Evening star., 1945-04-13

ride to the Capitol. where Mr..
Underwood Photo.
vate many of his personal audiences
and the millions who listened to his
freside chats.
But he made many enemies, too,
and they were quick with replies
and counterthrusts. He was criti-
ciZed and chided. A frequent charge
was that he was beaded toward
dictatorship. When he said he would
accept reluctantly, but as good
soldier" the fourth term nomina-
ton, the Republicans retorted:
Mr.. Roosevelt is the first OF 81
Presidents Of the United States to
claim that the title of Commander
in Chief makes him a soldier and
to use that title as a pretext to
perpetuate himself in Office
The New Deal program cost enor-
nous sums in peacetime, especially
for public relief and public works.
Millions of people were put on the
Government payroll, and vast ex-
penditures were authorized for
bridges, roads, dams and public
buildings in the larges. pump
printing" experiment in history.
Public Utility Program.
/ The result was a series of badly
unbalanced budgets, and an in
crease of the public debt to unprece-
dented figures.
All of this was attacked by the
opposition as wasteful, ruinous TO
the financial stability of the Gov
ernment, and damaging to national
morale. 1t was defended unfiinch-
ingly by the President as necessary
to permit the Nation to keep its
head above the inundation of the
world depression.
Mr.. Roosevelt's campaign against
great public utilities also generated
bitter controversy and brought from
his opponents cry of state social
ISM"
TVA-the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority project of flood control, nav
igation and electric power distribu-
tion-was the striking example of
the Presidents rate "yardstick" for
public services.
In eight years alone Mr.. Roose-
welt pushed through Congress ex-
penditures of $850,oO0 900 for vast
construction such as Bonneville and
Grand Coulee power and irrigation
plants on the Columbia River. By
the end of his secono term these
public enterprises were supplying
more than one-twentietf of the
. country's electricity.
Some Innovations Applauded.
| He also brought about strict reg
ulation of utility holding companies
and instituted huge rural electri-
fication program.
While President Roosevelt's many
innovations drew terrific attack
there were other changes which ap-
peared to win almost unanimous
approval. such as establishment OF
the Civilian Conservation Corps
and enactment of the Social Security
Act.
The CCC was established to supply
work of constructive nature, plus
training in various skills fo1 unem-
ployed young men and war veterans
The Social Security Act was aimed
at providing the security Of social
insurance for the aged and the job
less.
In his first two terms Mr.. Roose-
velt was concerned primarily with
domestic problems. The first tern
opened in the depths of nationa
economic collapse and the famous
100 days of banking and other
emergency legislation followed.
The Blue Eagle era of the NRA
and the first AAA emerged from
this, and the conflict between the
New Deal and conservative tradition
was on in force. Mr.. Roosevelt
swiftly became known as the coun-
try's foremost practical liberal
and leader of social revolution.
Clash With Supreme Court.
The handspring of the NRA
was the code structure, under
which mammoth portion o1
American business was conducted
for nearly two years. Employers
accepting a blanket code of work
hours and wages were entitled to
display the blue eagle emblem a:
an evidence OF their cooperation
In the spring of 1885 the Supreme
Court ruled out the codes of fail
competition provided by the NRA or
the ground Congress had handee
over too much authority to tht
President, who had been giver
broad regulatory powers over busi.
nesses engaged in interstate com.
merce.
After the high court had held tn.
AAA and some other major enact
ments unconstitutional, the Presi
dent, lauding the teamwork between
Congress and White House, set ou
expressly to inject new blood" int
the august nine-member tribunal.
Rebuffed by Congress.
But this time Congress baked ane
another famous period of days came
into being-the 1853 days Of the court
reorganization fight.
The Presidents bill failed Of pas.
sage but a system for retirement!
from the high court was enacted
and by the end of the second tern
vacancies occasioned by retirement
and death enabled him to name fivs
men of his own choosing. Two ad'
ditional vacancies occurred early ir
the third term. The President sale
the court fight had been won.
It was not an unleavened victory
The Democratic party split on the
issue, and the division continued
into the House and Senate election!
of 1888 and the third-term con.
, troversy of 1910.
|, Despite the conflicts. and criti.
: cisms, the President, with grea