The Wilmington morning star., 1943-11-22
COP HAS NO PLAN /
FOR Home POLICY
Continued From Page One)

Continued From Page One)
Rave worked out for themselves
constructive position on some OF
these matters. But if there is such
thing as party doctrine on
them I wish some one would say
where it can be found.
What can be found in abundance,
almost daily and on all these mat
tiers, is denunciation by Repubh-
cans of what the Administration
is doing about these matters. Many
or most of the complaints may be
justified and certainly there is no
denying that the Administration is
vulnerable in the extreme. But the
fact is that if the voters turned
to the Republicans in Congress
and said: |'We agree with you,
and now you take charge and do
better" the Republican party in
Congress would have to hold about
a dozen Mackinac conferences be-
fore it began to know what it does
think ought to be done. For the
Republican legislators as body
have, thus far learned only how to
object and complain.
This is due, no doubt, to the
fact that they have been so long
cut of power that they have almost
forgotten the responsibilities and
the burdens of power. It is no
accident, then, that the renewal
OF Republicans leadership is taking
place, not among the Congress
sional Republican, but in the
states and cities where Republicans
are once again facing executive
responsibility. Two elements of the
party, which became visible at
Mackinac, are now contending for
mastery. They are the pre-New
Deal and the post-New Deal Re-
publicans. They are also by and
large the new Republican Cover
nors and the lod opposition Re-
publican Congressman who have
advanced by seniority.
It is often said that since few
of the New Dealers ever had to
meet a pay roll, they do not know
the facts of life. 1t can also be
said that since few of the old line
Republicans in Congress ever had
to administer city, state or a
government department, they do
not know the responsibilities of
office. The new Republican Gov
ernors have had to govern, and
that is why men like Dewey, Sal
but much more effective critics of
tonstall, Warren are much soberer
the Administration than the men
who have got into the opposition
habit of thinking that when you
have denounced and investigated
something, you have proved your
right to govern.
| One of the things that must
sober any Republican who contem'
plates the future is that a cam.
paign of obstruction in Congress
may or may not help to elect E
Republican President, but it viii
j; surely present him with a horrible
middle. Let US suppose, for ex
ample, that the Republicans il
Congress prevail. Because, quit
rightly, they dislike the Treasury
tax proposals, they take the easy
way and refuse to vote new take:
that really discourage popular
spending. Because they dislike
! OPA, they crack the price cell
+ ings. Because they object to sub
sides, they deprive the govern
ment of the means to keep the
prices of the essential items O
the cost of living within the mean:
of masses of people. Because the.
find that the New Deal has ap
peased organized labor unduly
1 they discredit, without putting
anything in its place, the machin
/ cry by which the Administrator
: is holding the line, not firmly, bu
l still by a kind of elastic defense
e Is this good politics in the lon!
t run? Is it good politics for as lonl
a run as 1915? I doubt it yer.
: much.
For while the Democrats, wit,
or without Mr.. Roosevelt as thei
= candidate, may lose votes by thi
general agitation and assault, j
J. would be the victorious Republi
: can candidate and his party VIII
r would suffer the real consequence
4 of a breakdown of the Wartim
controls. If We are going to SUITE
: serious initiation. the chance
are now greatly against this hap
i, pening during Mr.. Roosevelt
, third term. Even if the German
: war is over and the Japanese ap
= preaching its climax. the real un
:. DERIVING wartime controls at tn
:, wholesale level will almost Ger
= tainly continue to be effective dur
{ ing his term of office.
:. the nation. The groundwork ha
been 1aidl'