The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-09-12
Economic . .
@MhA9hA

Il
|Willkie when he stood under swelter-
| ing midwest sun in the park in Ell
wood, Indiana, and formally accepted
the Republican nomination for presi-
dent of the United States. And it
was an occasion directly in the Amer
lean tradition = another small-town
boy, who had started without money
or position, had achieved great sue
cess. And lastly, it was solemn
moment to the thoughtful onlooker-
for this is not just one more routine
ELECTION. Whoever wins the presidency
next November will be confronted with
problems as great and as difficult as
any Chief Executive has faced.
A candidates acceptance speech
necessarily deals with generalities. 1t
is impossible for him to discuss in
full detail all of the many issues on
which he bases his campaign. What
Mr.. Willkie attempted to do was to
define his position, and to lay down a
philosophy of life and government.
And he did just that extremely we'll
The times being what they are,
those portions of his address dealing
with foreign policy and the prepared
ness program were naturally most in
teresting. To a certain extent, he
goes along with Mr.. Roosevelt's policy
he believes that the collapse of Eng
land would be a calamity, he is 100
per cent opposed to Nazism, and he
favors maximum preparedness, in
cluding some form of selective mill
tary service. Where he differs strong
| ly with the President is in the con-
duct of our foreign policy. He feels
that the Presidents attacks on other
powers have been useless and danger
GUS" He believes that he has un-
justifiably meddled in the affairs of
Europe, at the expense of Americas
safety. The Willkie policy, as he
stated in brief, is similar to that of
Theodore Roosevelt" walk softly and
carry a big stick"
Highlight of the speech was where
he charged the Administration with
failure to have faith in the American
future. 1t had, he said, accepted an
81 pass" attitude-it refused to bet
on the country. The New Deal, he
continued, practices a doctrine of di-
vision, not a doctrine Of growth. In
stead of seeking to create more, it
simply seeks to divide what we already
have. That, said Mr.. Willkie, is a
static, backward-looking philosophy,
as contrasted with the dynamic phil
osophy that made for this nations
epochal achievements of the past.
Also interesting are his views on
agricultural and labor. He endorsed
the principle Of government farm aid.
He said he would encourage agricul-
tural cooperative efforts, and the ex-
tension Of rural cfectrif1cation. He af-
frmed his support of collective bar
gaining. and wage and hour standards.
He endorsed strict Federal regulation
of banking, securities markets, and in
terstate utilities. He said that he be-
leves in adequate old-age pensions,
and unemployment allowances.
1t is obvious that Mr.. Willkie ap-
proves many New Deal objectives. The
great difference comes in method. Un-
biased commentators feel that Mr..
Roosevelt's worst failure has been in
the administrative field-inexperienced
men have been given big jobs, and
bureaucracy has run rampant. The
Republicans, Mr.. WILKES business
record being what it is, can and no
doubt will make a telling issue out of
this. And, dealing with the less tan
gible factors, Mr.. Willkie will make a
strong case for what he regards as
the true liberal doctrine-the doctrine
of limited government, which serves
and does not master the people. In all
Of his speeches and writings, long be-
fore he was even considered as presi-
Dental timber, he has expressed time
and again his opposition to monopolies
and to the excessive concentration of
power-whcther it be in industry or in
government.
The task that lies ahead of Amer
lea is hard. And Candidate Willkie
did not sugar-coat the pill. We cam
not take an easy road, he said. There
will be hardship, sacrifice, even suf-
fering, before we again become Sc
cure. But, he said, difficult as the
job is, it can and will be done, and
be done in the democratic way, with
free men working under a free sys-
tenn. That, he said, is what the New
Deal threatens to destroy.
SO the first gun in the campaign
has been fired. In the weeks to come
Mr.. Willliie will make many speeches,
and will deal more specifically with
the issues. He is a strong campaign
er opposed by a strong campaigner.
If Mr.. Roosevelt should accept his
challenge, and Join with him in series
of debates, it would make political
history of the first water. For rarely
in history have two men with such
gifts of mind and personality come to
grips. Both tn candidates have color
to spare. Both have those qualities
L