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Show I NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS I . . Written for The Telegram By Rey Tucker WASHINGTON President Presi-dent Roosevelt's youngish and lefttah advisers are quietly nursing nurs-ing a new spending program designed de-signed to end all doubt about ths 1M0 outcome. They will shoot from three to five billion dollars into the political pot to save the new deal from Republican harm. Mr. Roosevelt has not yet given them the nod. but the Corcoran-Cohen-Lubin-Hopkins clique figure fig-ure that they can sell him. Despite previous expenditures, buslneas is lagging badly. The absence of the predicted seasonal rise discourages discour-ages the economie and ballot-box planners at Washington. Now they want another two billion for P W A, a billion for federal purchase pur-chase of railroad equipment, expansion ex-pansion of ths housing program, a atep-up of social security payments pay-ments from 1840 to 1942. Additional Addi-tional farm aubsidies and at least a billion-and-a-half for next year s W P A will swell the kitty. Barring a war, they figure that only a tremendous business revival re-vival can win for the Roosevelti-ns Roosevelti-ns in ths convention and in the election. So they are going to produce pro-duce "recovery" again. They will spring ths plan late in the session with full expectation that a con-gress con-gress facing reelection next year will adopt it President Roosevelt will intervene inter-vene in the next European crisis with an even more ringing appeal to the war-making dictators. He I aimply waiting for circumstances circum-stances to set the stage, official denials regardless. Despite Mussolini's sharp retort and Hitler'a sarcastic speech, the president's last appeal had a profound pro-found effect at home and abroad. Even isolationist critics approved his boldness, though deprecating the prospect that it amounted to a half-way involvement He himself feels that by reiterating a demand de-mand for a bloodless settlement he ran throw final responsibility on Hitler and Muasolini if they brush asids his efforts. That may simplify the task of crystallising Amsrican sentiment behind his policy of giving economie reinforcement rein-forcement to our erstwhile allies. Here, too, Mr. Roosevelt Is writing writ-ing a record for 1940. If a conflict con-flict la postponed or averted, he can claim and nobody can dispute dis-pute him conclusively that he did it Veteran American airmen are ' deeply troubled over ths almost hysterical tempo of the program for aviation expansion. They fore-aee fore-aee unhappy consequences in the loss of lives and money and in unbalanced un-balanced development. New planes making from 400 to 500 milea an hour, they insist after af-ter practical tests, are too difficult diffi-cult and dangerous to handle except ex-cept for a few experienced pilots in ths army and navy perhaps 20 in all. Nevertheless, th government gov-ernment plans to train young and green fliers in order to man these fast fleets of the sky and they're getting speedier every day. European Euro-pean nations have suffered severe casualties from such tactics, and American losses have been heavier than outsiders realise. Moreover, the industry is pro-greasing pro-greasing so rapidly that millions may be wasted through undue hasts to catch up with Hitler, whose aerial atrength has been grossly exaggerated according to confidential reports. Today's most ' modern planes will be obsolete tomorrow. With two oceans and the second most powerful navy between the United States and the war sonea, the experts think th brass hats should take it more slowly and easily. Department of commerce old-timers old-timers blame President Roosevelt for that agency's utter failure to advance a constructive business program. They absolve Harry Hopkins and even "Uncle Dan" Roper for their apparent incapacities. incapaci-ties. For six years the department's foreign and domestic experts have framed proposals for developing markets here and abroad. The business advisory council, now virtually moribund, resolved regularly regu-larly and dispatched their recommendations recom-mendations to the White House by friendly messengers on taxes, government interference, possible helps. Suggestions for combating combat-ing Germany and Italy in South American areas were forwarded constantly. Mr. Roosevelt never gave any sign thst he hsd received or read them not even a negative nega-tive answer. "Uncle- Dan and Harry accepted accept-ed these rebuffs out of personal loyalty. But Sears-Roebuck Wood stepped; out when th tax relief program for industry was given the run-around for no other reason. rea-son. Assistant Secretary Patterson Patter-son submitted his resignation a few days ago because his foreign . trade ideaa were rejected and that branch shifted to state. Latest Lat-est contemplating a return to private pri-vate life is Life Saver Ed Noble. He doesn't figure that he is earning earn-ing his $1 a year under present circumstances. With his boost for Argentine beef President Roosevelt embittered embit-tered 20 powerful and clannish senators and alienated votes in that many states for a mere $6720 saving. That is the extent of navy economy in this particular deal. The mora th president's attitude atti-tude Is examined in detail, the more puzzling it becomes even to his friends. It is understood th idea was sold to him by a subordinate subordi-nate purchaser-accountant in the navy department. The Argentine meat-packing industry pays employes em-ployes from It to 1 cents an hour, while Americans In the same line of work receive 68 cents an hour largely due to new deal wage-hour wage-hour reforms. As to quality any navy contractor, foreign or domestic do-mestic must eomply with government govern-ment standards and specifications. A federal supervisor patrols the plant while the order ia being filled. Cattle-country statesmen contend con-tend that in line with the president's presi-dent's dictum, the army and navy logically ehould buy uniform cloth from Japan and bed sheeting from India. What really riles the cowboys cow-boys is th free advertising th White House hsnded to a world rival im a fiercely competitive field. Another international trad rivalry is fermenting and will pop aoon namely, will foreign or domestic do-mestic wines be served to their Britannic majesties at the White House? American producers, notably California's, noted with misgivings misgiv-ings that scores of caaes of French winea were loaded aboard th Empress of Australia for the royal party. They auspect that their free offers of wines for the great state dinner may be rejected in favor of the foreign product and that guests msy be forced to drink their toasts in an alien beverage. Their still struggling industry could use a little kingly or presidential presi-dential advertising and they'll be sore if they don't get It Copyright, 1939, McClure Syndicate |