Evening star., 1938-04-27

conditions. he
business men who were asked to sign
the document were glad to 60 along,
as they always have been. to help
build confidence because there are too
many persons inside the administra-
tlon-the most recent addition to the
fold being Secretary Wallace-who 20
around from place to place making
speeches and giving interviews accus-
ing business men of engaging in a
conspiracy to maintain recession and
to retard recovery.
The absurd notion that business
does not want recovery is assiduously
spread by some labor leaders here and
there who are looking for scapegoat,
or who are at their wits end to explain
to members of their unions that, not
Wlthstanding all the public spending
snd all the collective bargaining ad-
vantaees and dues paying, business
conditions are actually worse than
they have been in any year since 1882.
while the unemployed totals are the
highest for three years.
Suggestions Pigeonholed.
Business men have pledged them
selves again and again to work with
government. Business has heretofore
presented countless suggestions of
constructive character. Business has
sent through its many trade associa-
tons delegates to talk to members of
Congress and officials in the executive
departments, and yet today the rift is
wider than ever, for most all the sug-
gestions have been pigeonholed
For 1t is one thing to issue a state
nent declaring that cooperation be-
tween business and government is de-
sirable and it is quite another thing
to get some of that cooperation going
The key man in the situation, of
course, is the President himself. His
idea of cooperation is usually the
surrender of convictions by those who
oppose him. His charges and TRADES
about economic royalists" and the
selfish few" have not failed to strike
q note Of bitterness which has been
carried on even as recently as his
speech in Gainesville, Ga.
The business men of the country have
waited patiently for some signs of CO.
operation from the White House.
Earlier this year. a steady stream of
prominent names was put on the
White House calling list. The Ameri-
can people were asked to believe that
something constructive was being
done. The net result of those con-
ferences was lot Of ballyhoo and
propaganda issued by the admins
tration for the purpose of dealing
with so-called 'psychological re-
cession. The business men came, ex-
pressed themselves and Mr.. Roose-
welt disregarded their advice and
pleas.
Leads to Pump Printing.
But today the facts of the recession
are better known than they were six
months ago. Conferences between
Government officials and business men
have produced more instead of less
despair. The climax finally came
with message from the President on
pump priming," in which the prom
1ses made by his Secretary of the
Treasury last November were COM
pletely swept aside and the era OF
bigger and bigger budgets was re-
sumed
What can be done to rebuild con-
ffdence, if anything? Business men
can do much. Government can do
much. But the first hurdle is to
persuade the President that maybe
the old story of the marching soldier
who said everybody In the line was
out of step but himself applies to
the Chief Executive.
Mr.. Roosevelt makes statements on
economic theory that are at variance
with those of the vast majority of
economic thinkers of the Nation He
does not disclose the data on which
he often bases his reasoning. He
makes assumptions with reference to
the increase of purchasing power and
says nothing about increasing produc-
ton. His political thinking too fire.
quently dominates and colors his
economic reasoning. Not single word
of reinsurance, for instance, has come
from the White House on the subject
of the economic indigestion caused by
payroll taxes, undistributed surplus
taxes and the other taxes which have
been so much of factor in the in
creased prices to consumers now
adays.
Seeks to Save Face.
Even though business pleaded for
the repeal of the undistributed sur