Show s Washington ton Digest Old-Age Old Pension Schemes Figu Figure In Primaries in ill Several States 1 Le Lead d to lo Success of Senator enat r Pepper Pepper in in Flori Florida Ia and Def Defeat at of McAdoo l in In California Delude Age and r In Infirm Voters Fallacy of Plans Shown f By WILLIAM VILLIAM BRUCKART r f D. D C. C W NU Service ice National Rational Press Press' Washington 11 WASHINGTON A good many Easterners had nearly forgotten about Dr Fr Francis Townsend and his month a pension plan until lately they were suddenly awakened awakened awakened awak awak- ened by the far South and the far West Sen Claude Pepper won a Democratic nomination to the senate senate senate sen sen- ate in Florida largely because of at espousal of the Townsend Towns plan and just recently Sen William G G. G Mc- Mc had Adoo-had his public career abruptly terminated because Sheridan Downey Down Down- ey his opponent for the Democratic j 1 senatorial nomination in California proposed and promised promise some fantastic fantastic fan fan- scheme of paying 30 every Thursday to persons over 50 years of age In addition to these results there have bave been 12 or 15 candidates for forthe forthe forthe the the- nomina nomination lon to the house of representatives representatives rep rep- I who have won in primaries pH- pH I manes maries by saying the Townsend plan or the Thursday every or orsome some som other impossible and illogical and unsound pension plan would be p put t through congress ss I cannot describe describe describe de de- de- de scribe them all they arc are obviously varia variations of the Townsend plan and none of them will work anymore any anymore more mor than the Townsend bubble will work and each has been used to i delude aged and infirm voters whose ballots were veye needed to swing an election It is tragic that such things have happened and are arc arc happening to to- day The fact can not be bc ignored however because the condition is is' with us The one thing to do then I believe is to attempt to disillusion those folks who have swallowed the thc slick words of oC those campaigners or those racketeers who are preying upon the thc faith of folks who through no fault Cault of their own do not have access to information that shows these schemes to be rainbows And as far Car as history records nobody on onearth onearth onearth earth ever has found Cound the end of oC the thc rainbow where the pot of gold is reputed to be I am not concerned about the public pub pub- lic lie career of or Mr McAdoo who has been in public service of off and on since 1913 He never impressed me meas meas meas as being any great shakes of a a- statesman As secretary of the treasury he did the job probably abo about t as veIl aswell ivell as the average political political cal appointee I never have had the pleasure of meeting Mr Downey So I cant can't comment Senator Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Pep Pep- pers per's senate record is a great deal like many many another senators senator's record c and probably will continue to be just so In other w words here were tw two average s senators one senators one winning with the aid of the promises about the Townsend To plan and the other losing because he stayed away from froID such promises although he hc was thrice blessed by the President of the United States That situation along with some letters accusing me of or giving the Townsend plan a silent silent silent si si lent treatment in these columns seems to warrant a a new ew analysis of the conditions that now confront the country It Appears It-Appears T Is Not D Dead ad After All AllAs AllAs AllAs As I said there is evidence that TO is not dead at all It has formed the basis of a dozen n new nv v panaceas of at which the every 30 Thursday is but an exam example pie It happened that this scheme was proposed propos proposed pro- pro pos posed d in California which particularly particularly Ia in its southern sections has a avast avast vast population of aged people who have gone there to enjoy the famous climate and have the health that it gives them em Old people are militantly militantly militantly mili- mili behind these schemes That Thatis is one of the r reasons Downey Downey Down Down- ey was vas able to boast more than a million signatures to the petition that made the question an issue in California And Florida too witha with a a- afine fine winter climate is a fertile field for tl the racketeers who promote promote pro pro- mote such ridiculous programs It AIS is a harsh thing to blame the strength of at these movements all of ot which crop crop up during depression times upon elderly people It is the cold fact that they are are the type among whom such schemes are promoted and because they have ave votes the candidate for office office- stoops office stoops to the level of adding further lurther to hopes that never can can be fulfilled in that manner T To s show V O how silly the scheme of 30 Thursday every is as a campaign campaign cam cam- issue for Mr Downey just Downey just justas as an example example he he is a candidate for the United States senate The pension dream he has advocated is planned as part of the welfare program pro PlO r gram of the state of California How Mr Downey can do anything about it ris as a member of the United States senate I can an not understand and I seriously doubt that Mr Downey cui it it can explain Nor will th the plan work if made j into law without bankrupting the Ule state of California I doubt that it will vim work anyway but assuming that it may work the he state stale will be assuming a burden that will cost it so much money that the Call Call- forhia books will be so far in the red as as as' asto to cause them to appear 1 splotched with blood This id idea a ol of placing stamps on each warrant warran each week so that an actual has been affixed by cash payment In Ina a year will stop the Ule transfer of them very shortly Few storekeepers for or example will accept pt them beyond beyond be be- yond the thc necessities of their tax payments to the state of California it is certain also that those who continue continue con con- to accept them would not pay the face value and the possessor would be forced into paying higher prices for the things that he buys That is the possessor would be buying buying buying buy buy- ing 50 cents worth of sugar and probably probably probably ably would be handing over a dollar warrant for it All of this is the result of a lack of confidence among the people in any form of exchange except the currency that is backed and guaranteed by the United States as ns has been shown so many times be before ore Downey Plan Would Make Trouble for New Dealers Then I believe I foresee some other trouble respecting such warrants warrants warrants war war- rants as Mr Downey's scheme proposes proposes proposes pro pro- poses not that I think his plan is worse than any others but it serves as nn an illustration tion It is proposed that th the possessor put a two cent state stamp on the warrant for each week in his possession or 52 such uch stamps in a year Well WelI I imagine that the warrants would be in the thc hands lands of many persons who had no cash at all not all not a cent Immediately Immediate Immediate- ely e- e ly y th there re would be a cry go up to have lave the thc state supply the stamps free ree and it is quite certain that there would be some politicians dishonorable dishonorable dis dis- dis hon honorable rable enough to campaign for office on that issue Now assume that Mr Downey comes to the senate assume that he ic Is elected over his Republican opponent in November I seem to scent s some me added trouble for PresIdent President Pres- Pres ident dent Roosevelt and his New Deal friends friends friends' who have been promising too many things and too much of them many persons believe be be- lieve that that- Mr Roosevelt's methods to 0 date have encouraged all kinds of quackeries because he has talked at length of humanitarianism He Helas has las aroused the minds of elderly persons who are suffering under conditions not of their own making He has likewise aroused a lot of flabby brained individuals among the he younger people who live lime on il- il It is made to appear that congressional leaders seeking to follow ollow presidential policies are g ging going go go- ing fag to be confronted with frequent bulges l for r national p pensions of a kind and that no nation can bear The Thc number and type of these panaceas as ebbs and flows with the economic tide When business is good and there is plenty of work when storekeepers are nrc able to sell and people are able to buy we hear little ittle or nothing of the world dream children of the Townsends and the and the others When there here are hard times and there are thousands upon thousands without without without with with- out work and food an and clothes those suffering minds become easy prey to the silver tongue Pursuing the thought a bit further it t then tIlen becomes possible for a movement movement movement move move- ment which demands not 30 every Thursday for persons over 50 but butone butone butone one demanding 40 or 50 every Friday Fri day or 60 every Saturday The amounts can be pushed up and up and the fervor of the thc suffering under under under un un- der this illusion grows greater and greater And always such movements movements move move- ments provide the breeding ground for other racket racketeers ers who want to promote dissension and tion Always too there will be political political po champions for the cause whatever it may be because there Is something some halo about public public public pub pub- lic office that will lead men into the strangest views President Cannot Dodge Some of Responsibility Mr Roosevelt has hns said with emphasis emphasis emphasis em em- several times that none of these things will work He believes they should not be propagated and spread because he recognizes how easily miserable humanity can be i lead off at a tangent It is a type of hysteria an emotion The President President President dent however must not dodge re responsibility responsibility re- re for a part of it As Isaid I Isaid Isaid said above his methods have been conducive to hysteria of several kinds These panaceas that threaten threat threat- en again to cause grief for his administration ad ministration are but an outgrowth of the numerous plans that have been given birth by various persons in official position True they have haye been fed by the thc dregs of hard times but they had their encouragement first from illogical phases of the New Deal Truer words were never spoken than President ent Roosevelt uttered at Pittsburgh Pa in his 1932 campaign campaign campaign cam cam- when he said Any government government government govern govern- ment lik like any family can for a year spend a little more than it earns but you and I know that t a continuation of the habit means the thc poor house Adoption of any of at the pension schemes whatever their va variation ia tion from the thc Townsend plan may be means the poor house because because because be be- cause there can not be enough taxes levied or collected to meet the need I e Western Newspaper Union |