The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-02-29
More Press-Smearing Planned


mission.
More Press-Smearing Planned
1t may be shocking but should not
be surprising that there are in the
United States Government, as now ad
ministered, individuals who believe
that the economic system under which
we live has failed and that the peo-
pie will be better off if it should be
scrapped and another devised fol
them.
###
1t is not charged that either Mr.
Roosevelt or Mrs. Roosevelt believes
that. But it is clear that the utterances
and policies of the President and the
well-intentioned but highly injudiciou:
sympathies and associations of his
wifehave brought to thesupport oft
Administration many who do thus be-
lieve, convinced them that the New
Deal is aimed in their direction. Com
munist organs and orators have pro-
claimed exactly that. They supported
the New Deal on that ground in 1896
and in 1888.
1t is also undeniable that Communist
leaders were the first to demand a
third term for the President. To be
specific, Mr.. Earl Browder thus went
on record many months ago. The the
DRY of Communist upport-which, de.
spite personal denunciation in the
Daily Worker since the Hitler-Stalin
pact, he still has-is very simple
Their conviction, identical with Mr.
Roosevelt's in 1882, is that the piling
up of the national debt and continued
deficit financing ultimately will result
in national bankruptcy. That is goal
which Communists consider eminently
desirable Hence, their enthusiasm
for the New Deal spending policy.
H*~
Their position is entirely logical Mr.
Roosevelt changed his mind about
debts and deficits, but the clear-headed
Communists, like the conservatives
continue to believe that soon or late
they will cause a great crash. 1t was
inevitable that the spending policy
which is the essence of the New Deal
should draw to Mr.. Roosevelt many who
are dissatisfied with our system and
believe they can improve on it. Some
of these, as is well known, are close to
the White House and hold official po-
sitions. They are not Communists and
resent being so classified, but they
make no secret of their feeling tina;
capitalism has failed and that it is
not desirable to "save business"
***
1t was pointed out here the other
day that among these there is belief
that the best way to bring about the
collapse of capitalism and thus pro
mote their new planned economy" is
to sap the confidence of the millions OF
policyholders in the great insurance
companies. To smear these is one part
of their program. Another part, con-
sidered even more important, is to dis
credit the newspapers. In this the
President personally cooperates. Al.
most from the start it has been Admin
istration policy to throw mud on the
American press, Following Mr.. Roose-
velt's example, members Of his Cabinet
have INDUCED in venomous TRADES
against the newspapers, published ar.
ticles and books, the aim of which was
to undermine public confidence in the
accuracy, fairness and integrity of the
press. Discredited authors of defama-
tory volumes along this line have
been taken up and coddled. Only those
papers and writer's lavish in their Ad-
ministration support have been eX-
cepted.
All this plays the game of those who
believe the system has failed and want
to substitute another which cannot be
told from a dictatorship. And, OF