Show on J. J J D. Jg e rI W The WASHINGTON The most important Important important tant news story in Washington and throughout the t b e Relief Relief Relief- country now is the Politics use of relief funds for political pur pur- poses It is not only the most important important important im im- im- im news at this time but has been the most important and will continue to be the most important for weeks to come This Is so because because because be be- cause the amount of money involved Is vast and the number of votes possible to be influenced by that money is so great The stakes arc are high and the unscrupulous are goIng go- go goIng going Ing to play for them to the limit of their capacity I think that perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps the corruption of the Harding administration with its shameful oil scandal was more sensational but surely no one condones the present situation any more than the scandals scandals scandals scan scan- dals of the earlier malfeasance of office holders In the Harding oil affair there was perhaps 5 per cent as much money involved Few if i any votes of private citizens were at stake certainly no votes of persons who through no fault of ot their own found themselves destitute It was the late Thomas Walsh Montana Democratic senator who conducted the earnest fight to purge the country of the crooks at that time And now that the se senate ate again has t taken notice of the conditions one cannot help but wonder whether there will be the same type high-type of statesmanship displayed the same courage shown by some Republican or Democratic senator For the sake of the country I hope that no stone be left unturned by the senate investigation which though ordered belatedly and after alter an Irritable irritable irritable table reaction from the country nevertheless was ordered by the senate The senate deserves no credit for having moved to expose the condition condition condition condi condi- tion which Senator Wheeler of Montana Montana Montana Mon Mon- tana described as playing politics with human misery It had three chances to show its courage and its statesmanship before belore it would take hold of what many recognized as a apolitical apolitical apolitical political firebrand It ran from those opportunities in the most cowardly fashion fashion under the lash of New Deal leaders in the senate On three occasions I repeat the senate had hada a ch chance nce to assert control over the spending borrowing-spending- lending bill bUl and prevent to some extent the further use of taxpayers' taxpayers money for electioneering purposes And I repeat each time the vote was against inclusion of preventative tive clauses in hi that appropriation measure So none can say the credit should go to the senate even though now it promises to uncover facts which anyone with an eye half hall open knows exist There can be no credit to the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration because President Roosevelt spoke not a word in hi inbe be behalf be behalf half of use of funds for relief and for the removal of politics Indeed he praised his relief administrator Harry Hopkins for publicly backing Representative the New I IDeal Deal candidate for the senate nomination nomination nomination nomi nomi- nation in Iowa Mr was well licked by Senator Gillette an old-line old Democrat Nor did the President President President Pres Pres- ident tell the senate publicly that he favored a curb on the use of the money Quite the contrary Whether er the President urged them to do doso doso doso so or not his board of ot strategy the new name for the brain trust put the steam on and made enough senators senators senators sen sen- vote against the amendments to curb politics to insure defeat They even forced Senator Barkley of Kentucky to take the floor in favor favor fa- fa vor of the use of money In any way the relief overseers want to use it it- it and Senator Barkley is seeking re- re nomination in his native Kentucky So no credit for the move to draw drawback drawback drawback back the curtain can possibly be given to the White House or a any y of the Ule Presidents President's advisors or strate strate- S No credit for bringing the situa situa- situation situation tion to the attention of the country Dodged n J can e go to the house of rc in m House It did not even consider any restrictions on the use of the money when the bill was up for tor passage massage there The leadership inthe In inthe the he house is controlled by Mr l Roosevelt but even then it was surprising surprising surprising sur sur- sur- sur to see such upstanding square-shooting square men like Speaker Bankhead and Majority Leader Rayburn Rayburn Rayburn Ray- Ray burn of Texas sidle around the hot hotspot hotspot spot Sam Rayburn is on one of the really splendid men in the house of representatives but he dodged on this thing and it is not commendable commenda commenda- ble Then where must credit be given given given en Why did the senate finally take the he bit in Its teeth and set machinery machin machin- ery cry in hi motion for putting out the fire before adjournment The answer is that the people back home and that means largely in smaller towns townsand md and in the country finally ca caught JP up up yi with the fact that they are being victimized They let their feelings become known and with them nearly nearly neary near- near ly y ev every ry newspaper in the country crItIcIzed the senate until the sen sen- ears must have burned to a crisp Anyway it brought action and for that the country ought to bo thankful It might be well to review the senat senate senate sen sen- at ate action when it ran away from froman froman an an honest job on the relief appropriation First there was the amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment by Senator Hatch Democrat New Mexico which was to prevent use of relief funds for political purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses by the simple expedient of dismissal f for r the official who had control over such funds second there was the amendment by Senator Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor Lodge Massachusetts Republican can which would have required a distribution of ot the relief funds on the basis of the number of unemployed unemployed unemployed in hi each state and which thereby would have prevented uso use of vast sums in hi some states where the political battle might be going against the candidate with a New Deal blessing whether the opponent be an old line Democrat or a aRe aRe- Republican Republican Re Re- publican third there was the amendment by Senator Rush Holt Democrat of West which merely proposed to make all federal relief officials responsive to civil service laws insofar as political activity activity activity ac ac- ac- ac was concerned and fourth there was the amendment by Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Austin Republican Vermont which would have made it unlawful for any person whose compensation comes from relief funds t to solicit or authorize the solicitation of at funds as ns contributions to any political party Well tell as I said the senate ran away from them and It seems to tome tome tome me that any senator who voted against those amendments has a Q pretty difficult job to explain that vote As much as I admire Senator Barkley the basis of his argument was so sour that It smelled to high heaven The Kentuckian told toM the senate that the amendments would destroy senators and give all of the political power into the hands of state political machines which could use that power against senators senators senators sena sena- tors seeking re election Senator Barkley is being challenged for re- re nomination in his state and I suppose suppose sup sup- pose the matter motter strikes right close home with him Whether senators who voted against those amendments so Intended intended intended In in- tended or not what they have done when the picture is examined in an unbiased fashion is to put the whole Roosevelt administration in a ridiculous ridiculous ridiculous ridic ridic- ulous position It was their action which makes the record show that the whole administration tion is willing willingto to let politics run riot in hi relief It Itis itis is against a fair and equitable allocation allocation al aI- al- al location of ot money among the states in accordance with the number of unemployed who must be fed As to the phase of conditions back home the word seeps through to Wash- Wash The Folks ington that a good Back IBack Home Nome many persons who are seeking house or senate nominations against New Deal aspirants are finding strong organizations against them and in in favor of the New Deal candidate candi candi- date And the full Import of that strength comes to mind quickly when one thinks what a hungry person person per per- son will give up in order to ha have e food Senator Tydings of Maryland is the sponsor of the move to clean cleanup cleanup cleanup up the mess in relief Of course Senator Tydings while a staunch Democrat seldom has done anything anything any any- thing to o cause the New Dealers happiness happiness happiness hap hap- on the contrary he was marked for liquidation long long ago It is much better that an outstanding outstanding out out- standing Democrat should have proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed the investigation than to have had the proposal come from a Re Re- publican Had a Republican introduced introduced introduced intro intro- the resolution the thing w would uld have been called caned political purely But it would have bave been a move calculated to demonstrate the genuineness of the New Deal if some Roosevelt per center would have brought up the proposition There is a great opportunity for this new senate committee to serve the country welL It can and should should i 1 igo go into every report its Investigators tors obtain to learn to what extent taxpayers taxpayers' money is being employed to influence elections It has an outstanding out out- standing piece upon which to work at the very start Did not Mr Hopkins Hopkins Hop Hop- kins kips horn into the Iowa primary primar And everywhere there was the question question question ques ques- tion whether the and other relief relief relief re re- re- re lief workers in Iowa would not construe construe con con- the Hopkins announcement In n behalf behall of Mr as an order or 1 der for tor them to support the same man But more important than Mr 1 Hopkins this Investigation it tion-if tion if it is seriously made made can can point the tremendous tremendous tremendous tre tre- tre- tre fallacy and danger of relief relief re re- lief being administered from Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington instead of from the states and md the counties where the money moneys Is s spent 11 the country is m In made ode de fully ully aware of true conditions 1 I believe there will gill be changes relief reBel methods that will wm allow more than han 60 or 70 cents out of each dolar dol dol- dollar dollar lar ar expended to be used for tor food and clothing as is the case now Western Newspaper Union |