Evening Star Newspaper, October 21, 1936, Page 6

@7 the Associated Press. LOS ANGELES, October 21.—The fext of Gov. Landon’s address here st night follows: Six weeks ago, I went to the of the State election. pose was to tell the people there how serious are the issues that , face us. Tonight, on the eve of the na- | tional election, I come to the Pacific Coast for the same pur- pose. I come to talk about a seri- ous issue—abuse of the power of Government, and its threat to our liberty and our independence. The Pacific Coast was settled . by men and women who possessed ! the ploneer qualities of self-re- * liance, courage and love of in- | dependence. Those who followed possessed the same qualities. In . three-quarters of a century you have created on the shores of the ! Pacific a new economic empire. This has been done, and could only have been done, under a | Government Which guaranteed economic freedom, political free- dom and personal liberty. For a century and a half, this freedom and this liberty has been protected under the charter of our | Government, the Constitution. Today the usefulness of our | Constitution is being questioned. We have been told that it is out of date, that the very freedom it guarantees us is the cause of our present trouble. In my opinion, | this reasoning is tragically wrong. The planned soclety, which is the alternative to representative Gov- ernment, s spreading rapidly throughout the world. We know only too well how it has worked out in actual practice. It has de- stroyed freedom of speech, free- dom of the press, freedom of re- ligion. It has robbed the people of those great guarantees of per- sonal liberty and human rights that we enjoy under the American system. I do not believe that a temporary depression 1s adequate reason for changing our whole form of Government. Centralized Government Tyranny Feared. The men who drew our Con- stitution knew and feared the tyranny of a centralized Govern- ment over which they had no control. They were determined . that in the creation of this new Government that tyranny could never exist. So effective was their work that for a century and a half the American people have not known the meaning of tyranny. We have forgotten that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Too many are inclined to laugh at this truth as a horse and buggy bromide. ‘We have forgotten that once the censor forbids us to speak as we please, once the Government for- bids us to worship as we wish, once the jailor enters our homes without warrant—it will be too late to pro- test. We will no longer be free. George Washington warned us that we should ever be on our guard against attempts to “under- mine what cannot be directly overthrown.” Let us examine the record of the last four. years in the light of that warning. This administration came into Protect Constitution, L THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1936. Landon’s Speech in Los Angeles G. O. P. Nominee Calls for Ousting of New Deal to HIGHLIGHTS OF LANDON SPEECH BT the Assoctated Press. LOS ANGELES, October 21,—High lights of Gov. Landon's mddress here last night: I do not believe that a temporary depression is adequate reason for changing our whole form of Govern- ment. We have forgotten that eternal vig- ilance is the price of liberty., Too many are inclined to laugh at this truth as a horse-and-buggy bromide. The President predicted disaster if his plans were held unconstitutional. ‘They were held unconstitutional. Now he claims credit for the improvement that followed. He says, “We planned it that way.” ‘The present administration has spent 25 billion dollars. * * * Therc is unmistakable evidence that these funds have been used in an attempt to prevent freedom of speech at the polls. * * * Special groups and special localities have been singled out solely for political reasons. We all know that under this ad- ministration the managers of relief have played favorites—they have de- veloped two classes of relief, common and preferred. Many of the so-called revenue measures passed under this adminis- tration were not designed to raise revenue. They were designed to force the non-conformer into line, to threat- him with destructive and punitive taxation. Witnesses have been brought before investigating committees and treated as criminals at the bar of justice. But with this difference: Their rights have not been respected as in our courts of law. For many of these in- vestigating committees have acted as prosecuting attorney, jury and judge combined. power at a time of great national crisis. Unusual powers were granted to the Chief Execu- tive. But when the crisis was over the administration refused to give up its extraordinary powers. In- stead, it asked for more. It seemed obsessed with the idea that it had s mandate to direct and control American business, American agri- culture and American life. Recall & few of the things they tried to do. ‘They tried to tell our farmers how much they could plant and how much they could not plant. They tried to tell our business men how much they could produce and under what conditions they could run their business. They tried to tell labor who could and who could not represent them in negotiations with their employers. ‘Was this an undermining of our liberties? I think so. And the proof of it is, so many of our fellow citizens rebelled at these tactics that the administration was. forced to abandon the subterfuge of volun- tary co-operation. It cracked the whip on those individuals who re- fused to be led like sheep. It re- sented any criticism which recalled what American initiative and free enterprise had done for the country. And when the Supreme Court de- clared its mef unconstitutional, the administration actually at- tempted to bring the Supreme Court into disrepute. Obstructing Progress Charged to Justices. Spokesmen of the administration made stump speeches and issued statements condemning the court. They ridiculed the justices. They said they were obstructing progress. Even the President joined in this undermining attack on men who were only doing their duty—men swhrn to uphold the Constitution of the United States. The Presi- dent predicted disaster if his plans were held unconstitutional. They were held unconstitutional. Now - he claims credit for the improve- ment that followed. He says “We planned it that way.” Fortunately, the Supreme' Court had the prestige and the integrity to withstand the abuses that were heaped upon it. But for the pri- vate citizen it was not 5o easy. No private citizen likes to be held up to scorn by public officials. His freedom to criticize—that is, his freedom of speech—is bought at a high price indeed when the integ- rity of his motives is questioned by his Government. It is a little wonder that many fell into line. For those who refused to be silenced by these methods, other intimidations were devised. Busi- ness men with Government con- tracts were threatened with can- cellation. Business men who want- ed contracts were warned that they must toe the line. All business men, under the Blue Eagle, were faced with arbitrary enforcements of ar- bitrary interpretations of arbitrary rules—rules not made by Congress, but by some appointed subordinate sitting at a desk in Washington and fumbling with the business of the country. But the irony of this abuse of the power of Government was that the small business man, in whose name the Government had supposedy acted, was the very man who suf- fered most. He could not afford to keep a lawyer in Washington to inform him of the latest rules and regulations. He could not compete under the monopolistic conditions laid down by the codes. In short, the whole plan acted as a millstone around the neck of the little fellow, and what did it do for the big fellow? It had the ef- fect of strengthening his position— it fostered monopoly. In this it was a forerunner of this administra- tion’s most recent tax bill—the bill which makes it virtually impossible for the little fellow to accumulate the reserves necessary to his pro- tection and growth. As I said at Portland, Me, on September 12: “Government must protect the ploitation by the stron Un- less Government is constantly on guard to defend competition against abuses, a free enterprise system tends to begome an entanglement of vested intefests and rigid prices. Solution Is to Free Forces of Com, n. “But the solution is not to aban- don a free enterprise system for & system of Gevernment monopolies. “The solution is to free the forces of competition—to stamp out un- fair trade practices and monopolies. This will allow the American peo- ple to resume their steady march of progress.” One way of stamping out unfair trade practices and monopoly was pointed out by Justice Cardozo in his concurring opinion in the N. R. A. decision of the Bupreme Court. The learned justice said: “If codes of fair competition are codes eliminating ‘unfair’ methods of competition ascertained upon inquiry to prevall in one industry or another, there is no unlawful delegation of legislative functions when the President is directed to inquire into such practices and denounce them when discovered. For many years a like power has been committed to the Federal Trade Commission with the ap- proval of this court in a long series of decisions.” This is a very different method, as the learned justice also said, from that provided in the N. R. A, codes, which were “delegation run- ning riot.” Now let us consider the power of the public purse and how it can be abused. ‘The present administration has spent 25 billion dollars. Of this enormous sum, billions have been spent by the Chief Executive, practically at his own discretion. The present Chief Executive has had placed at his disposal eight times as much discretionary spend- ing power as was given to all of his predecessors together in 143 years of our history. The power that this has given to the Chief Executive cannot be calculated, and he has not hesi- tated to use it. Nor has he hesi- tated to take the next step in tam- pering with the basic principles of democracy. The executive brance is now refusing to make public the salaries paid and the names on the pay rolls under blank check appropriations. There is unmistakable evidence that these vast funds have been used to force Representatives and Sendtors to support administration measures. There is also unmistakable evi- dence that they have been used to prevent criticism by officials and representatives of local communi- ties. There is unmistakable evi- dence that these funds have been used in an attempt to prevent freedom of choice at the polls. Nothing can be more shameful than the way some of these Fed- eral funds have been distributed. Special groups and special locali- ties have been singled out solely for political reasons. Relief funds have been used in an attempt to force our less fortunate fellow citizens to vote for the re- turn of this administration to power. Does this undermine our free- dom? I think so. We all know that under this administration, the managers of relief have played favorites—they have developed two clasges of relief, common and pre- ferred. Let us not forget that abuse of the Government’s right to spend leads to sbuse of the Government’s right to borrow. Abuse of the right to borrow is the first step to in- flation and is s direct threat to all those who by thrift have accumu- lated savings. An inherent part of Government's power over the purse is the power to tax. When abused it becomes the power to destroy. Many of the so-called revenue measures passed under this administration were not designed to raise revenue. They were designed to force the non- conformer into line, to threaten him with destructive and punitive taxation. They were an attempt to accomplish indirectly by taxation what could not be accomplished di- rectly under the Constitution. ‘The powers I have been discuss- ing are for the most part clearly de- fined by the Constitution or de- cisions of the Supreme Court. But there is one that has never been clearly defined. I speak of the congressional power of investiga- tion. But even if the letter of the law is not clear, the spirit of the Constitution is unmistakable. No legal hair-splitting can hide the difference between an iavestigat- ing committee that is trying to get information useful in the framing of laws and an investigating com- mittee that is indulging in a fish- ing expedition into the private af- fairs of private citizens—a commit- tee that is out to get the crooks and a committee that is out to get the critics, In the last three and one-half years, congressional investigations have budded and blossomed in un- usually rank profusion. No soil of real or fancied wrong-doing is so poor that it will not sprout a full fledged investigation. They are too often carried on in flagrant dis- regard of the rights of citizens. Witnesses have been brought before investigating committees and treated as criminals at the bar of justice. But with this difference; their rights have not been respected as in our courts of law. For many of these investigating committees have acted as prosecuting attorney, jury and judge combined. The sentence they pass has too fre- quently been a reputation unjustly smeared before the public. Is this an undermining of our free- dom? You know it is. It is a direct violation of the spirit of the bill of rights. Constitutional Restriction Flagrantly Violated. One congressional investigation, characterized as a fishing expe- dition, openly and flagrantly vio- lated the constitutional restriction against unreasonable search and seizure. Great masses of private correspondence were taken. Re- ports state that the papers seized have been used for purposes having no connection with the alleged sub- Jject matter of the investigation. And recently a congressional in- vestigation has been carriéd on for what seems to be purely political ends. In this case the thinly veiled purpose apparently was to discredit a political movement which the controlling party wished to crush. It is obvious that all investiga- tions are not an abuse of the power of Government. Congress does have great and wise powers of investigation. But the existence of the power is no justification for its abuse. And abuse of it is contrary to the spirit of the bill of rights, even it it does not transgress the letter of the law. We must ook to the spirit of the Constitution if it is to fulfill its great purpose in protecting this people. We must look to the leader- ship and responsibility of Congress to see this spirit of our Constitu- tion. We must look to the leadership and responsibility of Congress to see that this spirit remains a living force. In the last three and one-half years, this administration has led us far from the spirit of our Con- stitution. It has led us far from the principles of the American form of Government. That this has been deliberate there can be no doubt. A trusted official and close advisor of the Chief Execu- tive has expressed in precise terms the processes this administration is following. He used these words: “We begin with small unnoted changes and end by not being able to resist vast and spectacular ones T've been married for 26 years. A few years ago, my wife seemed to lose her knack for making coffec. But one day the coffee was wonderful. “That’'s Asco,” she said. “Well,” I replied, “stick to Asco — it's great!” And it is even better today. ~at which time our systems of theory tumble unwept into the grave.” We have every reason to believe that this administration would consider a return to power an indorsement of its policies. If we are to preserve our American form of Government, this admin- istration must be defeated. Our only safety is to return to our Constitution. For our Consti- tution was the product of long ex- perience in the practice of Govern- ment. It reflects centuries of striv- ing and of suffering by a people determined to be free. When Washington first took his oath, of office, the colony of Vir- ginia alreacy had 182 years of his- tory, and the colony of Massachu- setts 169. Indeed the greater num- ber of the colonies were older than our Government now is, under our Constitution. The framers of our Constitution were practical men. They were stern realists who knew the pleasing guises in which tyr- anny creeps upon the people. And they knew the bonds of despotism. Schooled in each, they saw through and behind the one. They foresaw and forestalled the other. Yet even these men with all their personal knowledge of tyranny and its methods, with all their love for freedom, with all their experience in practical legislation, were unable to frame a document satisfactory to to the people. In spite of all the safeguards against tyranny which they inserted in the body of the Constitution, the people of the 13 original States were not satisfied. More safeguards were demanded. Safeguards Contained In Bill of Rights. These additional safeguards are contained in the first 10 amend- ments which are commonly called the bill of rights. They guarantee to the individual freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom from unlawful search and seizure. They guarantee the right to a trial by jury. And last, but by no means least, they reserve to the people and to the States, all powers not specifically granted to the Federal Govern- ment. The authors of our Constitution spoke of and for the people. They ‘were not a group of unschooled ex= perimenters. They Were not anxious to break away from tradition, They were not anxious to set up, as President Roosevelt boasts he has, new instruments of public power that could be used to shackle the liberties of the people and ene- slave the publie. Their anxiety was for the peo- ple and only for the people! If we would maintain our Na- tion, if we would keep it free, if we would set an example before the world of tolerance and peace, we must brook no tampering with our freedom. Let us never forget what free- dom means. Let us never forget that without freedom there can be no security. Let us never forget the high purpose in which this Nation was founded and for which we still must strive, Let us remem- ber there is a larger Americanism than the little blueprints of & planned economy, than the dise ciplined citizenry which this ad- ministration would like to foist upon us. Its foundation is just Governe ment—a Government that does not abuse its powers at the expense of the liberty and independence of the citizen. This larger Ameri- canism was described by a great and fearless President, Theodore Roosevelt. Let me close by read- ing what he had to say: “The larger Americanism de- mands that we refuse to be sun- dered from one another along lines of class or creed or section or na- tional origin; that we judge each American on his merits as a man; that we work for the well-being of our bodily selves, but also for the well-being of our spiritual selves; that we consider safety, but that we put honor and duty ahead of safety. Only thus shall we stand erect before the world, high of heart, master of our own souls, fit to be the fathers of a race of free men who shall make and who shall keep this land all that it seemed to the prophetic vision of the mighty men who founded it and the mighty men who saved it." One day, about eight years ago, my neighbor borrowed tome coffee from me. She was amazed at its fine flavor, and asked me what brand it was. “Asco,” I said. Well, she lost no time in buying Asco Coffee. And since then the flavor has been more delicious. It must be due to “heat-flo” roasting. Ot in e STUDEBAKERS EXCITING NEW 1937 P'm just nineteen years old and, ever since I was big enough to run errands, the only coffee I ever carried home was Asco. I'll never forget the thrill when I drank my first cup. I'll still run to the American Store to get a pound. After our honeymoon last May, I was so anxious to have our first breakfast just right — particu- larly the coffee. My husband drank his cup critically, then said, “This coffee is perfect.” And so I always buy Asco — it's the coffee that's making our life a constant honeymoon,”_ 'WORLD’S FIRST CARS WITH DUAL ECONOMY OF FRAM OiL CLEANER AND AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE * ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH NEW UNDERSLUNG REAR AXLES ONE reason that our Asco Coffee is always so delicious in flavor is because it is roasted by the “heat-flo” process. This method roasts every coffee bean to perfection and insures uniform flavor in every ound. 4 A good housekeeper knows how to make foods taste their best. And in our capacity as a housekeeper for countless homes, it is our constant effort to perfect ways and means to insure the finest quality in all foods we sell. There is no doubt this is the reason the apprecia- tion of American Stores is growing . . » growing ... . GROWING! ' AVE you seen these glorious new gas-saving automatic overdrive! They have t Studebaker Dictators and Presidents WORLD'S LARGEST LUGGAGE the world’s largest luggage capacity! They ek offer the world’s first built-in warm air * windshield defrosters! They're the world’s WORLD'S BASIEST CLOSING DOORS only cars with the safety of the automatic W TARY DOOR 10CKS | with their refreshing new air-curved lines and their gleaming paint finish twelve coats deep? Have you tried their new doors that you don’t have to slam to close securely—their 'new dual range steering that cuts the turn- 'ing effort of parking in half? They're the world’s first cars with the dual economy of the Fram oil cleaner and the ROTARY DOOR LOCKS hill holder! And they have the world’s finest * feather-touch hydraulic brakes! O T s DamOSTIRS L If you don’t want to pass up the best buy IXCLUSIVE m\; EASY PARKING on the market or on the horizon, make sure STERRING GIAR you see and drive—and price—one of these e s i ASCO COFFEE . . . the pride of the exciting new 1937 Studebakers first! ———J | AMERICAN STORES A Great Housekeeper You Should Know STUDEBAKER'S C. I. T. BUDGET PLAN OFFERS LOW TIME PAYMENTS LEE D. BUTLER, INC. Dictrjbufon ALBER & McNEIL 1418 P St. NW. POTTER MOTOR CO. Sitver Spring, Mde ; 1138 Conn. Ave. N.W. Phone District 0110 NORRIS, INC. 2018 14th St. N.W. COLLEGE PARK AUTO PLACE College Park, Md. ¥ HINSON MOTOR CO. 1362 Floride Ave. N.E. BOYD-CARLIN MOTOR CO. Alexandris, Ve, 4