BOOK OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1934, Page 13 (Supplement)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

ROOSEVELT’S “NEW DEAL”

(By

U.S.)

“The Roosevelt Revolution “by Ernest K. Lindley. Victor Gollancz Ltd , London.. A. J. Fyfe Ltd., New Plymouth.

Mr. Lindley has given a brilliant summary of the events which led up to the election of Franklin Roosevelt as the President of the United States, and a very instructive as well as interesting interpretation and description of the programme the President » still engaged in carrying out In doing so he has very skilfully avoided overloading his book with too much detail, and especially is his restraint to be admired in regard to the election campaign. His descriptions of Roosevelt the man, the associates he gathered around hun, and whv, the appalling conditions the new President had to face and the means he adopted to bring back hope to the forgotten man” who had seen all his standards uprooted in an economic blizzard are enthralling. Of the great experiment” inaugurated by Mr. Roosevelt, it is too soon to speak with authority, but Mr. Lindley has succeeded m giving not only the substance of the President’s policy but also the ideals that lie ahead. The book tells the story of the “revolution” during the months of March to. October last year. Yet circumstances have already made some of the author’s deductions incorrect, while his forecast of the implications involved by the “new deal” have not in some cases proved reliable. Nevertheless for anyone who wishes to obtain a clear understanding of the position in America and the tremendous programme inaugurated by Mr. Roosevelt this book will prove invaluable. The picture Mr. Lindley gives of the United States a year ago is startling in its realism. Here was a huge community with “an abundance of national resources and an industrial. plant capable of yielding a sufficiency for every citizen who was willing to work. In spite of these advantages the United States found its commerce moribund, its finances hopelessly entangled, unemployment worse than in any country in the world, and the ugly menace of a social upheaval in the not too distant background. Mr. Roosevelt knew when he took up residence at White House that if some improvement were not brought about the American social system would cease to function; starving men would not remain hungry with plenty within their grasp, and lawlessness would complete the nations collapse and bring about a revolution. It was no wonder the President saw that the only way to defeat revolution by force was by revolution through experimentation. He has had the courage to follow his vision.

A very interesting chapter is devoted to the “interregnum,” the period between the election of a new President and Congress of the United States and the retirement of the old. Last year the delay was perilous in the extreme. Mr. Lindley shows how near the nation came to disaster because of the delays imposed by the Constitution of the Republic. But if the waiting time was full of risks it had its compensations. It gave the new leader time to think out his policy; to find the men who would assist in the bold experiments the President was forced to make—while the longer the waiting time the deeper the dismay and the more the likelihood of Congress and the electorate to accept the drastic changes involved.

All through his book Mr.'Lindley insists that the programme was devised and inspired •by the President himself. That it was daring all the world knows. It did more than show courageous leadership. It restored morale, stimulated fresh and zealous' effort, showed that the American Constitution was flexible enough to bend.rather than break, that Congress could not dominate a courageous ' President, and, most important of all, made his fellow citizens recognise their President was the 'driving force of the “new deal.” They stood behind him, in loyal support and with firm belief in his ability to bring order out of chaos. The exaltation was- not permanent. Within a month or two the farmers were disappointed and complaining, the. speculator was beginning to raise his head again, and Congress became far less tractable. But in those dreadful days that followed Mr. Roosevelt’s inauguration he caught the imagination and quickened the courage of colleagues, Congressmen and the populace in a manner that permitted recovery to begin. The measures taken to restore confidence in banking and investments, the efforts made to re-establish farmers in their threatened holdings, and the circumstances that led to the abandonment of the gold standard are explained with lucidity and coherence. Glimpses are given of the tremendous currents of distrust, of the bickerings of party politicians, and of the inside workings of the American body politic that whet the reader’s appetite and make the story grippingly alive. The story of the World Economic Council is told from the American viewpoint. It is one that cannot be accepted as the whole of the matter. In some pages Mr. Lindley is a special pleader, but he does absolve the President from charges of almost cynical inconsistency that were made against him even. by British well-wishers towards the United States. Incidentally this part of. the narrative shows also how personal jealousies and pride even among the leaders of a nation can make a Presidents task more difficult than the worst of circumstances, and how wise is President Roosevelt’s decision to keep in direct touch with the “man in the street,” as his policy unfolds. The various phases of the National Recovery Act and policy are dealt with in considerable detail. They imply Government expenditure upon a scale that in New Zealand appears colossal, and it is impossible as yet to assess the results obtained' or in view. Some of the plans have already been modified, some have been extended and others discarded. But the N.R.A. can never be wholly a failure. Its introduction brought new life into a nation that was frightened and had lost its way. The N.R.A. was a beacon ahead. Whether it points the way to prosperity has yet to be proved. It did at all events light the path out of the Slough of Despond.

British Israel Literature by the English mail: British Israel Truth Defended, by Rev. ' James Mountain, D.D. Price 5/-. The Parables of tire Kingdom, by John J. Morey. Price 6/6. Joel’s Prophetic Message and Warning, by Howard B. Rand, L.L.B. One Hundred Reasons and More Why the British are Israelites, by Rev. R. G. F. Waddington, M.A. Price 1/-. Who are the Japanese? by Professor E. Odium, M.A., B.Sc. Price 1/-. The Destiny of the British Empire and the U.S.A., by “The Roadbuilder.” Price 4/6. All procurable at Fyfe’s,. The Book People, New Plymouth. ’Phone 1397.*