
erallties? Certainly. the things talked
about at the White House conferences
are neither novel nor brain racking.
They are the platitudes Of economic
fact and theory such as any group OF
academicians might discuss after cof-
%ee in the evening. Nobody seems to
get down to brass-tacks action. nor Is
the idea for succeeding or follow-up
conferences In anything but the
vaguest or most casual stage.
From what has happened thus far
one is inclined to draw the infer
ence that the whole series of confer
ences Is intended as a window dress
Ing or psychological affair, and that
out OF it will not come any tangible
plans. The Governments own be-
havior on the oil cases bellies any
expectation that business competitors
will dare to iron out peaks and val
leys or do anything else which they
might consider legitimately co-opera-
tive. but which a technical-minded
Department of Justice might deem
unfair and monopolistic.
The true effect Of what the Presi-
dent has done thus far by news head
lines Is to be found in the Congress,
where the much-vaunted independ.
ence OF spirit which was to have mani
tested itself at this session has been
submerged in kind of don't-rock-
the-boat timidity
Have Style Cramped.
Mr. Roosevelt might have feared
last month that Congress would burst
out with millions of words on the
subject of why the business recession
had occurred and that the Senate or
House might stage a full-f1edged re-
bellion against administration tinker
Ing with economic laws in the last
five years. But as soon as the Presi-
dent began conferring with big busi-
ness and little business the congress
sional independents had their style
cramped bit. The fact Is Mr.. Roose-
velt grabbed the ball from them, and
now 1t Is easy to see that as long as
the soporific which he has admins
tered gets in its work there will be
no assertiveness on Capitol Hill, but
q bewildered acquiescence.
The present game cannot last very
long, because sooner or later the men,
bers of Congress will discover that
they have been outgeneraled and that
there really isn't any administration
plan to do anything except talk while
business endeavors to right itself, and
then reforms will be pursued with
renewed vigor.
Business Apprehensive.
The disappointing thing about the
situation is that certain amount of
reform Of the economic system would
no doubt make 1t function better,
but the mood of business men is one
Of apprehension lest reform and de-
moralization become synonymous in
an era of greater and greater un-
certainty.
Congress has in a sense kept hands
of the business recession problem,
being content to hear some testimony
on the why's and wherefores of un-
employment, but actually waiting to
see what comes Of the presidential
powwows. When Congress finds out
these are meaningless and that the
burdens and barriers that choke the
now Of goods are not being removed,
there may be recrudescence Of the
old-fashioned idea that Congress is
the policy-making body of the Ma
ton. But for the moment Mr.. Roose-
welt has stolen the show and put it
over again on the rubber stamp"
Congressman who have not yet walked
up to the fact that the Roosevelt
name will not be on the ticket this
fall. People without jobs may possi-
bly, develop the notion by next No
vember that maybe some new Con.