Goldwater Criticizes Domestic Policy Of Administration's `First 100 Days'

Sen. Barry M. Goldwater (R-Ariz.) last night opened fire on the "exceedingly slow" pace of the New Frontier's first 100 days. Signaling an end to the Administration's "honeymoon" period, Goldwater criticized the President for trying to revive New Deal policies which, he claimed, were proven failures.

"We've been down this trail before and it didn't work," he declared. "But there's still time to change."

Goldwater spared none of Kennedy's domestic policies from scathing criticism, but he refused to condemn the President's handling of foreign affairs. Answering a question on the Cuban situation, the conservative leader declared that Republicans will back the President "if we think he's right." He added that "America" now supports the Administration's position.

"Jack and I disagree violently on many points," he said, "but we don't disagree one inch on being an American. He's just as loyal as I am." Goldwater also declared that he wouldn't want to ask the President "to apologize to anybody for what he did."

Calling the present time a "very, very tragic hour for our country," he stated that he had asked his Republican colleagues not to "climb on the back of the President.

The crowd of approximately 1500 reacted with both cheers and hisses to Goldwater's proposals. Outside Rindge Tech. Auditorium, the 300 students turned away at the door left quietly.

Goldwater aimed his first attacks at the Administration's general economic policies. He claimed that the economy was moving "crablike" now, but that the growth rate could be raised to three-and-one-half or four per cent.

The Arizona Senator reserved his most violent attacks, however, for the New Frontier's general welfare policies including the minimum-wage and depressed-areas bills. Besides being generally inadequate to solve the country's economic difficulties, these measures are also an unwarranted extension of federal power, he claimed.

The depressed-areas plan was, he stated, "more a political bill than anything else." The amount of money budgeted for the program could not possibly solve the problem even if all the money were spent in West Virginia, the most chronic depressed area.

"Besides, I don't like seeing areas of economic growth penalized by having their money taken away" to help the rest of the country, he declared.

Goldwater also suggested sweeping reforms for the American tax system. "We should completely destroy the present tax structure and rebuild it in a sensible way," he asserted.