Show 0 National TOE Topics Topes cs Interpreted by William Bruckart National frets Prue Building Building- Wai Washington hington 3 D D C. C Washington A A week or ten days day ago ago ngo the name of ot Frank O. O Lowden r was scarcely whis- whis Draft per e d aroun around Lowden where politicians politician foregathered The They talked about the forthcoming Republican Republican Republican Re Re- publican National convention am and they the mentioned Governor Landon o ot of Kansas Col Frank Frnnk Knox of ot 1111 Senator Arthur of ot Michigan and others but never was the name of ot Lowden men men- In the short space of ot a fortnight there has come first a whisper ol ot the name of Lowden then a mention mention mention men men- tion of ot him as a possible Republican Republican lican Hcan nominee and finally a full tull draft voice olce that approximates a Lowden movement A few v e weeks ago I I reported to you In these columns that the prospects prospects prospects pros pros- were very good for the Republican Republican Re Re- publican National convention to turn to a dark horse borse There was no name at that time upon which anyone could pin a prediction but there were circumstances undercurrent undercurrent undercurrent under under- current In character that seemed to point the tIle way to the nomination of ot a man not then In n the forefront forefront forefront fore fore- front of ot political prognostication Of Ot course with the Republican convention delegates pledged and here there and everywhere everywhere everywhere every every- where It Is possible for almost anythIng anything anything any any- thing to happen but my InformatIon Information Information I tion is that the leaders desire most I of ot all to avoid a bitter battle They wish to avoid the very thing which New Deal political strategists have been seeking to foment Only the final ballot will tell teU the story stor of ot course but it does appear at this time Ome that the Republican leadership leadership leadership leader leader- ship may display some good horse sense and seek to accomplish a nomination without splitting their party wide open This draft Lowden movement mo has come on with almost startling suddenness as I have Indicated IndIcated above e It has resulted from the fact apparently that Mr Lowden while he was governor of Illinois a number of years ago and since that time has bas built up for himself a n record as a friend of ot agriculture Thus the strategy would seem to tobe tobe tobe be that the Republican leadership Is la turning to a man who can give gl President ent Roosevelt Roose a run for his mone money In the farm belt elt states A As s far tar as I know Mr Ir Lowden has not been consulted respecting the nomination It would seem however that If It he were nominated he would accept accept despite the fact that he has not sought the nomInation nomination nomination nomina nomIna- tion In any way nor has he been very active In to politics since he sought the nomination for President In 1920 It was on that occasion It will be remembered that he an J an-J the late Gen Leonard Wood fought through Into a convention con deadlock and Warren G G. G Harding of ot Ohio was nominated as a compromise candidate It Is difficult to see how the conservative conservative con con- e element In the Republican can party could refuse to back Mr Lowden and It Is equally difficult to see how the farm representation and the liberals in the party could withhold their support when the Lowden farm record Is considered But all of this represents subject matter that must await convention action because after all there are still other candidates who have hive blocks of ot delegates behind them and they may be unwilling to withdraw withdraw withdraw with with- draw unless they are arc satisfied with the dark darl horse that finally trots out onto the convention contention platform One hears more and more discussion dIscussIon discussion discus dIscus- sion In Washington these days of ot the tax muddle in T Tax ax which President Muddle Roosevelt has found himself I think It Is fair to say that his prestige has suffered considerably from the way his proposed tax Increase Increase Increase In In- crease was handled and I think it is 18 the general consensus that this years year's tax bill was a proposition to which the President gave too little thought Sometime In the future the history history history his his- tory of the New Deal will be written written written writ writ- ten In a clear and comprehensive manner The story then will show In retrospect that which we can hardly understand now the now the good and lOd the the- bad the bad In the bewildering adventures ad- ad ventures attempted und under r the policies poll poli cies of oc reform and recovery I believe believe be be- lieve those who write that history will dwell upon the 1030 1036 tax tm legIslation legislation legislation legis legIs- I lation as as one of ot the important p political po political po- po weaknesses developed by Mr Roosevelt As far as I know there has never been a public official who has bas been entirely consistent at all times In his methods and policies Mr Roosevelt being human has been Inconsistent like all of oc the rest and there was no reason to expect that he would be the one exception despite despite despite de de- de- de spite the fact that some of his followers fol lowers maintain that he cannot make mistakes But to link the tax legislation with the fact tact that Mr Roosevelt Is Js human let me call attention to the further fact that he be has been bold hold even daring In many of his moves Where his quick decisions have been sound the country has hat been benefited Where he has hns made mistakes by acting too quickly hU his spokesmen have sought to deny that there were errors Now the point Is this if Mr Roosevelt had bad done as he has done clone on numerous oc- oc Here f 3 s he be could the Point have nave avoided the situation that has reacted unfavorably to him It will willbe willbe willbe be recalled that several times the President has tried out his theorIes theories theo theo- ries on various governmental problems problems problems lems and has bas studied the popular reaction to his trial balloons He did not do this with the tax bill He left lert the Job of ot drafting the legislation legIslation leg leg- to the treasury and the treasury being populated with a i number of men who have no conception conception con con- whatsoever of business practices and care little for American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean traditions produced a piece of legislation that would have ha forever forever for for- ever prevented any business unit from saving funds to carry carr it through times of ot depression the proverbial pro rainy da day In the discussions around WashIngton Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington it Is frequently stated that had Mr ir Roosevelt elt taken his so- so called tax experts Into a room and made them explain the character of ot the bill the they were Yere presenting much of oc the difficulty would have been averted But he lie did not use this foresight and the result Is now history h He has alienated a considerable considerable con con- amount of congressional support that he ordinarily could coull have e for the mere asking As the tax legislation stands ItIs It ItIs Itis is nothing more nor less than a makeshift boost in rates It has added nothing at all to strengthen the nations nation's general taxation poll poli den cies It seems to me that the time Is ripe for a general study of ot the tax structure with the Idea In mind that a wholesale revision re should take place and that scientific methods methods methods meth meth- should be employed ed We must not forget torget that we fe have a national debt of ot more than thirty one one billions bil lions Hons and that several other billions In securities are really to be counted counted counted count count- ed In since those obligations are guaranteed by the United States That debt must be paid eventually It may be that all aU of the twenty- twenty one billions In tax payments and borrowed money which Mr r. r Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt elt has expended can he be justified In n every respect It may be that In future years the nation will be he grateful that this era ern of extravagance extravagance gance jance Is a n part of or our history but the fact still remains that when a government go or an Individual borrows borrows borrows bor bor- rows money that money must be returned to those who hold the evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence of ot the debt The civil service ser commission lately lately latey late- late ly y has bas complied compiled some statistics In- In indicating that the U. U U. U S. S Pay merit system In Roll Grows the federal government government government gov gov- Is being pus pushed bed aside at an nn alarming rate The commissions commission's figures show how every every President since Arthur In 1883 has las expanded the scope of the classified classified clas clas- civil service during his administration admInistration administration ad ad- ministration until the adminIstration administration tion of ot President Roosevelt It would be a list much too lon lonto long longto to record here how the number of ot employees ees of ot the federal government government government govern govern- ment has Increased each year as the government go has expanded etl but butas butas butas as a matter of ot history lIstor It struck me as Interesting to see how know per er cent of ot employees lo ees of ot the federal federal federal fed fed- eral government un under er President McKInley held beld their Jobs under the civil service system and laws and know how low this percentage Increased to per cent under President Taft Tart to 72 per cent un under er President Wilson Wilson Wilson Wil Wil- son to per cent under Presidents Presidents Presidents dents Harding and Coolidge and to per cent under President Hoover By the end of June 1935 1035 the number of ot civil service Ice employees in the federal government amounted amount amount- ed to only per cent of ot the total number and while the civil servIce service service ice commission has not tabulated the record for this year I understand understand understand under under- stand reliably that the ratio willbe willbe will be about 57 per cent of ot the total The total number of of emIlo employees ees of ot the federal government has grown consistently since the turn of ot the century when It stood at In Tafts Taft's administration n the total was President Wilsons Wilson's first administration employed and then with the advent nd of tho the World war the government expanded expand expand- ed cd its personnel to its highest point As the war agencies were 1 liquidated qui dated the number of employees ees declined deClIned de de- de- de dined obviously until during the Harding and Coolidge administrations the highest point reached was The Hoover administration numbered on the pay rolls roUs but the election of President Roosevelt Roose Roose- Roosevelt velt immediately brought on greater great great- er cr numbers and by June 30 1935 there were on the federal pay roll and this number was further further fur fur- ther increased to at the end I of March arch this year m Union |