Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-09-23
DeweySpeech on Coast
Called PortyMiIestone
Accepts Principle of Government
Rein on Business, Says Writer


Accepts Principle of Government
Rein on Business, Says Writer
By David Laurence.
One Of the most progressive speeches
| delivered by Republican nominee since
Theodore Roosevelt broke away from
standpat Republicanism in 1912 has just
been delivered by Gov. Dewey.
The Republican nominees address at
San Francisco may be considered
milestone in the evolution Of the Re-
publican party itself, for, irrespective Of
the outcome of the election, it becomes
apparent that the young and progressive
wing Of the Republican party is here
after to be the dominant voice in ex-
pressing party policy.
The true significance of the San Fran
cisco speech-supplemente as it was
by the address at Los Angeles-is that
the new Republican leader accepts
definitely the principle of governmental
intervention in the economic life of the
Nation. He does not advocate a re-
turn to that system whereby States
and municipalities found themselves un-
able to cope with unemployment, nor
does he feel that all the regulatory con-
trolls recently imposed by Government
need be retained.
There will be some who will say in
stantly that this is just the same as the
New Deal, but those who say so will
not have examined carefully the new
factor introduced by Mr.. Dewey. He
says that full employment can be OBJ
tanned and jobs provided by private
enterprise if an economic climate" con-
ducive to full employment is achieved.
Attitude Toward Business.
This point of difference relates to the
attitude of the New Deal towards bust
neSs-an attitude of constant harrass-
ment and interference which is defended
on the ground that it is in the public
interest" or that, in order to catch
small percentage of culprits, everybody
else, however innocent, must suffer
Illustration.
Likewise, the Roosevelt administra-
ton has fundamentally different ap-
proach on the subject of taxation from
that which Mr.. Dewey proposes. The
Republican nominee declares, in effect,
that tax laws must not be used to &C
compish social reforms but that they
must be employed as incentives to the
creation of jobs.
The New York Governor here has
placed his finger on the most vulnerable
spot in the New Deal record-an un-
Willingness to recognize that private
industry must be encouraged and that
this cannot be accomplished by con-
slant prosecutions on technicalities and
by governmental RECOMMENDATION.
Mr.. Dewey has, of course, embraced
large part of the philosophy of Wendell
Willkie, for which the latter was so
bitterly criticized by conservatives in
1910 and thereafter. Gov. Dewey's
courage in looking beyond the con-
servative viewpoint of his party and
blazing trail of progressivism is bound
to win for himself the support of many
independents who have all along con-
ceded that there were many good points
in the New Deal but that the admins
tration thereof was faulty because 1t
was full of special privilege and fav-
oritiSm
Gov. Dewey's speech in San Francisco
does not, of course, come as a surprise.
Any one who read the progressive
speech made by Gov. Earl Warren of
California in his keynote address at the
Republican National Convention will
find that the New York Governor fol-
lows that keynote rather closely. It will
be recalled that Mr. Warren conceded
many of the New Deal detectives and
announced fatty that there was no
intention of repeating the useful social
legislation that has been passed.
Hostility in Own Party.
Governor Dewey has made his choice
between conservatism and progressiv-
ism, and he will incur certain amount
OF hostility within his own party But
the conservatives will vote for him
anyhow. 1t is the progressive and in
dependent vote that he most needs.
What Governor Dewey has just done
is to remove effectively from the cam
palgn the idea that change in admin
lstration means an abandonment OF
social objectives. 1t will mean, doubt
less, different personnel and new meth
DDS of administration and probably va
rious amendments by Congress to
strengthen existing laws, but nobody is
able to argue persuasively now that the
Republican nominee intends to nullify
or sabotage any of the worthwhile re-
forms that have been accomplished by
the New Deal.
Governor Dewey has made substantial
progress in outlining his views on do
nestle policies. His stand on foreign
policy, however, has not yet been COM
prehensively presented and there are
many voters who consider foreign policy
paramount, especially as they wait to
see whether the isolationist groups In
the Republican party and high-tarifi
factions are going to have sufficient in
f1uence to produce policy of economic
nationalism as distinguished from the
Winkie position of fortnight interna-
tional cooperation.
The New York Governor has certainly
clarified many points on his trip thus
far. He has revealed that he is not
afraid to express himself on contro-
versial issues, and from this it may be
inferred that, before the campaign Is
over, will also have outlined in full his
views on foreign policy.
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