Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1935. AMERICAN POLITICS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18763, 20 July 1935, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1935. AMERICAN POLITICS

United States politics have, been much in the limelight since Mr. Roosevolt assumed office two and a hall years ago, and there is every indication that the latter portion of his term will be equally as interesting as Iho first. Although the elections are not due until November of next year, tin' parties are already displaying much activity, and the President is to the forefront in the campaign having made plans for a series of oublic appearances with which Ik hopes to. retrieve some of the lost support for his Now Deal. The Demo-, crats came into office on the crest of a wave of popular enthusiasm foi their leader and their cause. Mr.

Roosevelt's personal popularity is unimpaired, but there is no disguising the fact that there is widespread discontent with his policies. A remarkably hold attempt—perhaps the boldest in modern history—was made by America to bring about economic reforms and to repair the damage that had been done to her industry. So far the measures have met will) comparatively little success, and iho explanation appears to lie in the faet that the Administration was too prone to rely, on expediency and experiment, and to ignore or sweep aside the fundamental influences which ■govern the progress and prosperity of anv nation. in some quarters, the New Deni was described as the “Roosevelt Revolution,” and there can be little doubt that his scheme was a revolutionary one in many respects. The problem is that a country like America is particularly dillicnlt to revolutionise, more especially when the reforms are aimed at a highly-industrialised institution which resents, above all else, interference by the Government. It is true that the New Deal was widely acclaimed, but how much of the support was real, and how much based on a, desire to secure psychological reactions is an open question. Undoubtedly there has been an under-current of antagonism from the start, and although tin ruling of the Supreme Court provided an excuse for the failure of the scheme, there had been nothing previously to show that it was making any iiicnsurul)lc> progress towards success. The people of the country could not fail to be impressed with the steady recovery that is being made in Great Britain, without any of the spectacular efforts that were so apparent in their own country, and it was inevitable that sooner or later there should come the realisation that there could be no magic cure of the national ill-hnulth. It is possible that had the Supreme Court not held the vital elements of the New Deal to be invalid It would, sooner or later, have broken down under its own weight.

As it is, however, the President iablo to attribute, the collapse to the constitution, and hopes thereby to divert criticism from himself ami his Administration. lie Im.-, invested politics with a new i.-sue, and one of no less importance than whether the Government is to control the constitution or be controlled by it. In some count l ies, the discovery of a constitutional stumbling-block would evoke an immediate outcry for its removal, but in the United States this has not been the experience hitherto, and, in any ease, the obstacle is not easily removed. To many Americans, the constitution is regarded as inviolable and there is evidence that any attempt to amend it would be const rued as a challenge to personal liberty and an attempt, to use. or abuse, it tot political ends. Mr. Roosevelt, therefore. is on the horns of a dilemma bee.au-e. he does not yet knew whether he would gain or lose by an attempt at such a momentous reform. And oven if lie does finally take his courage in both hands and decide upon alterations to the constitution in order to secure the power tit present, denied to him, it is necessary tiial he should first, .secure the approval of two-thirds of both Houses and threefourths of the various States. This introduces another complication, foi l,lie New Deal involves the restriction of-State rights, for the preservation of which there is an insistent demand. Any attempt to amend the constitution, therefore, will be treated, not only as a measure in defence of the New Deal, but also as a move to circumscribe. local government and in-

vest almost unlimited power in Ihr Federal Administration. The con-

s'iitutional question threatens to become.the dominating factor in American - politics in the near future, but it will not be tin- only one. Ihe dis-

satisfaction with the economic and social system has not yet been overcome. and the result is that radical

movements which underwent an eclipse whim Mr. Roosevelt came into

otti.ee are commencing to reappeai with increased support and revived vigor. Senator Long’s “ Shnre-the-Wealth’’ agitation am! the ‘‘Radio Priest. G’’ Union of Social .lust ice are

only two instances of drastic remedies which have gained large followings, and more will be heard of them before the next elections take place. Already the radicals have exerted a strong influence on Air. Roosevelt’s policy, and there are many less likely things than that they should gain sufficient strength to hold the balance of power ns between the two main political parties. One of the mo.-o disquieting features of the whole position is that (In' next year or so is going to be spent, largely, in manoeuvring for political, advantage, with the inevitable result that the real problem of assisting the recovery of the country will be left in the background.