The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-05-03
Ickes' Dairy Revealed That
Roosevelt Feared Revolution
BY D. HAROLD OLIVER


BY D. HAROLD OLIVER
WASHINGTON N-The late Har-
old L. Ickes wrote in 1888 that
President Franklin d. Roosevelt
feared a possible revolution if he
followed conservative" Democrat
ic advice to halt relief spending
and farm aid in an effort to bal
ance the budget.
Ickes, secretary Of the interior
13 years in the Cabinets of Roose-
welt and President Truman, told
OF this in the second volume of
his diary, covering the period from
Roosevelt's second election in No
vember, 1896 to Hitler's invasion
Of Poland in September, 1899.
The 335, OO0Iword volume, titled
''The Inside Struggle" is being
published May 4 by Simon and
Schuster. Excerpts viii appear in
the May Is issue Of Look maya
zine out next week.
''The Inside Struggle" traces the
happenings of Roosevelt's second
term and tells Of the New Deal
Presidents unsuccessful battle to
add six Justices to- the Supreme
Court, Of Roosevelt's Inflated at
tempt to purge anti-New Deal
Democrats in 1893, Of setbacks in
tho mid-term elections that year,
and of acknowledgements White
House social dOings.
Ickes, the self-styled "old cur
mudgeon," registered strong crit
icism Of his fellow Cabinet officers
and Of Democratic congressional
leaders In this portion Of his dairy,
which ultimately viii run to six
million words. Among those who
came under his fire was Rep. Ray
burn (D-Tex), then House major
ity leader and now minority floor
leader there.
Among other things, Ickes wrote
in March 4, 1888, that Roosevelt
told him he (Roosevelt) would have
read Bernard M. Baruch out of
the Democratic party, if he had
not needed Baruch's financial help
to renominate Alben w. Barley
as senator from Kentucky-a post
Barley Is again seeking.
It was in q Dec. "A, 1888, diary
entry that Ickes related that FDR
told him two Conservative party
leaders" argued the way to pre-
serve party solidarity was to bal
ance the budget by dropping all
federal spending for relief and pub
lie works. except for 800 million
dollars to match state and local
funds, and by stopping all farm
benefits. The two leaders also
were quoted 40 urging against a
tax boost.
The President remarked"
Ickes' diary said, that this would
mean calling out the troops to pre-
serve order. II might even mean
revolution, or an attempted rev.
Olution."
Ickes said that when the Presi-
dent asked these leaders Il they
would be willing to have it an
nounced that they were in favor
Of such a program, s'both hastily
demurred they did not want
to take any responsibility"
Ickes said Roosevelt did not
name the leaders. But Ickes said
he felt certain one was Vice Pres
ident John Nance Garner and that
the other probably was James F.
Byrnes, then a senator and now
governor of South Carolina.
The entry about Baruch was
written shortly after the New
York financier and presidential ad-
wiser appeared before a Senate
committee studying the unemploy.
ment situation. Ickes said Baruch
blamed the New Deal for the bus
mess recession then existing.
He seems to think, like other
rich men," Ickes said, ''that it is
all due to the taxes on undistribut-
ed. profits and the attempt of the
government to prevent income tax
evasions by the very rich"
Ickes said 1t was clear that TDR
did not like ''this line Of Baruch's. )"
The President said, Ickes added,
''the only reason that he had not
read him out OF the Democratic
party was because he hopes
that a practical idealist like Bar
UGH will help to finance Alben
Barkley's campaign in Kentucky"
Barkley was than being opposed
In the primary by Gov. A. B.
Happy" Chandler, and Baruch
had indicated he would help Bark
ley, being-as Ickes put livery
generous" in his contributions to
party funds.
There was no mention whether
Baruch actually did contribute, but
Barley won by $4,000 votes after
FDR spoke in his behalf.
Ickes also wrote in 1898 he felt
It not unlikely that as a result
of the then current Dies Commit.
tee investigation, a Communist
scare" would be ''fomented and
kept famed in this country" and
that the end result would be Fas.
cism.
He referred there IN The act;v-