| Show 1 NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS Written for The Telegram By Ray Tucker WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Believe Believe it or not Senator Arthur H. H Vanden- Vanden berg has emerged as the dominant Capitol hill figure of the rejuvenated rejuvenated rejuvenated G. G O. O P. P Hes He's the fellow whose hand all the congressional newcomers want to shake in preference to the horny paws of Jim Davis on that side or Borah's and Norris Norris' on the other side Washington veterans cant can't quite understand the youngsters' youngsters hero worship for the Michigan man Hes He's such a a familiar and shopworn shopworn shopworn shop shop- worn figure that the 1940 bookmakers bookmakers book book- makers dismiss him in all their reckonings He antagonized party ups higher he was shrewder than they were when were when he didn't answer answer answer an an- the vice presidential tap-tap tap on his hotel suite at Cleveland in 1936 The general opinion has been that he was was was' through in hi a little way But Arthur apparently packs some kind of political appeal If hes he's smart he may become the mentor for the incoming band of senatorial freshmen So in making making making mak mak- ing bets on the 1940 long dont don't forget the boom boom-boom orator from Grand Rapids Hes He's in the runn running ng Contemplated expenditures expenditures' res federal and private private apparently apparently assure a baby boom lasting through 1940 probably until 1941 or 1942 Wise operators in business business business busi busi- ness industry and finance are making their plans to fit this Unfolding unfolding un un- f folding economic pattern It will willbe willbe willbe be listed in history perhaps as the national defense boom Private estimates by F. F D. D Rs R.'s favorite economists forecast shot- shot the in-the-arm outlays totaling almost twenty billion dollars a purposely conservative figure for the 1939 1941 calendar years They look for navy army-navy-air rearmament money to hit at least three billion with W IV P A P W IV A and federal housing pouring out at least eight billions more The utilities the railroads and industry with Uncle Sams Sam's help if necessary are counted on to raise the rest of the twenty billion outlay All this money of course will willbe willbe willbe be in addition to the normal abnormal abnormal abnormal ab ab- ab- ab normal and annual federal expenditures expenditures expenditures of about ten billion b dollars for regular and emergency activities activities activities ties of the government The justification justification jus jus- for the new financial spree will be national defense Every time time- F. F D. D R. R socks Hitler for instance he rings up another billion on the federal cash regis regis- ter And the people seem to be with the president on this issue On election night the new deals deal's radio strategist phoned a national broadcasting chain to ask how many more times they planned to feature a certain political news commentator The latter like everybody else wise to what was happening from New Hampshire to Kansas was reporting the re results results re- re suits as a slap at some phases of the hew de deal l. l S The broad broadcasting asting company replied replied replied re re- re- re plied that it expected to sponsor the announcer at t least once fin n hour until early in the morning Whereupon the new deal man protested and urged that another commentator whom he named be substituted The telephoned reason was that the second announcer announcer announcer an an- who had been on the air aira a few times was more interest interest- ing Despite F FCC C C Chairman Frank disclaimer of any cen- cen 0 intentions it is such episodes episodes episodes epi epi- epi- epi as this which give shudders to a dollar billion-dollar industry operating operating operating ing under six month licenses revocable revocable rev rev- at the will or whim of a governmental agency Its It's a problem problem problem lem which the next congress will deal with pronto The terrific turnover in in house membership has inflicted a heavy hardship on Washington's legislative legislative legislative legis engineers the odd lobbyists who depend on personal contact with legislators to push or block bills affecting their special special special cial interests The the scenes pleaders must revise their files get acquainted with new faces spend thousands of dollars on entertainment entertainment entertainment entertain entertain- ment for the Capitol hill Already in order to glean the social economic political and personal personal personal per per- background of the freshman members they have wired phoned and written to their friendly tipsters tipsters tipsters tip tip- around the country Their job between now and convening of congress on January 3 is to fingerprint the men they dont don't know physically and mentally They must sketch the kind of appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal to which the strangers on Capitol hill are susceptible Its It's an art and a science One noted lobbyist representing represent represent- ing shipbuilders estimates confidentially confidentially confidentially that education and en entertainment entertainment entertainment en- en of new members will cost him at least in the coming congressional year But he concludes it will be worth it if I can teach em a few things about ships ships and and convince them that my people can build cheaper than my rivals or the governments government's governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's yards Copyright 1938 for The Telegram |
