| Show A Washington g D Daybook b kl By ROD RODNEY nOD EY DUTCHER WASHINGTON Feb 17 The 17 The hard fact which embarrassed the administration admin forces and the senate Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- who cooperated with them under un un- under der the leadership of Senator Joe Robinson Robinson Rob Rob- inson to defeat the L La Follette Costi gan can federal unemployment relief bill was Vas that they had to depend tors La FoUcHe Follette and Costigan for the facts as to the extent of distress and actual need Hardly anyone disputed the facts as poured out on about Congressional Congressional Congre Record pages paces mostly In tiny liny type by La Follette The Theo opposition position had only the testimony of Walter Waller S S. S Gifford head of or the presidents president's organization organization or or- for unemployment relief to the effect that things seemed to be bein bein bein in fairly good shape And Mr Giffords Gifford's evidence turned out to be a feeble thin thing to lean upon The politicians consequently were ere forced to defend their substitute measures measures mea mca with pleas for fundamental principles of government It was La Toilettes Toilette's flood of or evi dence indicating distress dIstress dIstress-a a survey unprecedented in its comprehensiveness comprehensive comprehensive- ness and authenticity that authenticity that forced Leader Robinson quickly to abandon his confidently announced intention of having the bill recommitted and thereby sunk The substitute calling for a combination public works and relief loan program was hastily devised It is understood when warning came from the Democratic national committee that the thc party couldn't afford aford to repudiate federal unemployment relief in an election year Mr Giffords Gifford's previous test testimony mony examination examination ex ex- that he always found it pleasant to be hopeful was far from helpful to the opposition It lt was shown that he had admitted I lack of knowledge concerning actual unemployment need that he could not testify as to the accuracy of estimates cst estl mates made by other experts that his Information was indefinite that he knew of no one who might be advised as to relief needs of ot smaller n ties In other words he knew of no way to tell how many Americans were on the verge of starvation La Follette and Costigan h had gone one to nn an enormous amount of or labor in sUr c surveying in unemployment distress distress dis dis- tress conditions by every practicable means La Follette piled plied statistic on top of statistic to prove that millions of earners in the front line trenches of this depression faced a third depression winter in desperate I straits S FIrst Then the the thc statistics federal record of depressIon re to d date ate n Then the past record of f federal for relief floods grasshopper tires fires eLe f earthquakes destitute Cubans French for for c Germans German Russians Colonials Then the testimony of many of the foremost social workers some largo large national organ organizations presenting more statistics and the necessity of federal relief relict urn g Then recommendations of o- o American Federation Jv the of Labor railroad and the e clothing workers workers' estimating the need of their pIe o Own Peo p Alarming data from the children childr ens bureau and more national nationals from national welfare sun elY organ legs which have direct contact wit witH un unemployed Finally the replies of mayors of am American cities clUes to Ln La FoU Follette's as to actual conditions 3 Jai of whom favored direct federal and ond of whom did not d This immense volume of fac factual foal i formation while toS' toS at tack possibly bly open to a at or qualifying some points cut the ground ground from fromn n be be- at at t an opposition which had depended on the that situation the states slates in hand and localities It mere had had tea R Ue e eve even than a few votes totes And since c td no o one e COUld well deny the thee accuracy of the picture threw or present oft offsetting e evidence it l t an nn uncomfortable score scare tov the regular Democrats Democrat s who expect exp t to o win this year by appealing to t the m masses of people but arc are making a a superhuman effort to attract the then SUI port of the nations nation's menu conservative aUre d tle I Experts have estimated that churia churla contains nearly acres of forests with a timber stand of more than cubic feel feet |
