Evening star., 1938-01-04

faSClSm, ana YET
will preserve our social order with its
democratic processes, the message will
seem brave attempt to hold in line
radicals and conservatives in mid
dle-of-the- policy.
Which appraisal is preferred de-
pends on whether you read the mes
sage on background of world dis
content and growing mass power
everywhere, or whether you consider
the present era merely the natural re-
action of depression following the US
ual upward cycles in business.
The President, of course, has not
yet convinced his opposition that a
nation with such vast resources and
wealth needs rigid controls of agricul-
ture, of business and of labor. such
as he implies, But the objective-a
regulated economy-is plainly outlined
by Mr.. Roosevelt as essential because
somewhere between 100000 and TO-
100000 persons are unemployed, not
Withstanding all the expenditure of
billions of dollars in deficit financing
and pump priming."
Warning to Labor.
There are phrases in the message
which should be read and reread.
Taken in the smooth flow of words,
they seem casual. Excepted and held
up to view they carry new signifi-
canoe.
The warning to labor is a case in
point. Even though tied up with
warning to capital, it is nevertheless
rather novel for Mr.. Roosevelt to be
saying this:
THE ownership of vast properties.
or the organization of thousands of
workers, creates heavy obligation of
public service. The power should not
be sought or sanctioned unless the re-
sponsibility is accepted as we'll"
Then again in another place the
President reiterates the idea thus:
In the case of labor, as in the case
Of capital, Misrepresentation of the
policy of the Government of the United
States is deception which will not long
deceive. In both cases, we seek CO.
operation. In every case power and
responsibility must go hand in hand"
For years the National Association
of Manufacturers and kindred bodies
have been saying through their spokes-
men that assumption of power by
labor organizations must be commen-
surate with responsibility. The Presi-
dent takes their phrase and applies it
to both capital and labor, but it is the
first time he has said it blVntly to
labor
Strikes Blow at Deception.
The utterance means that labor
union organizers who have been going
up and down the country telling inno-
cent workmen that they must join a
union because the Government of the
United States wants them to do 50
have misrepresented the policy of the
Government. Mr.. Roosevelt strikes a
blow at such deception.
Likewise the President calls atten-
ton to the damage done by jurisdic-
tional labor disputes which have re-
tarded production. And he touches
also on construction costs with their
unnecessarily high prices for mate
rails" and also certain hourly wage
scales"
So far the conservatives will be in
elined to agree because all along they
have been urging that the President
say something to labor about its re-
sponsibility. But when the President
returns to his purchasing power theory
and says that there must be q mini
mum wage and maximum hour law,
he runs into opposition from the busi-
ness world.
TO a certain extent he tries to meet
this opposition halfway by pointing
out that mo reasonable persons seeks
complete uniformity in wages in
every part of the United States, nor
does any reasonable person seek an
Immediate and drastic change from
the lowest pay to the highest pay"
But at best Mr.. Roosevelt knows the
strength and character of the opposi-
tion to the minimum wage bill that
has twice now been thrust back to
committee in the House of Representa-
tives. He strives to pacify labor's op-
position as we'll as capitals, but 1t re-
mains to be seen whether an entirely
new bill isn't necessary in order to
win converts to his cause.
FallacieS Are in Economies.
The most important revelation in
the message is the Presidents declara-
ton that he believes q goal OF a hum
dred billion dollar income is possible
and that it can be attained by redis-
tribution OF existing income, The