Evening star., 1940-11-30

Jay Franklin. ana LED 10 gen.
eral fears of race suicide. There was
every indication of a permanent
trend, dwindling of human hopes
and a narrowing of economic op-
portunities, which threatened to
shut down the schools for lack OF
pupils. destroy the baby carriage
industry, undermine real estate
values and generally to destroy
American society.
Today, however, in Pittsburgh at
least, there is a larger crop of chill
dren of pre-school age-1, 2, and
3-year- -olds-than ever before. Not
only are the schools to be kept open
but new schools must be built TO
accommodate these future taxpay-
ers and voters.
On the face Of the evidence, the
New Deal has reversed the biologi-
cal trend by its measures for social
security and economic liberty, and
has made possible new American
Nation.
Security Factors Increase.
What happened in Pittsburgh
happened throughout the Nation.
The years of depression made it
financially difficult for young people
to marry, almost impossible for
them to establish homes, tragically
dangerous for them to bring chill
dren into the world. Insecurity and
unemployment lay like malign fog
over the steel regions.
Through its pump printing and
spending operations, the New Deal
maintained the activity of the steel
industry (among others. Then,
through the Wagner Act, the So
cial Security Act, the Wages-and-
Hours Act, the Walsh Healey Act,
the New Deal made sure that the
security and opportunity of the
steel workers were maintained and
increased. To its everlasting credit.
in 1887 the United States Steel
Corp. accepted collective bargaining
under the Labor Relations Act, and
| thereby brought to an end the social
chaos and economic repression OF
the good old days. A New Deal ad-
ministration at Harrisburg abolished
the indefensible coal iron police
and Pittsburgh finally shifted its
allegiance from the G. o. p. to the
Democratic New Deal party.
With social and economic gains
buttresesd by political power, the
average people of Pittsburgh took
new hope and courage and their
optimism is reflected in the cradles
and the schools of Allegheny
County.
"Superiors" Debated.
To say that the old guard in
Pittsburgh have been thunder
struck by the change is to put it
mildly. Theirs is a bitterness sur
passing common sense and common
decency, in reaction from the
change which swiftly converted
them from the master race" of
Western Pennsylvania to a hope
lessly out-numbered minority. For
example, the Pittsburgh League of
Women Voters-an organization
which in other communities is non
partisan-is violently Republican
and, after inviting a speaker to
address them on the subject of the
late unpleasantness," this group
of ladies received his pleas for
national reconciliation and under
standing with boos and misses. One
incandescent Willkieite went so far
as to tell the speaker that she
wanted to spit in his face while
another denounced his arrogance"
for pointing out that poor people
we're just as entitled to the vote as
"the better element"
The bitterness of this group Is an
indication of the extent to which
the mass of working people In the
steel-area have found freedom and
opportunity under the New Deal.
1t is the common people" who fill
the cradles and the public schools
while the intelligent" vote fills the
indignation meetings in the smaller
assembly halls. For this was the
final test of the Roosevelt policies,
that they should bring new life to
America, and this test the New Deal
has passed in terms which cannot
be refuted-the vital statistics of
a strong, free and hopeful naople