Show Rising Barometer of Public Opinion Aids Battle Against Against Powerful Enemies Roosevelt Refuses Role in 1933 Political Drama When Opposition Demands Rescue Party r l Return Government Helm to Them t fJ i fi-i j jA A C f V Vt 3 Sri oj By special arrangement with Col CollIer ColHer lIer Iler s Weekly and Western Newspaper Newspaper Newspaper per Union Umon this newspaper presents in condensed form a series of arts artI des by President Roosevelt current currently currently currently ly appearing m in that magazine The artIcles are taken from the President President President dent s newly written Introductions to forthcoming volumes of his state papers This the third article con contains contains tams the President s own story of the bitter battle to maintain and ex extend extend extend tend the gains gams of liberalism THE TilE FIGHT GOES ON The Constitution Prevails Part Pari Part HIBy III HI By Franklin D Roosevelt Copyright 1941 1541 bv by Franklin D Roosevelt and by the Cro veil Con Call er Publishing CO on in or In part Is forb The Continuing Struggle for LiberalIsm T HAS frequently been said that RT IT I eternal vigilance is necessary to preserve our liberties It is equally true that eternal vigilance is necessary to keep democracies and the r governments truly lIberal We m in the United States have had first hand experience with that tru truism truism Ism since the end of 1933 when for forthe the first time the full effects of ourI our I program of recovery and reform be began began began gan to be felt For as soon as the clear act on of the new administration administration tion m in 1933 had started the wheels of industry turning there came the demand from some sources to stop all of the reforms and to let things begin again agam to run on as they had bad during the pre pre prel lous sous decade Of course the people of the United States have always under understood understood understood stood that the new adminIstration never intended to be a mere rescue party organIzed organized to save the eco economiC economic system and turn it over to the small powerful pow erful group which had formerly controlled it through their concentrated economic power The government in m 1933 was determined not only to save the system but also alsoto alsoto alsoto to remove from it t the abuses evIls and widespread maladJustments whIch had brought it to the very brink of destruction The govern government government mint ment was determined that the system tern tem thus preserved and reformed should no longer be subject to the control of the handful of men and corporatIOns that had dominated It itin itin m in the false boom days before 1929 To carry out that natIon was as to resist from 1933 down to date all the efforts of mighty forces day day by day year ear by year icar ear These forces had bad tremendous interests at stake wealth privilege eco economic economic economic power cal power Al Although Although Although though few in m number they had the resources which enabled them to tomake tomake tomake make the most noise and to be become become come ome the most vociferous in the press over the radio through news newspaper newspaper newspaper paper and outdoor advertis ng by floods of telegrams and letters to the congress by employment of professIOnal lobbyists lobbYists lobbYists-by by all the many means of propaganda and public pressure which have bave been de developed developed developed in recent years Opposition Strengthens Efforts In 1938 the efforts of this minor minority minority Ity consistent m in its opposition since 1933 rose to new heights They had tried stubbornly at the polls in m 1936 to stop step our program of reform They had failed tailed They 1 t ad tried m in 1937 to stop it m in the courts where they had been so successful during and 1936 Here too they had failed Therefore through the years of 1937 and 1938 their activities to Impede progress and to bring about a repeal or emasculation of the New Deal measures of reform were re redoubled redoubled redoubled doubled There were several reasons for fortl forU torU U tl s particular burst of effort thiS year ear First the Supreme court fight although it t had been finally success successful successful ful m in obtaining its objective had been defeated ted in m the congress The enemies of liberal government tried to hail hall that loss of a single battle as a defeat of the entire progressIve program of the on A strong putsch was organ zed to try to make it appear as though the t ves yes of the people in n the congress had by fail tail ng rig to pass the Supreme court b U ll a ted the principles and conduct of the New Deal Second there had come a t al business recess on on commencing c cing mg ing in the fall of 1937 and cont through the first halt half of o 1938 These same minority groups sought at once to take advantage of it by blam ng it ely ely on the attl attitude tude and on of the govern government government merit ment cla da m ng that the adm b f ft fI fy t I b J t e y tT 3 w t k wk r 3 v vt t I 1 t t 1 a d g t te e t t a f fN Of N Needing a preponderance of power to maintain liberalism in the front ranks of his own party councils and m in the e executive and legislatIve frontI I branches of the government itself Itsel President Roosevelt took an active part In some of the primary elections of 1938 When cries of purge arose from admin adman critics the Chief B Executive resenting the applIed term pointed out that his participation and expressed expressed opinions of candy candi candidates dates prevented the deliberate mis u use e of his name by those falsely claiming his support Above are arc four men whose opponents received ed the tho support Back row left JeU to right Sen Walter F George Georgia and Sen Millard l T rigs bottom left to right Sen Ellison D Smith and Sen Guy BI OI Gillette tion was strangling bus ness andru andru and andru ru n ng rig confidence and prevent preventing mg ing full recovery In 1932 the national income had fallen as lo to v as 38 froma from a high in 1928 of over 80 Since 1932 and for each and every year up to and including Ing 1937 the nat onal income had gradually r sen 1 1 I it reached the figure of 68 Production Overtakes This cons stent and cont re recovery recovery recovery covery was as stopped short in m 1937 by several factors First the product t on and ve ye bu ing mg of heavy and consumer goods had been increased In Increased creased by industry at such a arap arap arap rap d pace that it had completely outstripped the ab 1 1 I ty of the people of the country to buy such goods The same thing happened m in 1937 on a small scale that had happened m in 1929 on a prod g ous scale name namely namely namely ly the purchasing power of the con consumers consumers consumers sumers of goods had been exceeded too quickly and too greatly by the amount of merchandise maniac manufactured manufactured tuned The result was that large inventories of stocks had accumulated accumulated accumulated which could not be sold In add t on the prices of mer chand se had been forced up by busIness too drastically during the year 1937 in spite of all the efforts of the government to d such inordinate increases The mounting pr ces in turn contrib contributed also to the inability to sell the goods manufactured and helped to create a large excess of goods which could not be sold soldAt At same time with the steady rise of business through 1936 and early 1937 the government had be begun begun begun gun to cut do its o 0 vii expendI expendItures expenditures tunes tures for relief and work relief It dId so w tv th the reasonable expectation Gon that private industry with Ith its increased markets and output would take up some of the slack and pro provide provide provide vide some of the employment wh h ch had prey been furnished by bythe bythe bythe the government through publIc works projects In th s the govern government government government ment miscalculated Liberalism Endangered All of the big guns and resources of pressure pout cs and modern propaganda were brought into play m in late 1937 and 1938 to try to strIke do liberalism in m the congress andIn and andin andIn in the executive branch of the gov government government government NOTA NOTABLE LB EVENT T EVENTA A series senes of art des cles by the Pres President President ident of the Un ted States is a notable event in journal sm Sel Seldom Se Seldom dom has any newspaper had an ty to publish rig ng under the name of any President President dent The present series senes of arts artI artIcles articles cles des is a notable but on both to history and journalism Th s newspaper the artIcles wIthout b as as to the opinions conta ned in them The policy of the federal govern government government government ment however continued to follow the only path of true recovery and the only assurance of on of our system of private te profit and tree free the enterprIse enterprise the continuance and strengthen ng rig of soc al reform and progressive on When I called the congress into nary session in m 1937 I po th s s out ind nd I announced the determination of the federal gov to proceed w th its program on all fronts with full speed peed Accord I recommended the enactment of ne v farm legislatIon I called for a comprehensive farm program not not only to replace the old measures which had been declared tut onal by the Supreme court but one which could go for forward forward forward ward I called for leg slat on for forso forso forso so 1 I on and for regulatIon of crop production so as to furnish an ever normal granary which would give the farmer a fa ta r share of the nat onal anal income and at the same time would also assure the consumer a steady supply of food and textile fiber at reasonable prices I also recommended to th s ex extraordinary sess secs on of the congress the enactment of leg slat on provid providing mg ing for tor m n mum wages and maxI maxImum maximum maximum mum hours and the abolition of child labor in m all interstate occupatIons Only in m this way could sweatshop cond lions be ehm and work workers workers workers ers receive a reasonable purchasIng power to to enable them to live With some degree of decency and to pro provide provide provide vide a market for the products of the farms and factor e a of the nat flat on Much of the leg wh ch I recommended was passed during For example a new farm program was adopted leg establIshing minimum wages and maximum hours and ving child labor was finally passed various tax reforms were adopted addItIOn additional al funds were provided for the con construction construction strut lion of public works to furnish employment ment and a congressIOnal and strat ve ye committee was set up to study economic power Many of the great measures de debated debated debated bated in m 1937 and farm 1938 1938 farm leg s stat slat tat on reorganization of govern government government ment merit minimum wages and maXI maXImum maximum maximum mum hours increased c e works monopoly controls jud ud cial reforms water ater po ver development low cost ho s have rig ng have by no v become more or less accepted as part of our econom c l life e It is a 1 the d tI to look back even across the short period to 19 8 and rem remember em ember her ber ho v b and ho v d was the struggle struggle-m struggle in the congress and out of the whICh congress congress which was necessary in m order to have some of these laws adopted The ton tonto t on onto onto to them them-ch them ch efly eRy from the same sources wh ch had opposed the whole program of reform since 1933 was of ot blitzkrieg proportions In that struggle a few DemocratIc Democrat ie Ic members of the house and senate who who ho I tad lad ad been elected in m 1936 and andin andin andin in earlier years on liberal platforms and who had pledged themselves to support the great objectives and social measures enunciated in m those platforms had all ed themselves with the opponents of the program It became qu te to ous that thiS kind of conduct was not only a re rc renunciation renunciation of platform pledges but was actually endanger ng rig tl U e suc success cess of the federal government s de determination determination termination to preserve a lIberal progress ve ye administration |