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Copies of the folltrwing pamphlets and s QQ h•
other League literature may be obtained   lng
upon application to the League’s national ,9
headquarters :  
Statement of Principles and Purposes
American Liberty League—Its Platform
An Analysis of the President’s Budget Message
Economic Security ‘
e irty our ee
¥Ei.““i‘i.“ H W 1.
The Pending Banking Bill * * *
The Holding Company Bill ‘
Price Control
The Labor Relations Bill
The Bituminous Coal Bill -
Extension of the NRA
The Farmers’ Home Bill A f
F . The TVA Amendments Speech °
The New Deal, Its Unsound Theories and A
gxzeconcilable Policies—Speech by Ralph M. JGUETT S]-[QUSE
aw
to M t the Issue—S eech b William E. , .
H(i;`T,mh ce P y ` President of the American
The Supreme Court and the New Deal · i ·
The Duty of the Church to the Social Order-—· Llbcrty League
Speech by S. Wells Utley
An Open Letter to the President—-·By Dr. Neil Over the
Carothers
The Revised AAA Amendments . _
The President’s Tax Program Columbia Broadcasting System
` The American Bar—The Trustee of American 16 1 35
Institutions—Speech by Albert C. Ritchie September 9 9
4 TwolAmazing Years—Speech by Nicholas Roose- ‘
ve t —
Fabian Socialism in the New Deal——Speech by
Demarest Lloyd
_ The People’s Money——Speech by Dr. Walter E. ‘
Spahr `
The Principles of Constitutional Democracy and
the New Deal—·Speech by R. E. Desvernine
Wgich Road to Take?—Speech by ]. Howard ·
  V
The Blessings of Stability——Speech by lame: W. Q QRIQ
Wadsworth — YF)    _ 44,
Legislation—By Coercion or Constitution-- A ."“”"°?
Speech by Iouett Shouse ,-   N
Recovery by Statute——Speech by Dr. Neil I Q;   b
Carothers s Q? ” V0
Expanding Bureaucracy l` Y Le
The Imperilment of Democracy——Speech by Fitz-
gerald Hall
Lawmaking by Executive Order
The Test of Citizenship——Speech by Dean Carl
T   AC§£J€TmdH f T S ·
o ay’s essons or omorrow— peech by Cap-
min William H_ Stayton AMERICAN LIBERTY LEAGUE
New Deal Laws in Federal Courts National Headquarters
P°‘·°‘° C°““°l NAT1oNAL mass BUILDING
* WASHINGTON, D. C.
AMERICAN LIBERTY LEAGUE A
NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING * *
 I WASHINGTON, D. C.
Document No. 65

 _ “ Breathing Spells "
_ *
THERE have been varied comments on the
I recent interchange of letters between Mr. Roose-
I velt and his chief newspaper defender, Mr.
Howard. Heywood Broun, an employee of Mr.
Howard, calls it a “daisy chain.” On all sides
_ it is accepted as an arranged publicity stunt —
W from which both parties hoped to glean benefits
  ———Mr. Howard some valuable advertising of his
H papers, Mr. Roosevelt a strengthening of his
~ badly weakened position with the business
— j world. To what extent the result was accom-
i _ plished may be open to question, but there can
j be no doubt of the close team work. For ex-
, ample, Mr. Howard in his letter, after setting _
A if forth some of the fears of business, suggested
  that the country was entitled to a “breathing
if spell.” This phrase was seized by Mr. Roosevelt
i who declared that the “breathing spell” is here.
§ Now just what is a “breathing spell”? As
°%°4 »   commonly understood it is a momentary pause
{ between strenuous exertions. It implies the
: necessity for brief rest before work is resumed.
i It is wholly temporary in character and of short
_ l duration. When a man says, “I am taking a
H breathing spell,” there is the implication, “I am
going faster when I start again.” What, there-
fore, may be expected from Mr. Roosevelt’s use
y of the term “breathing spell”?
i WHEN Mr. Roosevelt became President in
March of 1933, the whole country was praying
h + for recovery. An overwhelming majority of the
f people had voted for a change in the hope of .
H assisting toward recovery. The platform of the
Q Democratic party, upon which Mr. Roosevelt
i was elected, had outlined sound principles for
recovery which Mr. Roosevelt repeatedly
v pledged himself to carry out. His campaign
V speeches emphasized the necessity of employing
the good old American precepts of economy and
thrift in our national life. The Hoover admin-
istration was roundly condemned for extrava-
3

 gance, for the creation of a huge bureaucracy of seven and a half billion dollars, while the
and for governmental deficits. A complete re- four years of Hoover totalled only seven billions.
form was promised by Candidate Roosevelt in Not only that. From George Washington to
what he termed his solemn compact with the Wvoodrow Wilson, a period of a hundred and
American people. He even went so far as to twenty-four years, the expenditures of our Fed-
declare that no person would be appointed to eral Government amounted to $24,521,845,000.
his Cabinet who did not pledge loyalty to every Mr. _Roosevelt’s expenditures—actual for 1934
plank of the Democratic platform and particu- and estimated by him for 1935 and 1936, with
larly its economy declarations. the fiscal year 1937 not taken into account—
No suggestion here of spending our way back total more than $24,000,000,000. Under his
to p1‘0SpC1‘itY. No thought of emphasizing re. orders a complacent Congress appropriated this
form and forgetting recovery. No notion of a year $10,250,000,000. Forty-eight hundred and
planned economy for industry or agriculture. eighty millions of this was turned over to the
No mention of a death sentence for holding com- President, on his demand, to spend practically
panies. No intimation of deserting the gold in any way he might see fit for so-called Work
standard and defaulting on the contract given Relief. When he requested the money last
to those who bought our bonds. No advocacy 2 January he claimed to have definite plans to
of the socialistic experiment in the Tennessee take three and a half million men off the dole
Valley. Neither these nor various other acts and put them to W01‘k i111m6di¤t€lY OH public
which form the very keystone of the New Deal ., projects of permanent value. Apparently not
arch were suggested by Mr. Roosevelt during his even a practical scheme of administration has
campaign. If they had been put frankly before been developed, and the country was treated
*116 Am61‘i08H people Mr. Roosevelt would not last week to the spectacle of a public brawl be-
have been elected President. tween the two officials supposed to provide and
supervise the work. One of the suggested under-
BUT from the beginning of his administration mkings which niet with general apgroval was a e
Mr. Roosevelt started in to force through a sub- proposal to Chmmatc all gradc crOSSmgS' Up to
servient Congress one measure after another . dau? wlth $4’880’000’000 to Fp€nd’ the adminis-
that not only did not help toward recovery but tration has "{““ag°d by, dmt of Supcrliumiin
actually retarded it. Business was harassed by CHOH to get md of one hula grade cmssmg m
continuous interference and no man could fore- iuabama`, But boon-dOgg1mg—_Oh’ Boyéhow
see what might be attempted at Washington It has thnvcfli _
from day to dere TWO ef th e moot oolomn and Thus·bus1ness has been beset not only Wlth
oft repeated premises ef ML Roooovolt os a every k1nd of regulatory legislation but with the
candidate had heen te balance tho budget and o {iseal uncertamties that have resulted from
to curb expenditures of every nature to conform gomg OF the gold Stamdard’ dcvaluing the d0Har’
to revenues. But despite e moonieoom begin- mcreasmg deficits as a result of unprecedented
ning in the Eeehemy Act in the nrot oixty days L extravagance and waste, and an unbalanced
he not only later allowed every former extrava- budget _
gancc to he restored but entered upon o Spend- Every sane person has realized that this mad
, ing spree such as was never before witnessed in Orgy would have to be paid for through a crush`
any country ef thc week]. ing burden of taxation-—not merely soaking the
With his condemnation of the Hoover deiieits rich, blu extending to cflcry man who earns his
$5]] ringing in their ears, th e Amooiooo people bread in the sweat of his face. No picture that
Saw Mr. Reeeeveh Pile up in two yoors deficits Mr. Howard might have drawn could have exag-

 gerated the concern of business, both large and emphasized before the Convention that nom-
small, and in response to the suggestion of his inated him and in subsequent speeches his
newspaper advocate, Mr. Roosevelt promises a absolute adherence to every plank of that plat-
“breathing spell.” P {erm, He has not merely ignored these pledges .
—-he has contemptuously Houted them. His
THE “daisy chain” letters are quite as impor- actions have not been “in conformity with the
tant for what they omit as for what they say. basic economic purposes set forth three years
In neither of them is there mention of a bal- ago.”
anced budget. In neither is .there any sugges- The legislative program which he has choked
tion of an attempt at governmental economy. down the throat of Congress had no relation to
In neither is there a word about deficits. the Democratic platform pledges or his cam-
What may business expect in this regard? It paign speeches. On the other hand, as so ably
is quite the most important factor in the whole pointed out by James P. Warburg in his current
situation. Mr. Roosevelt has done all he can to book, that program has fulfilled to the letter the
bedevil business. His so-called “must” program premises of the platform and candidates of the
of legislation forced through Congress this year Socialist party. And mind you, in the election
has embraced one measure after another that of 1932, the Socialist platform was endorsed by
was unnecessary, unwise and probably unconsti-   only 900,000 voters, while the Democratic plat-
tutional, the effect of which has been to regu- form was endorsed by twenty-three millions.
late, to regulate and to further regulate. A   In view of this record what may the people
“breathing spell" prior to this astounding pro- expect if Mr. Roosevelt is re-elected? What may
gram would have been welcome indeed. But at business expect? How long will the "breathing
that time it was not even suggested. Now that spell” last? These are pertinent questions which
the damage is done, Mr. Roosevelt graciously each must answer for himself on the basis of
waves the wand for a temporary suspension of what has happened to the promises upon which
his war of extermination. Mr. Roosevelt was elected in 1932.
How long a °°breathing spell”? Will aggres-
sion begin fmew when Congress masscmblgs in AND then there is another consideration of
Jamlary with an attempt to revive the dis' overwhelming importance. Following the deci-
crcdlled NRA’ or will M1" Reesevele again a sion which held the N.R.A. unconstitutional
candidate for election to the Presidency, wait ML Roosevelt made 3 bitter attack on the
until after the people have voted in November Supreme Court It was not an impgtuous Out_
of next YC81’? ?If-IIC 1S 1`C·Cl€Ct€d, what maY burst It was carefully staged. For D"l0I`€ than
business expect ° an hour he talked to the Washington newspaper
. correspondents but did not permit them to
IN MR- ROOSEVET-T’S leller to Mn Howard   quote him directly. The reaction of the country
there are two Vel`Y extraordinary Sentences   to this astounding incident was apparently quite
wlllell l quote: He Said, wlllile a€lInlniSU`6ti0n   contrary to what Mr. Roosevelt expected. South
came lllle Pewer Pledgerl le a Very eenelderable and North, Wlest and East alike, he was criti-
leglelellVe Program? and later he said. “O¤1’ cized. He did not, therefore, endorse imme-
r actions were in C0Hf0l’II1itY   tl1C basic CCO- diatcly amendments to 13llC COI1SIltllti0I1 to limit
llemle PurP9See Set forth three years ¤g0·” the power of the Supreme Court and to extend
The only “legislative program" to which the the authority of the Federal Government under
Roosevelt administration was pledged was em- the Commerce. Clause, as had been forecast by
bodied ill the DCIHOCIQIIC pl8tf01'I11 of   He the correspondents tg whgm he addressed his
6 7

 discussion on May 31st. He had no further word fate of all who have criticized any act of the
te gay personally but Some of his Cabinet p1°6S(·3I1t 8(llI1i11iSl1’3li0I1. Our W01‘l{   g0 {OI-
spokesmen and others apparently reflecting his ward on an enlarged scale because there is real
attitude have continued to cry aloud for con- need for the work. ‘
stitutional change. Recently, we created a National Lawyers Com-
The last address delivered by Mr. Roosevelt mittee of the American Liberty League com-
was to the convention of Young Democrats at posed of fifty-eight leaders of the Bar from all
Milwaukee on August 24th. While there is no sections of the country and members of Pboth
frank mention of the subject the conclusion is political parties. Under the chairmanship of -
inescapable that the thought behind that ad- R. E. Desvernine that Committee is engaged in
dress is to endeavor to change the Constitution. a study of important legislative enactments of
There can be no proper objection from any the past thirty months. lts investigations relate
quarter to an orderly attempt at constitutional solely to constitutional questions. The first of
amendment in the manner duly provided by the its reports dealing with the National Labor Re-
terms of that wise instrument. But aside from lations Act will be made public the latter part
the Bill of Rights embracing the first ten of this week. The Roosevelt press has referred
Amendments and, in reality, a part of the A to this group of eminent lawyers as attorneys
original document, there have been only eleven employed by the Liberty League. As a matter
changes made in the one hundred and fifty of fact, there is no one of them who is receiving
years of its existence. _ directly or indirectly one cent of pay for the
The Constitution can and will be altered important work being done. These men have
when there is overwhelming sentiment for such . volunteered for a patriotic service of real value.
a course, but it must not be destroyed through That spirit is a little difficult for some people to
illegal acts of any administrative official or the understand.
attempt by Congress to arrogate to itself power A
p that hat ¤¢V<=t btttt