liberty league

The American Liberty League, 1934-1940
Author(s): Frederick Rudolph
Source: The American Historical Review, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Oct., 1950), pp. 19-33
Published by: American Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1840619
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The AmericanLibertyLeague,1934-1940
FREDERICK
RUDOLPH
IN March,1934,theNew Deal was a yearold. The economiccollapsewhich
had provokedit and theconfusedbut determinedactivitiesof theNew Deal
had become,by then,profoundly
disturbing
to men whosegods wereAdam
Smith and HerbertSpencer.For them both the depressionand Franklin
Roosevelt'ssolutionscontainedunwholesomequantitiesof uncertainty
and
change. Correspondence,reflectingdespair and anger, flowed from one
citadelof economicpower to another,mostof it destinedto remainin the
privatefilesforwhichit was intended.Some of it, however,foundits way
into the chambersof Congressand eventuallyinto the public press.There
the anguish of what has come to be called the AmericanWay was from
time to time documentedand recorded.Of such a characterwas the exchange of lettersbetweenthe Du Pont Building in Wilmingtonand the
Empire State Building in New York in March, 1934, betweenR. R. M.
Carpenter,a retiredDu Pont vice-president,
and JohnJ. Raskob,a retired
chairmanof the Democraticpartybut a stillactivevice-president
of theDu
Pontorganization.
"Five negroeson myplace in South Carolinarefusedworkthisspring.. .
sayingtheyhad easy jobs withthe government,"
Carpenterwrote."A cook
on mry
houseboatat FortMyersquit becausethegovernment
was payinghim
a dollar an hour as a painter."What Mr. Carpenterasked of Mr. Raskob
was thathe, who mighthave theear of thePresidentfortheasking,inquire
of Mr. Rooseveltwhetherhe knew wherethe countrywas going; his own
at his place in South Carolina and on his houseboatin Florida,
experiences,
had convincedhim thatthe directionswerealtogether
contrary
to American
promise.Mr. Raskob was inclinedto agree,but,he said,he was now out of
politicsand, besides,he had a betteridea. "You haven'tmuch to do," he
wroteCarpenter,"and I know of no one thatcould bettertake the lead in
tryingto inducethe Du Pont and GeneralMotorsgroups,followedby other
to definitely
big industries,
organize to protectsocietyfromthe sufferings
is
whichit bound to endureif we allow communisticelementsto lead the
people to believethatall businessmenare crooks."Raskob went on to suggest thattherewas a need for"some verydefiniteorganizationthatwould
come out openlywithsomeplan foreducatingthepeopleto thevalue of encouragingpeople to work; encouragingpeople to get rich." He feltthat
I9
20
FrederickRudolph
R. R. M. Carpenter,
and his friends
Pierreand Ireneedu Pont,wereespeciallyequippedto takeon thattask,fortheywere"in a positionto talk
directly
witha groupthatcontrols
a largershareof industry
. . . thanany
othergroupintheUnitedStates."1
Of suchbeginnings
was theAmericanLibertyLeague.On AugustI5,
1934, an organization
suchas Raskobhad contemplated
in
was chartered
Washington,
D.C., dedicated
to "teachthenecessity
ofrespect
fortherights
ofpersons
andproperty
... and... thedutyofgovernment
toencourage
and
protect
individual
and groupinitiative
and enterprise,
to foster
therightto
work,earn,saveand acquireproperty,
and to preserve
theownership
and
lawfuluse ofproperty
whenacquired."2
And fromitsbirthuntilitsdeath,
its mostfaithful
financial
backersweretheDu Pontand GeneralMotors
groupsuponwhomRaskobhadcounted.3
The LibertyLeague was as indigenously
Americanas theNew Deal
whichitwasdetermined
todestroy.
Itsunsuccessful
efforts
tounseatFranklin
Roosevelt,
itsphilosophy
andprogram,
thetechniques
whichitusedinorder
to surviveas longas it did-thesearenotthematerials
ofan un-American
movement.
Theyarethecompound
ofa setofemphases
which,
although
they
foundlittlesupport
in theNew Deal, areas mucha partofthestructure
of
Americanvaluesas are thosewhichhavebeencarriedalongin succeeding
Democratic
administrations
since1932. The LibertyLeague represented
a
vigorousand well-stated
defenseof nineteenth
century
individualism
and
a moreexplicit
and determined
liberalism,
elaboration
ofthatposition
than
willbe foundelsewhere
inAmerican
history.
It wasorganized
ata timewhen
ofruggedindividualism
byandlargethephilosophy
hadstopped
performing
in Americansociety,
butthatis notto saythatit had lostall function-it
forexample,a stronghold upon the imaginations
of men
stillretained,
whoseexperiences
supported
itspromises.
Although
theNew Deal and the
of Americanpoliticalpreferences
sinceI932 hardlyarguesforthe
history
oftheposition
survival
therewastoo
whichtheLiberty
Leaguemaintained,
muchof a thoroughly
in themovement
American
character
to permitthe
1 New York Times,Dec. 2I, I934. The correspondence
was disclosedduringtheNye munitionshearingsin the Senate.When JouettShouse,presidentof the League, informedthe press
of the formationof the organization,he disclosedthatRaskob was one of its primemovers.
Ibid.,Aug. 23, I934.
2 AmericanLibertyLeague, AmericanLibertyLeague: A Statementof Its Principlesand
Purposes(Washington,I934).
'3 The League made periodicreportsto Congresson the stateof its finances
and the source
of its income.These may be foundreportedin the New York Times forJan.II, I935; Jan.26,
I936; Mar. I7, I936; Apr. 9, I936; JuneI2, I936; Sept. I2, I936; Oct. 22, I936; Jan.8, I937;
Mar. I2, I937; JuneI2, 3937; Sept. II, I937; Mar. II, I938. A studyof the reportsindicates
thattheLeague spentovera milliondollars;thatShouse,in I936, was thehighestpaid political
organizerin the UnitedStates,at a salaryof $36,ooo and $i8,ooo forexpenses;and thatof the
$483,000 collectedin I935, overone thirdwas contributed
by membersof the Du Pont family.
The American Liberty League,
I934-40
21
conclusionthatit was an unimportant,
flash-in-the-pan
combinationof undercoverpoliticalpartyand overtpressuregroup. The AmericanLiberty
old and
League was much morethanthat.Indeed,it symbolizedessentially
establishedtraditions
and valuescomingfaceto facewithnew social,political,
and economicfacts.In such a case, new facts,howeverunalterable,do not
immediatelysucceed in overcomingold values. At least until now, it has
beenthenatureof civilizedsocietiesthatmen have complicatedtheirlivesby
seekingto reconcilethe irreconcilable;such,in a way, was the aim of the
AmericanLibertyLeague. It emphasizedthevalues which,by its lights,deservedencouragement
and protection
fromnew factsat whichit balked,and
fromcertainother values in the societywhich it chose to ignore or deemphasize.
At a time when the Republicanpartywas bankruptof leadershipand
purpose,the AmericanLibertyLeague becamethe spokesmanfora business
civilization,and a defenderof that civilizationfromthe attacksof the adin Washingtonand of lessergroupsfromtherightand theleft,
ministration
thefollowersof FatherCoughlin,theTownsendites,
theSocialists,theSharethe-Wealthmovementof Huey Long. "Businesswhich bears the responsibilityfor the paychecksof privateemploymenthas littlevoice in government,"it complainedin itsStatementof Principlesand Purposes,proceeding
then to becomein the mid-thirties
the mouthpieceof organizedAmerican
conservatism.4
At a time when economicdistressencouragedan increasing
emphasisupon the forgotten
man and the commonman,it came to the defenseof the uncommonman who stood at the pinnacle-the uncommon
man, whose freedomto followthe bentof his naturaltalents,unfettered
by
government
regulationand control,had long been an ingrainedtenetof the
Americanfaith.The rosterof itsofficers
and ofitschieffinancialcontributors
is a rosterof the uncommonmen of thetime,themen whoseambitionsand
abilitieshad been rewardedwiththe success,the power,and the prestigeto
whichAmericansof everybackgroundhave beentraditionally
conditionedto
and
du
Lammot
of a vastindustrial
aspire:Irenee,Pierre,
Pont,controllers
empire;ErnestT. Wier, steelman; Will L. Clayton,Texas cottonbroker;
AlfredP. Sloan, presidentof GeneralMotors;Edward F. Hutton,chairman
of GeneralFoods; J.Howard Pew, presidentof Sun Oil; William S. Knudsen,also of GeneralMotors;JosephE. Widener,Philadelphiatransportation
magnate;Sewell L. Averyof Montgomery
Ward; GeorgeH. Houston,presi4 AmericanLibertyLeague: A Statement
of Its Principlesand Pturposes.
FromAugust,1934,
untilNovember,1936, theLeague made the firstpage of theNew York Times thirty-five
times;
in the absenceof organizedRepublicanism,
the presslooked to it foroppositionsentiment
on
New Deal legislative
proposals.
22
FrederickRudolph
proAnd withthemwerecorporation
lawyers,
dentofBaldwinLocomotive.
a mixture
whorepresented
someacademicians,
andothers
politicians,
fessional
Theyweremenwho
of businesswithpoliticsor businesswithacademics.
of social
to thatcombination
or experience,
out of conviction
subscribed,
streamof
whichevokeda constant
Darwinismand Americanexperience
ofthe
and pressreleasesfromtheoffices
radioaddresses,
pamphlets,
leaflets,
includedAlfredE. Smith,1928 presidential
League.5Its spokesmen
Liberty
was a storyout of
candidateof the Democraticparty,whosebiography
oftheDemocratic
candidate
HoratioAlger;JohnW. Davis,I924 presidential
of
Colby,Secretary
partyand chiefcounselforJ.P. Morgan;Bainbridge
Hearst;
Randolph
William
for
attorney
and
StateunderWoodrowWilson
atLehigh;
Administration
oftheCollegeofBusiness
director
Neil Carothers,
Alat Princeton;
finance
of international
professor
EdwardW. Kemmerer,
ofWilliamGrahamSumner,
at Yale and student
bertG. Keller,professor
withthetranswhichwasshotthrough
a Scienceof Society
whoconstructed
andSamuelHardenChurch,
tosocialinstitutions;
ferofDarwiniananalysis
ofitsnational
The membership
in Pittsburgh.
headoftheCarnegieInstitute
of
interests
business
successful
from
the
largely
drawn
was
council
advisory
permitted
statesof theNorthand East,whosecontributions
theindustrial
ofthe
theLeagueto spendovera milliondollarsto defenditsconstruction
in whicha concernforindividual
AmericanWay-a businesscivilization
the worshipof success,thehighvalueof
individualism,
romantic
liberty,
inof economic
in a tradition
wereembedded
personalpowerand prestige
thanas a dreamto
lessas a reality
in America,
whichsurvived
dependence
befulfilled.
in ordertopromote
itself
Leaguedressed
The cloakin whichtheLiberty
wasmadeofrespectable
partialselfgeneralities,
anditsprogram
itsposition
It suphypocrisy.
and frequently
embarrassing
delusion,intensesincerity,
it
United
States;
of the
theConstitution
intensity
portedwithworshipful
to an
in opposition
and ofliberty
placeditselfon thesideoftheindividual
the judgmentof the
it respected
bureaucracy;
government
encroaching
of federal
theseparation
who had so wiselyincorporated
fathers
founding
it deofthestatesintothegreatnationaldocument;
powersand therights
fendedtheAmericanrightto enjoythesweatof one'sown laborand the
fewcouldfindfault,
Withitsannounced
purposes
ofone'sability.6
rewards
5Reportingon theactivitiesof the firstseventeenmonthsof theLeague, Shousemaintained
that 1,363 weeklynewspaperswere acceptinga specialLeague news service.New York Times,
of speeches
Jan.26, I936. In addition,each monthsaw the publicationof pamphlets,consisting
and radio addressesof League spokesmen,as well as speciallypreparedstudiesof New Deal
in Washington.
byLeague researchers
legislation
6 For the main directions
of LibertyLeague thought,use was made of its seriesof Bulletins
The American Liberty League,
I934-40
23
but as FranklinRoosevelttold his pressconference
on the day followingthe
announcementof the formationof the organization,the League reminded
him of a grouporganizedto upholdtwo of theTen Commandments.7
William E. Borah, said a headline in the New York Times, "Backs Plan of
LibertyLeague," yet deep in the columnof the storyitselfone could find
Borah, facingup to the questionof industrialmonopoly,declaring,"The
powerwhichclosesthe door of opportunity
. .. in thebusinessworldleaves
me cold to all theirpanegyricsabout liberty.... There is no libertyworthy
of the name withouteconomicfreedomand social justice."8It was thisabsence of any concernforthe social and economicdislocationsof the 1930's
which documentedthe League's great skill at self-delusion.It sincerely
thoughtthat it had somethingvital to sell,but it miserablymisjudgedthe
consumerswhom it hoped to win. Frantically,
it triedto save a people who
wouldnotbe saved.
Howeverwell it represented
certainAmericanvalues,theLibertyLeague
ran counterto othervalues in Americansocietywhich foundmore fertile
soil in the economicdistresswhichfollowedthe stockmarketcrashof I929.
Americanbenevolenceand humanitarianism,
when called upon to face the
could findno solugreatestunemployment
problemin the nation'shistory,
tion in the well-roundedphrasesof the foundingfathersor in the fearsof
the AmericanLibertyLeague. R. R. M. Carpenter'sanxietyover the behaviorof his farmhandsin Carolinaand ofthechefon hisFloridahouseboat
was not the kind of anxietywhichAmericansocietyin generalwas experiencing.For mostAmericans,as successiveRooseveltvictoriesdemonstrated,
it seemedaltogethermore importantto look afterthe ill-fed,the ill-clothed,
and the ill-housedthan to pay heed to Mr. Carpenter'sdespair;and, in the
process,it seemeda lesserevil thatthe government
take on a greatand allencompassinghumanitarianfunctionthan thatthe veryAmericanvalue of
be thwartedby a too rigiddevotionto a past way of doing
humanitarianism
things.If therehad been a streakof benevolencein theannouncements,
publications,and radio addressesof the LibertyLeague, one wonderswhether
anyonewould have taken them seriously,but,even so, it is an inescapable
conclusionthattheabsenceof anyhumanitarian
concernwas a seriousdrawback to its growth.When one of its academicspokesmendescribedthe depressionas somethingof a healthtonicintendedto rid theeconomicsystem
of harmfulpoisons,it displayedits lack of a warmappreciationof the social
and Documents(1934-36), in whichthe basicpositionof theLeague is carefully
and frequently
expoundedby itsspokesmenand staffwriters.
7 NewYorkTimes,
Aug.25, I934.
8 Ibid.,Sept.25, I 934.
24
FrederickRudolph
ofthoseeconomic
theeradication
whichhadattended
illnesses
and economic
acforunionrepresentation
Its attackupontheNLRA provision
poisons.9
freewiththeindividual
voteas an "illegalinterference
cordingto majority
domof theworker. . . to sellhisownlaboron hisownterms"couldonly
the
underlying
factors
be takenas a refusal
to admitthesocialandeconomic
of itsIllinoisdivisionreWhenthechairman
growingunionmovement.10
of the
by seizingtheaccumulation
marked,"You can'trecoverprosperity
theLeaguewas
andtheunlucky,"
it to thethriftless
and distributing
thrifty
livinghabitsorasking
peoplewithcareless
charging
theAmerican
explicitly
with
statistics
in unemployment
themto acceptall thebad luckreflected
one Elmer
WhentheLeaguefounda farmer,
patienceand good humor.11
whowouldsayforpublication
WillisSerl,RouteOne,Delavan,Wisconsin,
Northor Southof hisneck. . . needsa
anything
that"thefarmer
without
was
humanitarianism
prodin thepantsandnota patontheback,"American
PartlybecausetheLeagueeitherdid notcareto or foundno
unimpressed.
sentiAmerican
andcharacteristic
waytoenliston itssidethiswell-developed
failure.12
ment,
itinvited
whichmightbe deAnd if it did notcareto makeuse of thestrength
coulditdependupon
neither
impulse,
rivedfroman ingrained
humanitarian
humoras a weaponwithwhichto attacktheNew Deal and its works.
in Americaperhapsreached
ofpoliticalwarfare
Laughteras an instrument
ofAbrahamLincoln,butthe
in thehomelypolitical
speeches
itsrefinement
in
as a constant
maybe recognized
valueofhumorin theartofpersuasion
RooseFranklin
through
ofBenFranklin
life,fromthewitticisms
American
Unionin I944. Yet,
theTeamsters
velt'sremarks
abouthisdogFalla before
Liberty
League.It sought
humorcouldnotbe puttoworkfortheAmerican
Administraoftheactivities
oftheWorksProgress
laughsin an enumeration
catamusiclessons,artprojects,
library
tion:ratextermination
campaigns,
however,
loging,and dancesby SallyRand,thefandancer.The laughter,
one mightsayabouttheNew Deal, theunderwas hollow,forwhatever
couldnotbelaughedat.13
Quite
withwhichitwasconfronted
lyingproblems
was trueof theLiberty
thereverse
League.SenatorBorah,a yearafterthe
thathe was a backerof theLeague,deannounced
Timeshad mistakenly
claredof theDu Ponts:"TheyweredeeplymovedabouttheConstitution
9 AmericanLibertyLeague,Document28, Government
NBC speechof Apr.
by Experiment,
LehighUnidirector
of theCollegeof BusinessAdministration,
by Dr. Neil Carothers,
versity,
p. 6.
10 Bulletin2 (September,
p. I.
I935),
" Document29, Ralph M. Shaw, chairmanof theIllinoisDivisionof the AmericanLiberty
Sea Island,May 3I, I935, p. I3.
League,speechbeforetheGeorgiaBar Association,
12 Leaflet
5, A FarmerSpeaks (1936?).
13 Document78, WorkRelief(November,I 935),
p. I5.
I7, I935,
The AmericanLibertyLeague,
1934-40
25
an asit."14In Richmond
of theUnitedStates.Theyhad justdiscovered
Leagueras
a Liberty
defining
theVirginialegislature,
addressed
semblyman
butashamedofit,[or] a manraisedas a Demo"a manwhois a Republican
bythebarrelandsugarbythesack,made
cratwho'sbecomeabletobuyflour
hat."15
coatand stove-pipe
one tripto New Yorkand boughta forked-tail
outlast
address
scene
of
his
as
the
Wilmington
selecting
Roosevelt,
Franklin
to speakon
tookthe opportunity
side New York in the I936 campaign,
an old taleof Lincoln'saboutthewolfwho,having
recounting
"Liberty,"
to
complained
lambbya shepherd,
beentornfromtheneckofan innocent
orworse,
Forbetter
ofhisliberty.16
theshepherd
thathe wasbeingdeprived
source
distress
area better
intimesofeconomic
thecomplaints
ofthewealthy
andthemisery
ofthemany.The effectiveofhumorthanarethediscontent
nessof LibertyLeague humorwas limitedto thealreadyconvinced-the
in
and defenders
and theirapologists
economically
wealthyand powerful
and themajorpoliticalparties.
universities,
thebarassociations,
might
In the 1930's an organization
with"sound"Americanprinciples
to attaina membership
ofmorethanI50,000 at itspeak,
havebeenexpected
ofhumor.
of a humanitarian
impulseor thesanction
without
theassistance
Butit couldnotgo muchbeyondI50,000 ifitturneditsbackuponthecomhim.Jouett
mon man or insincerely
used the cultwhichhad enthroned
of the League-onetimechairmanof the Democratic
Shouse,president
againstthe
headof theAssociation
and former
committee
executive
party's
in August,1934, on theambiwheninterviewed
Eighteenth
Amendment,
to
thathe expected
toldreporters
tionsand intentions
of his organization,
The nextdaytheTimes
enlisttwoto threemillionpeoplein thecrusade.17
Reprehadbeenrevisedupwardtofourmillion.18
thathisestimates
reported
officers
oftheLeagueand a
oneofthefirst
sentative
JamesW. Wadsworth,
that"thefirststep
senatorfromNew York,announced
Republican
former
the
intoseveraldivisions,
laborers,
farmers,
organizing
willbe organization
publicandothergroupsthatareall in thesameboat.19 The chairinvesting
oftheLeague,in November,
I934, tolda radio
manoftheMissouridivision
ofthecountry
wascreated
togivethecitizens
audiencethattheorganization
ofpublicopinion";a similarsentiment
"themeansforcollective
expression
of theLeague,whichdeclaredthatit
in theplatform
had beenexpressed
New York Times,Apr. i i, I 93 6.
27, I1936.
16 Samuel I. Rosenman, ed., The Public Papersand Addresses
of FranklinD. Roosevelt,V
(New York, 1938), 557-58. Wilmington, Delaware, Oct. 29, I936.
17 New York Times, Aug. 23, I934.
1" Ibid.,Aug. 24, I 93419 Ibid.
14
15
Ibid.,Feb.
26
FrederickRudolph
people. . . an opporwould"providefortherankand fileoftheAmerican
forselfish
of anyand all groupsworking
theinfluence
. . . to offset
tunity
people
American
to
the
itself
presented
League
Thus,theLiberty
purposes."20
oftheir
to givethema voicein theaffairs
designed
as a popularmovement,
Leaguebowedto thecult
Liberty
to thisdegreetheAmerican
government;
"The Leaguedoesnot
of thecommonman.In Moscow,Izvestiareported,
it
intendto limititselfto theupperstrataof society; aimsto conquerthe
masses."21
evidenceof the degreeto whichthe
is sufficient
The record,however,
oftheLeague
No laboror farmdivisions
commonman failedto respond.
wasits
subsidiary
indeed,theLeague'sonlyinterest-group
wereeverformed;
Furlawyers.
ofcorporation
largely
composed
NationalLawyersCommittee,
LibAmerican
needed
the
people
American
its
that
the
thermore, suggestion
of
to a trustin theeffectiveness
themrancounter
ertyLeagueto represent
fees
whichhad n8 membership
For an organization
populargovernment.22
monthswas nota veryconin itsfirstseventeen
or dues,75,000members
vincingshowingdespiteShouse'sfeelingthatthereceiptof one and two
"fardownintothemass
meantthattheLeaguewasreaching
dollardonations
of Americanpeople."23At a luncheonmeetingof the AmericanLiberty
League of New York,heldin theEmpireStateBuilding,Shousetoldhis
to addressthisclub
to havetheopportunity
thathe was "delighted
listeners
cross
an excellent
and itsaffiliations
in itsmembership
which. . . represents
Eighteenmonthslaterin an
of America."24
sectionof thegreatmetropolis
toemphasize
thatitwould"continue
official
theLeaguedeclared
publication
were
thesestatements
Whether
ofthemasses."25
theprotection
oftherights
as thefactthattheyall
is notso important
or ofignorance
bornofhypocrisy
to thecommonman whomtheLeaguesomehowhopedto
werea tribute
of wealth
theprivileges
to thecontrary,
itsprotestations
winby defending,
The League,likethevalueswhichit upheld,was in a sense
and position.
valueswhichcouldnot
ofannoying
factsandprevailing
in a complex
trapped
20 Document
74, The National Lawyers Committee of the American Liberty League, radio
addressof EthanA. H. Shepley,chairmanof theMissouriDivision,broadcastoverStationKMOX,
St. Louis, Nov. 6, I935, p. 2. Also,American Liberty League: Its Platform (Washington,I934).
21 P. Lapinskiin Izvestia, quoted in "A Russianon theA.L.L.," Living Age, vol. 347 (November,I934), 277-78.
of War, refusedto join the group. "I am
22 PatrickJ. Hurley,HerbertHoover's Secretary
tryingto rule the nation.It is ridiculousforany class to come
opposed,"he said, "to minorities
Everydistrictelectsa Congressmanand
forwardwith the statementthatit is not represented.
everystatetwo Senators."New YorkTimes, Aug. 30, I934.
23 Ibid., Sept.8, I934.
24 Document25, Congress at the Crossroads, Jouett
Shouse to the AmericanLibertyLeague
Club ofNew York,Mar. 30, I935, broadcastbyCBS, p. 2.
25 Bulletin,
Aug. I5, I936, p. I.
LibertyLeague, 1934-40
The American
27
ofmasbythenecessity
be shovedaside;itstrialsweremademoreapparent
A removement.
as
a
popular
and
wealth
a
property
querading defenseof
was a
radioaddresses
and its sponsored
curringthemein its publications
fearfora
of Americanwealth,an embarrassing
fearof theredistribution
In its activeyearsit agreedwithFranklinRoosevelt
popularmovement.
bonusand to thethirty-hour
to thesoldier's
twice:in hisopposition
exactly
week.
of
requirements
Caringno moreforthecommonmanthantheminimum
built
have
could
the
League,
nonetheless,
Liberty
demanded,
publicrelations
ofthedemagogues
had it adoptedthetechniques
a largerpopularfollowing
in suchgroupsas the
membership
who wereamassinga moreimpressive
clubs,and in theUnionforSocialJusTownsendclubs,Share-the-Wealth
was
tice.Its appeal,however, pitchedon a levelwhichplaceditsemphasis
had verylittleofwhichmostAmericans
uponthedefenseof something
of thedecade,theNew Deal inThe trulypopularmovements
property.
forthecommonman,fortheaged,for
something
specific
cluded,promised
rather
whiletheLibertyLeague offered
underprivileged,
theeconomically
in
holdersfromthepeopleand fromtheirgovernment
to protect
property
ofthe
grewoutofa misreading
That theLeague'sambitions
Washington.
thattheunwhenoneconsiders
apparent
becomesrather
temper
American
offices
andstaff
throughofan elaborate
headquarters
Washington
toldefforts
of overa milliondollarswentintoa
and theexpenditure
out thecountry
theLeague,after
disappointing;
whoseresultswereso pitifully
movement
see
it
overwhelmingly
only
to
Deal
in
I934
New
guns
on
the
all,turnedits
whichitused-theConstitusymbols
in I936. The emotive
to office
returned
theAmeriofIndependence-and
tion,theSupremeCourt,theDeclaration
and
Washington,
can heroesto whomit appealedforsanction-Jefferson,
opinmass
in
manufacturing
useful
beenextremely
Lincoln-havegenerally
mustalsohave
and thesanctions
ion in theUnitedStates,butthesymbols
thepeoplewanted.In the1930's thecultof
beenputto use forsomething
to
in American
embedded
society
thecommonmanhad becomesufficiently
mustdisregard
organization
makeclearthatanypressure
groupor political
way
theveryhardest
Leaguelearned
Liberty
itatitsownperil;theAmerican
on his way up undertheauspicesof
thatthecommonman,who started
leaderin givingthedirections
had replacedtheindustrial
AndrewJackson,
inAmerican
life.
had placed
whichAmericans
Withsimilarperil,it ignoredtheemphasis
werepartand parcelof theAmerican
Freedomand liberty
uponequality.
bygiantcorwhich,whenfostered
of a freedom
Way,butas thedefenders
Rudolph
Frederick
28
porations,
at leastlookedlike license,theLeague was evenmoresuspect
becauseof itssilenceon thecompelling
American
valueofequality.
The potential
Leaguemember
mightlistentoitsspokesmen
on theradio
or read its profusion
of pamphlets
and bulletinswithoutdiscerning
any
awareness
oftheequalitarian
strainin American
thinking.
Few Leagueofficialswereas outspokenly
antiequalitarian
as Frederick
H. Stinchfield
in an
addressat Salt Lake City,wherehe quotedgenerously
fromAlexisCarrel,
whoseobservations
wereso completely
contrary
to Americanaspiration.
"The democratic
ideal has alreadydetermined
the predominance
of the
weak,"Stinchfield
quotedfromCarrel."The onlywayto obviatethedisastrouspredominance
of theweakis to developthestrong.
. . . Todaythe
weakshouldnotbe artificially
maintained
in wealthand power.... Each
individual
mustriseor sinkto thelevelforwhichhe is fitted
bythequality
ofhistissuesand ofhissoul."26Yet,iffewwentso faras Stinchfield,
none
showedmuchmoreconcern
forequality
thanRaoulE. Desvernine,
chairman
of theLeague'slawyersdivision,
who wentno further
thantheexpression
ofa common
in Chicagowhien
Leagueplatitude
he insisted,
"Allhaveequalityof rightsunderthe Constitution
and beforethe law."27Actually,
the
League'sinterest
in equalitywas a somewhat
obverseone: it was willing
thatChristian
ministers
directthemselves
towardthebusinessof building
Christians
of equal character,
so longas theyceased"wastingtimeon the
ofthetime;28
superficial"
socialand economic
it was eagerthata
problems
greater
equality
be introduced
since"interest
in goodgovernment
oftaxation
wouldbe heightened
if a largernumberof personswererequiredto pay
sometax."29Butit had no seriousinterest
in openingwidertheavenuesof
or thevariouslegissocialand economic
opportunity
bymeansofeducation
of theNew Deal. The Leaguemighthaveconvinced
lativemeasures
some
concerned
aboutequalityofeconomic
one thatit was seriously
opportunity
had it remembered
at anytimeduringthecourseofitshistory
theposition
had takenon monopoly.
ofprinciples
whichitsfirst
statement
and purposes
thatit was opposedto thespread
At thattimetheLeaguehad announced
thequestionit gaveeloquenttestiofmonopolies.
By subsequently
ignoring
The
ofthatposition. League,indeed,had cutoutan
monyto theinsincerity
thatit ambitiously
impossible
job foritself,whenone considers
hopedto
26 Document
Heritage?(Salt Lake City,January,
I936), p. 6.
go, The Constitution-Whose
sanctionin quotationsfromThe Federalistand fromJohnMarshall.
Stinchfield
foundfurther
27 Document88, Americanism
at the Crossroads,
speechof Raoul E. Desvernine,beforethe
RepublicanRound Table Luncheon,HamiltonRepublicanClub, Chicago,Jan.I5, I936, p. 7.
28 Document43, The Duty of the Churchto the Social Order,speechof S. Wells Utley,
memberNational AdvisoryCouncil,AmericanLibertyLeague, beforeMichiganAssociationof
Congregational
Churches,
May2I,
29
I935.
Document83, A ProgramforCongress(December,I935), p. 12.
The American
LibertyLeague, I934-40
29
accomplish
itspurposesby ignoring
thecommonman and by refusing
to
call upon eitherthe humanitarian
or equalitarian
valuesin Americansociety.The Liberty
Leaguerseitherdid notknowtheircountry
or theywere
unusually
adeptatplanning
failure.
of
PerhapsthemostcuriousfacetoftheLeague'shistory
was thefiction
nonpartisanship,
maintained
and nurtured
fromitsoriginsuntilits dying
day.Shouse,forinstance,
disclosed
theplansandintentions
oftheLeaguein
a visitto theWhiteHousein earlyAugust,1934, askingifthePresident
objected.30
Whenhe toldthepressoftheneworganization
on August22, I934,
he remarked,
"It is definitely
notanti-Roosevelt."31
In April,I936, and later
duringthepresidential
campaign
ofthatyear,Leagueofficials
reiterated
that
theirgroupwasa "nonpartisan
organization
founded
todefend
theConstitution."Onlyincidentally,
theysaid,do we findourselves
opposedtoFranklin
and theNew Deal.32The lengths
to whichnonpartisanship
could
Roosevelt
and former
be takenwas demonstrated
by JamesM. Beck,Leagueofficial
it
solicitor
generaloftheUnitedStates,whenhe askedin a speechwhether
be that"theAmerican
couldpossibly
peoplewillabandonthefaithofWashingtonandFranklin,
ofJefferson
andHamilton,
ofMarshallandLincoln,of
Clevelandand McKinley. . ." " When the electorate
of everystatebut
Maineand Vermontreturned
FranklinRooseveltto theWhiteHouse in
November,
I936,theLeaguebegantopruneitsstaff
andgaveup itscustom
ofissuingperiodic
pressreleases;Washington
observers
thenpredicted
that,
in linewiththeLeague'shistory
ofpseudononpartisanship,
"aftera decent
thattheLeague'scareerwas notcoevalwiththe
interval
has demonstrated
and
campaignagainstPresident
Roosevelt,
sustenance
will be withdrawn
theLeague will disappear."34
Whateverthereasons,theLeague actedaccordingly.
ofvirtuous
thereweretwoserioushandicaps
in theposition
Strategically,
to maintain.
It fooledno one;
nonpartisanship
whichtheLeaguepretended
and it amountedto a self-imposed
on thekindof attackwhich
limitation
couldbe madeupontheNew Deal andFranklin
Roosevelt.
Americans
prefer
to attackmenratherthanissues,a preference
whichmaybe a function
of
or of theirwarinessof ideas; in anycase,
theirdevotionto individualism
however,
theLeaguecouldnotand did notinvolveitselfin concerted
per30New York Times,Aug. 25, 1934. Rooseveltrespondedthatit was none of his business,
but,evenso, he had no objection.
31 Ibid.,Aug. 23, I934.
32 Ibid., Apr. 20, I936. See also Document6, Progressvs. Change,speechof JouettShouse
beforeBondClub of New York,Nov. 20, I934.
33 Document22, WhatIs the Constitution
betweenFriends?,speechof JamesM. Beck,Mar.
27, I935, p. 8.
34 New YorkTimes,Dec. 20, I936.
30
FrederickRudolph
sonalattacksuponthePresident
or uponthepersonalities
of theadministration.
On the otherhand,the New Dealersthemselves
had no qualms
abouttheirown partisanship,
and the LibertyLeague,forthem,became
synonymous
withDu Pont,economicroyalists,
and moneybags; indeed,
evenafteritsexpiration,
theLeaguewasa symbol
ofselfish
greedandspecial
interests.
The fact,moreover,
thatall six of the originalofficers
weredetermined
opponents
oftheNew Deal destroyed
theeffect
ofnonpartisanship
whichitsmixedRepublican
and Democratic
membership
was supposedto
convey.35
For a whiletheLeaguedidappeartobe composed
ofmoreDemocratsthanRepublicans,
butbyJanuary,
1936,whentheLeaguesponsored
a
well-publicized
dinnerin Washington
at whichAl Smithattacked
theNew
Deal, ArthurKrockwas writing
in the Timesthatthe"members
of the
League mightbe classedas themostconservative
groupin thecountry
towhatthe
day.... The Leagueis dominated
byRepublicans."
Considering
LibertyLeague appearedto be-"a conservative
group,inimicalto the
President
and his policies,politicalin personnel,
financed
bytheDu Ponts
andcreated
forthesolepurposeofbringing
backtheOld Deal"-it is understandablewhythe backersof the League expectedthata rational"nonto itsgrowth.3"
The Leaguehad
partisan"
positionmightbe advantageous
triedto adopttheprotective
ofa popularmovement
takcoloration
without
ing veryseriously
theproblems
of thecommonmanand by ignoring
the
equalitarian
emphasis
in American
values;whenitsoughtfurther
todisguise
itsbackingand itspurposes
bycallingthemnonpartisan,
it openeditselfto
thechargeofgrosshypocrisy.
and psychoThe New Deal, on theotherhand,foundreadyideological
logicalmaterial
in itsattackuponthedepression
and uponitscritics
in the
in Americanlife,as well
and practice
manifest
divergence
betweentheory
exas in a growing
popularfrustration
whichhad grownoutofunrealistic
nurtured
pectations
by the nationalfaith.The League'sdevotionto the
to itscritics
ofmoreassistance
thanto
successstorywas probably
American
has preitself.For, althoughit mightinsistthat"equalityof opportunity
and that"<poor
vailedunderthe Americanformof government"
boysin
haveamassedwealthwithno capitalexceptamnumbers
almostcountless
.. . andtheincentive
oftheprivate
. .. thrift
bition,
energy
property
system,"
werestrong
reminders
ofa
in thedepthofthedepression
suchdeclarations
35 The first
of the League were JouettShouse,Democratand politician;JohnW.
six officers
Davis, Democratand politician;AlfredE. Smith,Democratand politician;Nathan I. Miller,
du Pont,
Republicanand politician;JamesW. Wadsworth,Republicanand politician;and Iren6ee
Democratand industrialist.
36 Arthur
Krock,New YorkTimes,Nov. I0, I 934.
The AmericanLibertyLeague,
1934-40
3I
very real disparitybetweenpromiseand performancein Americanlife.37
JohnJ.Raskob,usingthestoryof his risefromragsto richesas an argument
forjoiningthe League, was, in the I930's, too farremovedfromthe experience of mostAmericansto do muchmorethanremindthemthattimeshad
in the economicand social
The League was not interested
surelychanged.38
realitieswhich confrontedthe Americanpeople; its concernwas with the
frameworkwhich,with otherfactors,had
ideologyand the constitutional
enabledyoungmen in the past to amass greatfortunesand to arriveat stationsin lifewhichcarriedprestigeand power.In bettertimes,itsthoroughly
Americanphilosophymighthave had greaterdevotion;in bad times,however,othervalueswhichtheLeague couldnotsuppresswereboundto flourish
of
and concernoverthemalfunctioning
-humanitarianism,equalitarianism,
thenationalideology.
of the League was littlebetterdesignedto bringthe
The performance
desiredresultsthan was its approach.Its firstand almostonly practicalalto theNew Deal was to suggestthattheRed Crossbe commissioned
ternative
on the unconThe effectof its pronouncements
to handle all directrelief.39
of the National Labor RelationsAct was to encourageindusstitutionality
trialiststo disregardthe collectivebargainingprovisionsof the legislation,
throwingstrugglingunions into courtsall over the countryand leading
eventuallyto the sit-downstrikesof I936.4? It discoveredthatThomas Jeffersymbolfortheleftthanfortheright,even
son provedto be a moreeffective
thoughhe once had said that"were we directedfromWashingtonwhen to
sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread."41The presenceof
twelveDu Ponts at its I936 dinnerat whichAl Smithspoke destroyedthe
desiredeffectof the presenceof the boy fromthe streetsof the East Side;
indeed,whenSmithspentthesummerof I936 in a moreconcertedattackon
the New Deal, he carefullyrefrainedfromacceptingLibertyLeague sponsorship.In I936, too,theRepublicanpartyaskedtheLibertyLeague, by then
a politicalliability,to "stay aloof fromtoo close alliance with the Landon
campaign": the League co-operatedby announcingthat it would remain
nonpartisanduringthecampaign,and it neverdid endorseLandon.42When
betweenFriends?p. I 8.
WhatIs theConstitution
New YorkTimes,Feb. I, 1936.This was a page-I story.
39 Ibid., Dec. 9, 1934. The suggestion
was made by Shouse in a speechbeforethe Beacon
SocietyofBostonthenightbefore.
40 Ibid.,Apr.21, I937.
41 Document58, The Imperilment
of Democracy,radioaddressof FitzgeraldHall, president
of the Nashville,Chattanooga,and St. Louis RailwayCo., underauspicesof KentuckyDivision
of theAmericanLibertyLeague,Julyi8, 1935.
42 New York Times,JulyI, I936. The front-page
headlineof the Times declared:" 'Nonpartisan'Fighton RooseveltIs OpenedbytheLibertyLeague."
37
38
FrederickRudolph
32
theLeaguesponsored
a six-day
institute
attheUniversity
ofVirginiaon"The
Constitution
and theNew Deal," Virginius
Dabney,theRichmond
editor,
reported
that"theaudienceswereso openlyhostileto theLeague and its
spokesmen
thattheroundtableprovedsomething
ofa boomerang."43
Congressional
investigations
disclosed
thattheguidingfigures
oftheLeaguewere
largecontributors
to all and sundryanti-NewDeal groups;theDu Pont
brothers,
AlfredSloan,andJohnJ.Raskobweretheprincipal
financial
backers,forinstance,
of theSouthern
Democratic
convention
at Maconin I936,
whenEugeneTalmadgemadehisbidforthepresidency,
withtheassistance
ofGeraldL. K. Smith,inheritor
ofthetogaofHueyLong;lesserright-wing
groupsliketheCrusaders,
Sentinels
oftheRepublic,
NationalConference
of
Investors,
and theFarmers'Independence
Council-mostofthemmasthead
organizations,
operatedby professional
publicists
and lobbyists,
manyof
whom,liketheprincipal
officers
andbackers
oftheLeague,wereveterans
of
theprohibition
repealmovement-owed
substantial
financial
backingto the
same smallgroupof industrialists
who sponsored
theLibertyLeague.A
Timeseditorial
observed
at thetimethattheLeague'sfounders
weremaking
somerather
poorinvestments.44
In an imaginary
and a Future
conversation
betweena FutureHistorian
Historian's
Wife,HamiltonBassoin theNew Republicin I936 causedhis
historian's
wifeto ask: "There'sone thingI'd liketo know.Whywas the
Liberty
Leaguefounded?"
The FutureHistorian
answered:
"That'sanother
It is as if a bandof menjoinedtogether
to assassinate
theirbest
mystery.
friend.
It comesundertheheadofabnormal
has
psychology.
Myfriend
Jones
written
an excellent
on thesubject. . . called'An Investigation
monograph
WhenAffected
intotheBehaviorof Millionaires
by a SevereCase of the
. .. In answerto yourquestion,
it is fairly
safeto saythat
Jitters.'
however,
theLiberty
to defeatRoosevelt
II."" Basso,hisFuture
Leaguewas formed
and thehistorian's
Historian,
friend
Joneswereall quiterightas faras they
went,buta lookat theLiberty
Leagueis morethana casestudyinopposition
totheNew Deal orin millionaire
It is,as well,a studyoftheanguish
jitters.
valuesin a timeof severeeconomic
of American
collapse.BoththeLeague
and theNew Deal wereconstructed
ofAmerican
butthosewhich
materials,
wentintotheNew Deal, giventhefactswithwhichtheywereintended
to
cope,builta moredurablestructure.
ina smallitemonpage20,
On September
24, I940, theNewYorkTimes,
43 Ibid.,July2I, I935.
"4Ibid., Apr.I7, 1936.
46 HamiltonBasso, "Tle LibertyLeague Writes,"New Republic,XXCVII (July22, I936),
319-21.
The Amnerican
LibertyLeague,
I934-40
33
announcedthat the AmericanLibertyLeague, afterfour yearsof silence,
had expired;it statedsimplythat"Recently. . . the offices
in the National
PressClub wereclosed."Four yearsearliera Yale professor
had prematurely
concludedthat"had it not been forthe AmericanLibertyLeague with its
constantexposition,
exposure,and panning,theNew Deal would have setits
rootsand claws moredeeplyintoour nationalfleshand it would have taken
yearsto extricateit."46ProfessorWesterfield's
misreadingof the timesand
of thepossibilities
of theLeague had been symbolicof theLeague's approach
and performance.
It had misreadAmericanhistoryand character;it had misjudged contemporary
opinion,drawingon the developmentof a business
civilization,romanticindividualism,concernforliberty,
and the worshipof
successand power and prestigeas the sole ingredients
of its construction
of
theAmericanWay. It had maintainedtheobviousfictionof nonpartisanship
long afterit was apparentto everyonethatits aims werepolitical.It became
a symbolof greed,reaction,and coldheartedconstitution
worship;while it
defendedliberty,it scornedequality-at a time when economicand social
factsprovidedmorefertilesoil foran equalitarianemphasis.It failedto develop into the mass movementit had anticipated,permitting
all that was
Americanabouthumanitarianism,
thecultof thecommonman,equalitarianism, and concernfor ideologicalperformance
to be poured into the edifice
which the New Deal was constructing
on the ruinsof nineteenthcentury
individualism
and liberalism.
Williams
College
46Leaflet4, The AmericanLibertyLeague. Dr. Ray BertWesterfield,
professor
of political
economy,Yale University,
fromthe New Haven Register,Jan.27, 1936.
reprinted