Edson: Old Dr. New Deal changes his name to Dr. New Peace
By Peter Edson
Washington –
You may well watch for the emergence of something that might be called “the New Peace” as successor to “the New Deal.”
President Roosevelt, in his now-famous aside to Dilworth Lupton of The Cleveland Press, just before Christmas, indicated that the New Deal slogan was outmoded and that something like “Win-the-War” would be more appropriate. A month later, Vice President Wallace told the Democratic Jackson Day dinner audience that the New Deal was not dead.
All the evidence would seem to indicate that Henry is right, as a look at the record of the last few weeks will show.
When the President was allegorically amplifying on his own views about how old Doctor New Deal had called in young Doctor Win-the-War to cure a sick country, he explained that although the post-war program had not been settled on at all – except in generalities – it was clear that plans must be made now for an expanded economy which will result in more security, more employment, more recreation, more education, more health and better housing for all, so that the conditions of 1932 would not return again.
Program outlined
There, from the President himself, you have the broad outlines of a post-war New Deal which is now being mentioned as “the New Peace” program.
In reality, it would be a successor to the President’s Win-the-War program.
The New Peace program has been dealt with in both the President’s regular message and in his budget message to Congress.
Basis of this New Peace program perhaps is best stated in the “Second Bill of Rights” passage from the President’s message:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
Political platform
This eight-point program certainly did not get into the presidential message by accident. It is a ready-made political platform if there ever was one.
Whether it merely restates old ideals or states a new peace program, it does not sound like much of an abandonment of the New Deal. Maybe the label will be dropped as something that no longer garners votes, but that’s all, and into the Second Bill of Rights you can read anything you like or don’t like, from socialized medicine or persecution of big business to social security from cradle to grave.
As if to implement this program, the President in his budget message gave clear indications that he would later ask Congress for appropriations to achieve the objectives of strengthening the U.S. Employment Service, broadening old-age and unemployment insurance coverage, providing public works to relieve post-war unemployment and finally, spreading the benefits of stabilized currencies and international management of trade and the production and distribution of food to the whole world.
The New Deal killed by its pappy? Don’t let them kid you. Henry was right.