Show t yz r rYr Yr J Sr y l 1 s 1 It Washington It is a little early 5 in inthe inthe the new year to become despondent I. I suppose after aUer Bills Not the manner of ot n a certain radio star stai Hap Happy t- t y I ought to be hap haj py about the whole thing But I Iam am not The outlook is too gloomy Developments of the last few weeks week have combined to make me a n pe pessimist pes of the first w water lter I hope I Iam am Dm wrong yet present conditions condition force the conclusion that this country coun couri try faces a condition as ns serious a as that through which it passed in 1932 and 1933 There is no reason evident evident evident evi evi- dent to me why we should not face fao the facts discouraging as they ap ap- ap- ap pear So let us consider some of ot the thi things that have happened lately and some that are arc happening these days s Only in that way I believe can cnn we get a correct understanding of this new depression which a thousand thou thou- sand government propagandists insist insist in in- i upon calling a recession Fur months ago industry began begar to lay ofT off men and women workers There was no m market for the goods good they were manufacturing The reduction reduction reduction re re- re- re in payrolls was necessary to avoid bankruptcy Nobody can car afford to pay workers if there is no work to to do Dismissal of workers workers workers work work- ers ers con continued in an growing ever-growing volume until on January 1 I the great greal General Motors corporation laid ofT off something like men at one onetime onetime onetime time and placed its remaining workers on a four-day four week That action while it appears sensational sensa t onal was illustrative of what had been going on during the four months that I mentioned it brought public attention and political attention atten atten- attention attention tion to a focus but it was sensational sensational sensa sensa- onal only because of the numbers It made an impression that dismissal dismissal dismissal dis dis- missal of a n few or several hundred here and there had failed to make During this same period perio prices i were undergoing a natural and normal normal nor nor- mal reaction Some were up some i were down Altogether the they were and arc are in a topsy condition j f Govern Government ent business analysts smelled the mouse They were watching all aU of the trends that were evident during those four months Those officials in high places and charged with responsibility for national national national na na- na- na welfare were informed of what was in prospect But government govern ment meat propaganda continued to show bright and smiling faces in the picture pic pic- ture ture It wont won't last they were saying saying say say- ing in the written and spoken words It is a psychological condition President Pres ident Roosevelt said said and and thereby made the same mistake that President President Prest- Prest dent Hoover made when he an announced pounced that prosperity was just around the corner in 1931 It is is' the same old corner and it is the same old prosperity but apparently the Roosevelt administration is going to have just as much trouble finding either the corner or Uie Ule prosperity as Mr Hoover did To get back to the sequence of events the time came when the he responsible responsible re re- o. o officials H More Trust had to say some some- Busting thing by way of ot admitting the existence ex ex- of the depression reces races recession recession sion Mr Roosevelt it will be recalled recalled recalled re re- called went off ofT on a fishing trip around December 1 He took with him the brilliant and able young Robert Jackson of the Department of Justice Now Mr l Jacksons Jackson's particular par par- i ticul it r ability lies in the direction of or breaking up trusts monopolies big business combinations Those of us whose job it is to watch Washington Washing Washing- ton thought we foresaw the next move by the administration We have it now in full flower a flower a great drive against all an of those sinful 1 t big business inter interests who simply must be the he folks responsible for the depression Of course it should be remembered at the same time that t there ere must be a goat when Politics politics politics poli poli- tics gets gels balled up and big business business busi buss ness again is the goat the of-the adm ad- ad m ministration in strati on In consequence of the crash in business the collapse of the theories of the long haired crew that seeks to America under the guise of New Deal plans and the general running out of Democrats ol the New Deal leadership the country is isnow isnow isnow now to be e treated to another trust- trust busting drive comparable to that conducted by the late The Theodore dore Roosevelt when he was President Yes big business can always be at- at 1 ii r cajoled threatened U cHenea It is isa a a prop proper r stunt nearly always resorted re re- re- re J 1 sorted to to by politicians ns and others who find themselves locked within the meshes of their own fishnets i 1 Big business is the red herring that i the administration is trying to drag across the trail It is because the i 1 administration is attempting to con con- conceal conceal ceal coal its mistakes and make people i 0 i forget them instead of doing a il constructive con- con constructive constructive job that I find myself despondent de de- i in the early weeks of 1938 The real tip ofT to the drive on L big business was in the form the form of a j speech by Mr Ir Jackson who said by byway byway way of the radio that The only way to insure a reasonably reasonably rea rea- r steady well being for the na- na tion as a whole is for the government government govern govern- ment to act as an Impartial overseer over over- seer of ot our Industrial progress r ready ady to C call a halt at all times or on on monopolistic practices which threaten threat threat- en to throw our economy out of or or- der That theory Is Js basic with most of oJ the New Dealers America must be made responsive to the Washington government It is that theory to which more and more business men little as well as big are objecting They are fearful tearful of it for the reason that they can cnn not see how this administration administration administration ad ad- ministration or any that may followwill follow followwill will be impartial in overseeing industry It Is quite natural for lor a apolitical a apolitical apolitical political group to be intent upon preserving preserving pre pre- serving itself in power and that end never has been accomplished by im im- im- im partiality But the New Dealers wish to void blame for the conditions now confronting confronting confronting con con- fronting the na- na Would tion Conveniently Shift Blame enough there is no mention being made now of the tremendous pressure pressure pres pres- sure that was exerted through four of the last five years to bring about higher prices Those prices now are held to be the result of monopoly monopoly mo mo- not the fault of the professors sors who were saying a few years ago when prices were moving higher high high- er that we planned it that way So political guns are arc turned on big business but business but my guess is that little little little lit lit- tle business will be hurt more than big business business by the refusal of the Wallaces the tile Ickes the Oliphants the Jerome Franks the C and the Cohens to recognize that Hitler's style of business management management management manage manage- ment must fail here as in Germany The frankest statement about the whole tiling thing has come from Mr Roosevelt himself He declared recently recently re re- that over extension of inventories inventories inventories in in- was responsible for the current depression That is to say producers and manufacturers feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing that business was booming produced produced produced pro pro- or manufactured too much They did not recognize that the beter better better bet- bet ter er business we appeared to have in 1935 and 1936 was highly cial Nor were they aware what the Washington government would do in the way of controlling or burdening burdening bur bur- dening business of all kinds with new taxation and new restrictive legisla legislation tion It was Ions from those latter two things that a fe fear ll was bred and the factories and farms that worked full fun tilt because prices were were going higher were left with an over over- stock I think it can be fairly said also that few persons expected to see ee such encouragement from the administration for labor to fi flout ut the law aw and take over control of property property property prop prop- erty as has happened Whatever else may be said however the fact remains the theories constantly being being beng be- be ing ng advanced b by one or another of Mr Roosevelt's advisers have frightened Tightened millions of persons who still have a few dollars which they would like to put to work On the whole I am convinced those dollars will vill not be put to work unless and until there is assurance from Washington WashIngton Washington Wash Wash- ington that sanity and not monkey monkey- doodle doodie schemes will be exercised in country's business It is dishonest governmental dealings with the theon theon theon on the part of government regardless regardless regard- regard less ess of political party to charge that hat business brings about depres- depres depressions depressions ions any person with a grain of sense sense ense must know that no individual desires to throw throwaway away his own money money mony mon mon- ey y or throw away awny a n chance to make more President Roosevelt has taken a airm firm irm stand for a larger navy His action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion deserves comFor comFor com com- For Larger Condi- Condi Navy lons Hons throughout the world are arc such that hat t he would be foolish to disregard disregard dis- dis regard the tile necessity for a strong defense It will cost money of course ourse but preparedness has proved roved cheaper always than being thrown into war because no other nation is afraid of us I 1 have an idea that Mr Roose- Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt elt will be attacked from a dozen different directions So-called So peace organizations will try to pin his ears cars back jack and make him say uncle but ut I have gained the impression that hat Mr Roosevelt will adhere to his program nearly all students of international affairs agree that he is per cent right In a letter to house leaders Mr Roosevelt loosevelt suggested the necessity for or construction of two battleships I two wo light cruisers eight destroyers and six submarines during the fiscal year beginning next July 1 These craft are in addition to other naval construction already considered for forthe forthe the tile next fiscal year It will take takewo two wo or three years to build some of these boats Planning and pre pre- preliminary work ought to be s started on them as soon as possible Mr Roosevelt loosevelt believes the work ought to o start right away away and and after all I think hink most folks will agree that the president is in a better position than ban anyone else In the country to know what the dangers are arc We Western Newspaper Union |