| Show Clouds Gather in Washington HE past week has lias been marJ marked d b by br incidents T TilE in Washington which should give th the whole country concern The revolt in congress had its most sig significant significant iri- iri cant manifestation in the demonstrations against the appropriation n for or continuing direct relief and amid to supplant it with WIh the public works program Most i potent disturbance disturbance dIsturbance dis dIs- was caused b by the tIle proponents of the prevailing wage It should be clear from our experienc experience with the dole that there lere is a too dangerous attitude growing among countless recipients of relief Many will not surrender the doubtful security of a place place on the ie relief i rolls roIls to accept private employment What hat can any thoughtful peron per- per Bon on on conclude would be the result of public employment employment em em- at the prevailing wage when opportunity opportunity might be presented to return to private employment at the same wage t Is it possible to 10 believe that workers would desert the se security security security se- se of a four billion dollar dollar fund back of I their government JO jobs s 1 Private employment wouldn't stand a chance X Normal ormal recovery would be at a standstill as long as it appeared that congress might appropriate further funds Instead of a ree ery enterprise e public works s could not escape becoming permanently identified identified iden iden- as political pork worse than any that self-seeking self and CO corrupt politics ever eyer has been able to devise The rhe a agitation for the prevailing wage was wasa a coalition movement in which organized labor labor la la- bor joined with that wing of big business preferring preferring pre pre- ferring erring the dole as as the cheapest means of re re- re- re lief As 8 between the dole dolc and the pre prevailing wage for public works the dole is to be preferred preferred pre pre- erred if the prevailing wage was to mean refusal refusal refusal re re- re- re on the part of a large part of the army of the time unemployed to go back to private in industry industry industry in- in for jobs It is impossible however howe to calculate the moral consequences of another year e r of direct relief beyond next June June- Appropriating Appropriating Ap Ap- four billions for br forced government employment ment was not pleasant for the nations nation's t taxpayers to contemplate but it was pleasanter to think about than continuing continuing continuing ing to support more than three and one-half one million with public charity Clouds of evil portent gather in Washington as the composition of the consolidated blocs opposing the president is examined Business large and small will do well to examine it minutely and then to undertake to forecast the possible consequences Since the last election it has been cas easy to discern that the president was moving toward the thc center of the road Moderate 1 opinion should find it easy to determine determine de de- de- de termine that he lie was the nations nation's most promising promising promising promis promis- ing barrier protecting it against seizure of control b by br extreme r radicals or ext extreme reactionaries lie had yielded in minor details to both but his ultimate objective was was kept in view yiew as the blocs are forming to close in ill on the White House reactionaries moderate conservatives conservatives con con- and rational liberals are faced with witha a 8 radical attack on many fronts The fhe coalition coalition tion against the presidents president's leadership and his followers in both house and senate is composed of of the bonus bloc the hour 30 week bloc the Towns various various groups and those Democratic officeholders whose ind individual id ual political politic security is threatened because they have not been able abl to reward henchmen with places on on public payrolls In this extremity opponents of the president who have feared that his liberalism would wreck the country's economic welfare have much more cause for trepidation Unless administration leadership is IS able to overthrow the congressional revolt the country faces the possibility of radical legislation beyond the worst nightmares conservatives conservatives con con- ever eyer dreamed Once more this substantiates sub sub- tanti tes the time theory that democratic government government govern govern- ment is IS safest under a two party system with a strong minority as a check and balance If radicalism succeeds in obtaining a firm seat scat in the saddle the fears express expressed d at election that the thc majority gained b by the time Democratic P party would prove unwieldy and amid dangerous I will have been abundantly fulfilled |
