Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-09-22
Dewey's New Deal

having ALREADY n1ted foreign
policy out of the realm of partisan
politics, Governor Dewey proceeded
at San Francisco last night to do
very much the same thing with our
domestic policies. There is no per-
ceptible difference between Governor
Dewey and the President so far as
their economic detectives are con-
cerned. Their only difference, and it
remains to be clearly defined, has to
do with the methods of attaining
their detectives.
At San Francisco, the Republican
nominee charged the Federal Gov
eminent with the duty of keeping
interest rates stable, and presum-
ably at their present abnormally low
level. He proposes to keep wages at
high level and to provide jobs for
all. When private industry fails to
do this, the Government can and
must create additional job oppor-
tunities." Our social security laws
are here to stay, and we (the Re-
publicans) are going to broaden
them. The farmer is never again to
experience the distress which &C
companies the swing from good
times to bad times. For, says Gov
ernor Dewey, I'VE are committed to
the proposition that the prices of
major farm crops must be supported
against the menace Of. disastrous
collapse"
This might be called the Dewey
New Deal. But so far as the policies
themselves are concerned, there is
no essential difference between it
and the Roosevelt New Deal. What,
then, has Mr.. Dewey to offer?
1t is obvious that we cannot stabil-
lie interest rates, guarantee jobs at
high wages and support farm prices
without some Government regula-
ton of the lives of individuals. But
Mr.. Dewey says this does not mean
that we must accept the New Deal
way of ever increasing regimenta-
ton" The Job can be done, he
contends, with some degree of
economic direction" with the adop-
ton of certain Government meas
ures to influence broad economic
conditions" Is this distinction
without a difference, or does Mr..
Dewey have definite program for
regulating our economy without
regimenting our people? If he has,
it is a program which remains to be
filled in and clarified.
Governor Dewey was more specific,
and set forth a more tangible alter
native to the Roosevelt New Deal,
when he declared that "the worker,
the farmer and the businessman are
equals and are equally important"
Under this administration the busi-
nesSman has not been treated as an
equal. He has been treated as type
of public enemy, and Governor
Dewey Is right in saying that the
whole atmosphere of studied hos
tility" toward our job-producing
machinery must be replaced.
But here, again, the details need
to be filled in. The Republican can
didate has said that he will discuss
his program for drastic tax revision
at later date, and this is important.
Yet better tax system, OF itself, will
not enable business to create all of
the jobs that will be needed. What
other things has Mr.. Dewey in mind
when he promises to establish
more favorable economic climate"
in this country?
There are six weeks remaining OF
the campaign, and he will have
ample opportunity to get down to
the hard realities in that time. But
so far his appeal to the electorate
rests primarily on the proposition
that its time for a change"