Evening star., 1940-10-24
ext Of Wilkes Speech Charging Concentration Of Powe

"A qualification new to American
political theory. He said that II
the hands Of u peoples govern
ment" this power was wholesome
and proper" but that In the hand.
Of political puppets" it would en-.
danger liberty.
The question, the American ques.
ton Is: Who shall decide as be.
tween those to whom it is safe tt
give power, and those To whom It |!
unsafe? As for me, I am not pre-.
pared to accept the decision of ths
third term candidate-or of any
other one man however noble may
be his motives. I say that in q
democracy, the concentration oi
power in anybodys hands, be hi
saint or sinner, is unwholesome and
improper.
Has Made States Subservient
BY Public Bribery.
BY public bribery and the usurpa-
ton of functions formerly delegated
to the States, the new deal has
sought to make the various State
and local government subservient
to Washington.
In city after city and in State
after State, public officials have
campaigned on the record of their
ability to obtain for their constitu-
ents a large share of the money
being poured out by the Federal
Government.
BY arbitrary grants-in- aid, by
subsidized public works and by Fed
eral manipulation of relief money
the New Deal has sapped the inde-
pendence of the States. The local
governments are encouraged to be-
come dependent upon Federal funds
and local officials are controlled by
the deadly threat of the withdrawal
of Federal aid.
BY the judicious use of Federal
patronage. the New Deal has
strengthened the grip of corrupt
political machines upon our cities
-
throwing their enormous weight into
the present election in an effort to
deliver the New Deal the electoral
vote of some of the biggest States
in the Union.
Now this growing concentration
OF power has led inevitably to the
abuse of power. When such an
overwhelming control upon the eco
nomic and political life OF a nation
has been obtained by one man, his
mere word becomes potent weapon.
We saw this vividlv illustrated in
the spring Of 1887. You will recall
that at the time our own country
and the rest OF the world was re-
covering from the great depression.
Commodity prices were showing
improvement and business was go
ing ahead. Had that improvement
continued, all necessity for the con-
tinuance OF a national emergency
would have passed. We could have
returned once more to the high
road of democracy.
But at that critical moment,
what did the President do?
On April 3. 1887, he issued
statement saying that commodity
prices were too high. He singled
out especially for condemnation the
price of copper. which was then
about II cents a pound. And such
was the force Of the President's
mere word in view Of the enormous
powers he held in his hands, that
commodity prices Immediately be-
gan to 20 down The price of cop
per fell from II cents to 10 cents
by the end Of the year.
Government by Edict Reaches
To Roots of Our Economy.
It was a striking demonstration
of government by personal edict.
The consequences Of that demon
stration reached down to the very
roots of our economy. Yet that act
was undertaken without any hear
ings being held and without any
sound reasons being given.
IL 81 lldppCllCu llldI al OliC SoPPSA
fields, thinking to improve their
wages, the workers had made an
agreement with the copper COM
panies tying the wage-rate to the
price of copper. When the Presi-
dent, by the sheer weight of his
word, drove down the price OF cop
per, he drove down the wages OF
the copper miners. These men who
work in the mines had to go back
to their families on pay day with
less money because one man in
vested with enormous power had
spoken a few brief words.
There may be some businessmen
who can conduct their affairs with
out regard to such arbitrary acts OF
the administration. But I don't
know of any If my very wide ac-
quaintance among American busi-
nessmen I know of none that does
not have In mind the discourage