The CIO news. (Cumberland, Md.) 1942-????, 1944-08-07
Mr.. WiIIkie
Endorses
The New Deal
BY ALFRED BAKER LEWIS

recently published In many daily
papers, are a clear endorsement Of
all the purposes of the New Deal
and the changes which 1t has ade
In our piltical and economic set up.
He criticizes only details Of admin
istration.
The New Deal has greatly
strengthened the power Of the fed
eral government. This Is because
only the federal government has
the power needed to overcome seri-
Gus unemployment. to establish eff
fective labor legislation. or to regu-
late huge corporations which OPP
crate in many states.
To overcome serious unemploy-
ment we must increase purchasing
power, and this can be done by
increasing government expendi-
lures to provide work and better
relief. Cities. towns. and counties
cannot afford to do that. The In
creased money that they might
spend for better relief or for pub
lie works Is spent In turn by relief
recipients and the additional men
employed on the local public works
projects to buy more food and other
goods.
This Is a good thing: 1t helps
the farmers and the men in fac
tories producing such goods or
on the railroads or trucks trans
porting them. But that means II
helps chiefly people who live out
side the city, town. or county which
spent the money.
Consequently for every dollar
spent by such government Subdi-
visions to give additional work to
people who live within their bor-
ders, they necessarily spend three
or four dollars which helps to give
employment to other American
workers or farmers but not within
the city, town. or county which is
making the additional expenditure.
That is why the federal govern
ment must spend the money needed
for employment relief or to pro-
vide more jobs il enough money
Is to be spent for such purposes
really to end the unemployment.
DELAYS PROGRESS
The same situation exists in re-
gard to labor legislation. If some
states where organized labor is
weak lag behind in passing decent
minimum wage laws or other forms
of progressive labor legislation,
they give their manufacturers an
important competitive advantage
over the employers in states where
the labor laws are more effective
and favorable from the workers
point of view.
That in turn delays and blocks
labor legislation in the more pro-
gressive states. Here. too. there
fore. the federal government must
do the job II it Is to be done eff
fectively.
Some corporations now are so
huge and have plants located in so
many states that they actually
have bigger incomes than do some
states. No state can effectively
regulate them. so the federal gov
eminent must do the job or leave
it undone. Mr.. Willkie sees that
this is sound and necessary trend.
and he had the courage to say so.
The New Deal has made a good
beginning in providing Social Secu-
rity against unemployment and old
age. Mr.. Willkie says that is
good thing and gives some praise
to the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill.
all Of whose authors are New
Dealers.
This bill has been endorsed by
organized labor. 1t would improve
the benefits. increase the number
Of beneficiaries. and broaden the
scope of Social Security by pro-
viding both medical services and
cash benefits for people who are
sick.
Mr.. Roosevelt has tried to give
Negroes a better break In employ
ment opportunities by his Execu-
tive Order forbidding discrimina-
ton ON the ground of race. creed