Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-03
Revolution
Talk Seen as
Idle Chatter
PegIer Says President
Never Used Word (,
By WEsTBROOK PEGLER

his sixty-frst lap. showing some
strain but not pounding, IL Is
written and said that he mas
been leading his nation with
little pain and disorder through
a great. home-talent revolution.
What revolution?
Where was /?
/ heard him in Chicago the
first time he was nominated ana
twice from positions on that
blistered, chewing gum pave
ment back of the Capitol as he
accepted the heartaches and
headaches OF the most burdon-
some job on earth. and l have
heard or read almost every
syllable of his since 81. but
never once did the word revolu-
ton fall from his lips or pen
that / remember.
True. many bleeding-hearts OF
the unofficial encourage wrote
and spoke OF a revolution, but
generally only as though this
were something that m light
happen.
True. the President spoke OF
a New Deal. and within the last
two years some who sympathlze
with him and presume. without
warrant. 10 speak his mind.
have mentioned New Order,
which is European term. hut
the official record shows no
mention Of revolution.
Reform. yes.
Relief during the devising of
the reforms. yes.
But revolution? Never heard
of II.
However, let us see.
THE Republican Party has 4 '
L served only enough streneR
initiative and form 10 preserve
the franchise and today offers
no man who. by any stretch OF
the imagination. could be re-
garded as a real contestant in a
presidential campaign.
The Presidents party, on the
other hand. could beat the best
man the Republicans could offer
with Joe Guffey, or Claude Pep
per
And the reason is that the
Opposition would be compelled
either 10 oppose the enactments
and tendencies Of the New Deal
or 10 adopt them in the me.
too manner Of Wendell Willkie
in 1910 IN which latter case
there would be no reason 10
change parties IN Washington
Il would he futile 10 oppose
them because they arc now
/ habit Of national life and a Re-
. publican Party which promised
merely 10 take over the Presi-
dents stun and do II better
would be wasting time and
money.
So I think We have arrived at
a one-party condition now which
certainly is a strange state OF
affairs for US hldebound tradi-
tionalistS and II appears that
the only real contest next time
will occur within the Presidents
party. which is now big and old
enough 10 have within il many
strong political and personal
rlvalrieS.
All the political strong men
{ are IN the Presidents party and
I there certainly will be some who
want 10 reform the reforms. par
tiCularlv those which. like the
Wagner Act, have created their
own abuses no less dangerous
than tho evils which they were,
| intended 30 correct.
l don [ mean a Jim Farf =
who is a fine man. personally.
but not presidential; or a Paul
| MCNutt. " hos ambitions.
though legitimate and constitu-
tional, nevertheless, were pre-
SumptuouS.
mean a thoughtful Demo-
Crat with grasp Of problems
I and an aversion 10 that unmls-
: taxable EuropeanISm which has
( marked the great. unWieldy i'm
provlSatIonS OF this shall / say
revolution?
"E YFARNED for something
w slightly Scandinavian, we'll
known that the methods which
worked so well in small. homo
geneous nations were hopelessly
unsulted 10 our own.
We have even, unconSciously,
paved over the goods on Hit
! lcr'S shelves and the silly little
| Duce's in search OF something
that would serve us here. such
as labor camps for young girls,
state philanthropy and state
I regulation OF business and the
farm under humanity fallible
and powerful bureaucrats
which certainly are not Ameri-
can things but European and
we have looked with favor on
some things Russian.
Perhaps we have not finally
adopted anything Russian. but
we certainly have tried some on
| for size.
I strongly disbelieve In the
sharing of family responsibility
and integrity with the state and
favor opportunity and indi-
vidual responsibility over state
philanthropy. but I have been
out Of step for eight years and
expect TO be for sometime still.
Persons so-minded sometimes
are called Tories or Roosevelt
haters. but that is a chance yc;