Evening star., 1940-02-21

1'lAsl1s@#A2 finding commits.
sion.
Charles G. Ross. Rabble -rousing
phrases, indiscriminate attacks on
the party in power, are noticeably
absent. No catchy slogans with
which to attack the New Deal are
suggested for the use of G. o. P.
orators. The Program Committee
which drew up the report says it
was conceived in no spirit of win
dictive fault-finding," and the re-
port carries abundant evidence that
this Is true.
The wonder would have been If
this new departure in partisan po-
lemics had been Immediately hailed
with delight by all the elements Of
the Republican party. It's value to
the party, the writer ventures to
predict, will become more apparent
as time goes on. If this proves not
to be the case-if the platform
makers at Philadelphia go off on the
old tangents instead of following
the lines laid down by the Frank
committee-then the chance of the
Republican party to regain power at
the polls in November will receive q
severe and perhaps fatal setback.
Emphasizes Change in Thought.
The reason for writing about the
Frank report again in this space
is to point out, on the evidence Of
the report, how revolutionary has
been the change in the political
thought of the country. 1t is
futile for any party to hope for
success without taking full account
of this change.
One striking example Of the new
mode Of thought is in the attitude
Of the Frank report toward the
question Of relief. The report de.
mands. 1t is true. that the admins
tration Of relief be decentralized.
Whether 1t should or should not
be is an important question. about
which there is honest difference Of
opinion. There's a real issue here.
But the issue turns, after alas do
so many Of the issues arising from
the New Deal-on methods and not
on principle.
The significant thing is that the
Frank committee, a representative
cross-section of the rank and file
Of the Republican party, states
without qualification that relief
Federal relief-"must be provided
as long as the need for it exists"
We take this now as automatic, and
We take as automatic the further
statement on the committee that
this relief must be adequate in
volume, administered with scrupu-
lous regard for the self-respect Of
those who must resort to it." But
these are new. revolutionary prin-
ciples Of government.
Relief "Not an ISSUE"
The report says that the Federal
Governments responsibility with re-
gard to relief was first given official
recognition by the Hoover admins
tration. But memory goes back
to the time when Mr.. Hoover, with
all the good will in the world, pin
ming his faith on the States and
on private charity, was resisting
proposed Federal appropriations for
relief and declaring his unalterable
opposition to Government dole,
direct or indirect" That was a
philosophy that could not be MAIN
| tanned against the hard facts of the
depression. How completely 1t has
been broken down is shown by the
fiat statement Of the Frank COM
mittee that "the fact of relief as
a responsibility of government,
along with other forces, Is not an
issue between the administration
and the opposition"
The Frank report carries wealth
Of criticism of the methods by which
the New Deal has applied its poll
cies. 1t Is criticism, much Of it,
which the administrators of the New
Deal agencies would do we'll to take
to heart. But there is no condem-
nation Of the social goals which have
been set up. Regardless of party.
the report says, there is not much
difference of opinion among the
people as to the social goals toward
which we want to move.
The report regards 1t as plain
fact" that the Federal Government
is not now In position to make new
outlays on its social services, but
there is no suggestion that any serv-
ice now in operation should be
abandoned Nor is there any sug-
gestion that the country should not
go forward In this field when its
finances permit. To the contrary,
rational policy must consolidate
and perfect existing services and
realistically prepare for advances on
a financially feasible basis"
New Line of Thought.
Here, plainly expressed, is a con-
ception Of the duties of the Federal
Government utterly at variance with
that which obtained in the Republic
can party-and the Democratic
party as well-a few years ago.
"The balance between social
power and state power is being
fundamentally altered" So it is,
and the report of the Frank COM
mittee squarely faces the facts. It
is. remarkable that it should have
done so, and gratifying. For only
as the facts are faced by those in
control Of the Government can we
hope to preserve, In the midst Of
q world trend toward greater state
power, q Saving balance" In Amer
lea between governmental action