Evening star., 1940-10-16

is no peace. 10 many OF us llle
class war in America is even more
important than the war abroad be-
cause if the class war inside Amer
lea is not ended, the capacity OF
America to organize her defense
along industrial lines will be broken
down and the United States will
face the fate.of the French Repub-
lie, which was paralyzed as much
from within by the left and right
wing clashes as from without by
invasion.
Unhappily, the cries of fifth
column" have only beclouded the
issue and served to divert attention
from the cleavage that exists inside
America on the part of groups which
are equally patriotic and equally
sincere in their desire to see Amer
lea immune from foreign attack, but
equally aggressive in clinging to
their rival economic viewpoints.
Who can best make peace in
America? That's the question
which is uppermost in the mind OF
this writer, who, after surveying the
MANY issues and circumstances OF
the campaign. comes to the conclu-
sion that it is not the delicate IN
ternational situation but the deli
cate internal situation which needs
first attention.
Breakdown Of Prosperity.
Glass war started with the break
down of prosperity and employ
ment. Political parties capitalize
on discomfort and achieve political
power by promising redistribution
of wealth or income. The Roosevelt
administration has borrowed bill
lions and created artificial prosper
ity by pump printing and yet
this alone would not be an insuper-
able obstacle to peace within the
United States if there were not in
grained in the New Deal philosophy
an antagonism toward business and
industrial leaders as well as against
the profit and loss system so that
1t is difficult for business to earn
the taxes needed to balance the
budget and retire the public debt.
The New Deal has felt it neces-
sary to keep up constant warfare
against business. 1t has encouraged
labor leaders to go to EXTREMIST
has never publicly condemned the
sit-down strike or the trespasslng on
private property by means OF vio-
iencs-and il has allowed the per-
sonnel of Government commissions,
boards and bureaus to be kept In
the control Of makers OF class war.
Again and again, businessmen
who felt they could find a middle
ground have come to washington
to try to see If they could not emo
the class war. Again and again,
businessmen have actually taken
nositions in the Government as did
Undersecretary of the Treasury
Hanes in order to help bring peace
between business and the Govern
ment. But every one Of these ef-
forts has failed. Mr.. Hanes, a
Democrat, is supporting Mr.: Willkie.
The administration would permit
"breathing spells" just before
congressional or presidential elec-
tion, putting the brain-trusters and
radicals into the background Tor
few months, but then allowing them
full sway again once the electlon
was over.
Loss Of Confidence.
This sort of tactics has caused the
President to lose the confidence OF
men on the conservative side, men
who have sincerely wanted to CO.
operate, but who have been driven
avav by the radicals and left
vingers in the administration. But
this is not all Mr.. Roosevelt, II
the truth be known, has also lost
the confidence of the labor leaders,
too. The important executives OF
the C. I. o. and the A. F. OF l.. 90
not trust the Presidents leadership
He holds them in line by building
backfires within their own organlza-
tions and by allowing the LABOR
Board to play labor politics as be-
tween factions. Small wonder that
prominent labor leaders privately
express distrust of Mr.. Roosevelt.
This constant backing and filling
both with labor and industry has
kept the class war at its height.
Mr.. Willkie is a new figure. But
he would start with a tremendous
advantage in that he has the alb
solute confidence of the business
and industrial world which means
virtually the entire economic sys-
TENS managers and investors. La
Dor might be Skeptical but can ex-
pect a square deal, which is all
that any group or faction has a
right to expect.
If Mr.. willkie found that business
and industry had TO submit to more
regulation, business would take Its
medicine, believing it had had a
fair deal, and it would begin to
make those concessions toward the
middle way which most Americans
have been hoping sooner or later
would be achieved by volition rather
than compulsion-by cooperation
rather than coercion.
The worldwide trend in favor
Of liberalism is fully understood by
Mr.. Willkie, but so long as there
k no give-and-take, no yielding by
either side, internal peace cannot
be achieved in America. Mr.. Willkie
can do more with the right-the
conservatives-than Mr.. Roosevelt
can. For In eight years the Presi-
dent has forfeited the trust of busi-
nessmen generally. Mr.. Willk1e will
be able to do more with labor, too,
because the moment he begins to
win concessions from the conserva-
tive side, 1t will be apparent that
he Is no reactionary but q genuine
liberal and friend Of the worker.
Mr.. Roosevelt has had eight years
to end the class war and has failed.
Mr. Willkie can end 1t In less than
. year,
laproduoetoa Ntghss HAesrved.