Show i l art R Washington Digest DigestI I Old Trickery Again Being Used In Writing Views of a President That J. J Intangible Personality the White House Spokesman Spokes Spokes- o m man ts n Is Back on on the Ie Job Joh Makes lakes Goats of Writers Taxes Blamed for Added Burden Business Carries S By WI WILLIAM LIAM BRUCKART I NU Service National Press Washington I D. D C. C WASHINGTON TON The White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House Houde Spokesman is back That hat ghostly shy and sometimes playful figure has Kas been cd from rom the grave where President Present Roosevelt Roose Roos velt interred his intangible personality personality personality person person- early in March 1933 He was placed there with proper ceremonies ceremonies nies flies by Mr Roosevelt after his witchlike voice had served during tIC the the of Presidents Coolidge and Hoover and after he be had served valiantly as the source of one inspired news story after alter another Mr Roosevelt R unmasked nI the White House Spokesman as ns just the President of the United States speaking behind his hand But lo 10 Here is that man again I could not help laughing a bit the other day when the White Spokesman reappeared on the front pages of metropolitan n daily newspapers newspapers in the work-a-day work I clothes of authoritative White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House sources Grieving as most writers did that this Ulis trickery had to tobe tobe tobe be employed in order to write a the humor humor humor hu hu- hu- hu Presidents President's views I enjoyed mor of the situation nevertheless If the White House Spokesman was going to be reborn what more proper prop prop- proper prop er place could there be than Hyde Park Par N N. Y YM the the- Presidents President's summer summer summer sum sum- mer home That delightful home bome on the banks of the Hudson river is only about the length of an airplane airplane air air- plane runway from the fiction scenes scenes of nightly riding by the fue headless horseman of Sleepy Hol Hal low v. But restoration of the White WhiteHouse Rouse House Spokesman to his place of eminence is a serious matter Use U e of such seth a disguise such a mask has no place in American life liCe Many 1 Manya a time tune in the period when Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover occupied occupied pied pled the White H House use there were stories sent to all parts of the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion that came from rom the WhiteHouse White House Douse Spokesman It was a silly illy procedure It was both silly and cheap Th The head of the government was as simply using the correspondents correspond correspond- cats as vehicles to carry carr the responsibility responsibility responsibility which the then then- occupant of the White House should have assum as as- sum ed Some stories were trial balloons some ere were expressions of a personal person person- al opinion by the President which he lie was not quite ready to espouse publicly and others were pieces of just plain trickery given out with the understanding that the President President President dent should not be directly quoted The course was adopted so it Was was vas claimed as a means of giving the writers all of the available facts right up up to the minute Just Kidding and Fooling Readers Headers of Newspapers Well Vell without questioning the the sincerity sincerity sincerity sin sin- o of purpose the fact remains that the writers writer's were the fue goats And h here re they are being made the goats again and the public the readers of or newspapers are to be kidded and fooled some more What's the excuse excuse excuse ex ex- ex- ex cuse There is none It is the same old ostrich and the same old sand in which h he is hiding his bIs head so why do dolt it The present and rejuvenated White House Spokesman had a good deal to say behind this shadowy shadowy shadowy shad shad- veil about the desirability of a truce between business busine s and l labor bor a truce with the administration in Washington The bitterness between industry and and government was made almost into a parallel paralIe with European European European Euro Euro- conditions and the Spokesman Spokesman Spokesman Spokes man went further to suggest that some method of getting together comparable comparable- to the European settlement settlement settlement settle ment should be used here Well I imagine there is none in our country who do not hope for an and believe in of ofa a lasting peace between business and govern govern- ment t. t As the shadowy f form rm sa said i as ns it floated over Hyde Park there fuere has ti been ri too mu much h name name calling too many charges and lions The condition has slowed up general business it has made the thc relief relief- rolls full to overflowing But when the White House Hous-e Spokesman seeks a settlement like that at Munich Munich- Germany where Dictator Hitler grabbed everything he want want- ed well ed-well well let me observe that it was wasa a swell subject as an olD illustration w why the thoe White House Spokesman should remain in hi his grav grave l There was another phase of the snarling that is bound to disturb the nei neighbors neighbors neighbor's neigh h- h bors bor's sleep It was tantamount to a n demand that business stop misrepresenting resenting the governments government's attitude this being being-Ahe New Deal attitude attitude- toward foward business That is to say there was a veiled charge that business business busi busi- ness which is to say the economic royalists have been lying about the government s programs and objectives obo ob ob- o no mention being made of some some a of the abortive results Rame Bame Tax Taxes s for Added Burden Buden Business Carries The news dispatches from Hyde Park made reference to unfair stories stories stories sto sto- sto- sto ries about o t t taxes s. s Th The Spokesman p kesman o specifically asserted that business interests were all when wet they asserted asserted asserted as as- that federal taxes are arc heavier heavier ier now than one three or five years ago It struck me as being a queer complaint because federal taxes arc higher there are more more- of or them in number and the rates on nearly all the old ones are higher Treasury Treasury Treas Treas- ur ury figures show that the federal government collected in taxes five years ears ago The same official figures figure's show collections 61 f more than three years a ago Co and in the fiscar fiscal year ending June Tune 30 1937 1037 the coH collections were announced as Then on June 30 this year the official figures recorded collections of S 2 To be absolutely fair it must be considered that business was at its lowest ebb five years ago Hence tax payments were at atthe atthe atthe the lowest But w without attempting to cite all of the increases increases' in rates and new taxes invoked d new taxes taxes and new rates have have been responsible ble too for the increased burden which business carries It is important also in connection connection connection tion with the consideration of taxes to call attention to the federal governments government's governments government's governments government's gov gov- budget condition At the end of September when the first quarter quart r of the fiscal year was completed completed com corn there was a deficit of more than The Treasury had been called upon to pay out more than it had taken in by way of taxes If It my country school multiplication still serves me there is a deficit indicated for forthe forthe forthe the current fiscal year of approximately approximately approximately since there are four quarters in each year It may maybe maybe maybe be less less or or it may be more No Breathing Spell SpeW Ever Has Taken Place In the matter of a truce between the government and industry I believe believe believe be be- lieve I recall accurately the famous breathing spell of several years ago Roy Howard the Pittsburgh and New York newspaper newspaper newspaper- publisher publish publish- er wrote rote a letter in which he told the President of the need for tor co- co operation between the government and business and suggested at the same time how encouraging it would be if business could be assured assured assured as as- that government harassment harassment harassment harass harass- ment of business was at an end I If I remember Mr Roosevelt said in his reply that the major portion of his New Deal reforms was completed ed and there would be a breathing spell It was about that time too that Vice President Garner was reported reported reported re re- re- re ported to have said it was time to tol l let t the cattle get fat that they had been chased around until they were just skin and bones He meant of course that if it business was going to expand and re-employ re workers then thenon on relief the government must quit taking everything the employers re r I. c ived Well neither the breathing breathing breathing breath ing spell nor the fattening process ever has taken place Further re reference might be made to the fact that not the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House Spokesman but numerous spokesmen for tor Mr Roosevelt have been having great fun Cun riding astride the neck of business One can refer refer re re- re- re fer to the activities of Robert H. H Jackson trust buster extraordinary to Thurman Arnold who succeeded to Mr Jacksons Jackson's job in the department department department depart depart- ment of justice to William O. O Douglass Douglass Douglass Doug Doug- lass or to Secretary Ickes Each of these has had several turns swinging swinging swinging swing swing- swing swing- ing a bludgeon at business men and they will swing them some more So perhaps Mr Roosevelt's analogy analogy anal anal- 1 ogy in which he compared the Eu Eu- situation and nd settlement with the idea of a settlement between between between be be- tween government and business was not so far wrong Perhaps the settlement settlement set by which Hitler HiUer took over great chunks of Czechoslovakia is the way the authoritative sources or the White Whit House Spokesman would have bave our government take takeover takeover takeover over most private industry Needs Encouragement From Leaders in Public Life The White House suggestion about a truce and co cooperative cooperative cooperative co co- operative effort between business and government brought a response from Crom Charles M. M Hook president of I the National Association of Manufacturers Manufacturers Manu Manu- I who assured the President President President dent that there will be no r rattling of sabers as far as the manufacturers manufacturers are concerned He said there would be an upward surge in business is encouragement from leaders in public life ille I am amnot amnot amnot not able to say what Is meant by bythe the no saber rattling beyond the obvious meaning of a willingness to keep the collective business mouth shut Actually it appears the fue crux of the whole problem is to be found in inthe Inthe the fact that throughout the Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt administration there are many officials who blab and blab and have little lilUe or no idea of the matter mattel they are discussing while on the business side of the fence the fellows who pop off most are arc Incapable of far tar vision 0 Western Newspaper Union |