| Show NATIONAL AFFAIRS Reviewed w J by Ly CARTER FIELD Hopkins will um be bo confirmed confirmed con con- firmed but there will leill be considerable pelting first Barkley senate leader in somewhat o of 0 f a dilemma Presidential politics politiC likely to 10 complicate national defense de Tense situation W WASHINGTON Individual senators sena lena tors tori and representatives representative and for that matter congress ai II a whole would like to throw the White House rubber stamp In the wastebasket this session but the Democratic majorities still majorities-still still large In N both house and senate despite the slaughter on last lait election day day do do not want to throw throwaway away with It the key to continuance In power and to patron age The real question Is Just how many White House recommends recommends- lions Capitol Hill HillI I can kick around wound r without upsetting the the of individual in ln house and f senate members in their own nomina nomination j lion tion and end re-election re a l war campaigns It will willbe willbe willbe be rather a nice question of judgment judgment judg judg- jj ment in many instances in in- 1 stances particularly Harry for the large southern south south- Hopkins em ern conservative bloc and for northern and western Democrats who for one reason or another do not like Franklin D. D Roosevelt Roosevell or the New Deal or the particular New Dealers who are ere close to the throne The hearings that are to come on the confirmation of Harry L. L Hopkins Hop flop kins will be rather revealing In this connection Hopkins has not too many friends on Capitol Hill And some of hIs Ms best friends friend and warmest warm warm- est eat supporters may not be inclined to get their fingers angers burned too b badly in defending him Not that there is 11 a any real question at the moment moment mo mo- mo- mo ment of Hopkins Hopkins' being confirmed lIe He wit will be But there will be considerable con can pelting first For instance consider the dilemma ma that will wW confront the Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic leader of the senate Alben Barkley who fought to the death on the floor of cf the senate last spring to prevent any hamstringing of the political activities of cf the under under under un un- un- un der Hopkins and who benefited bythe by bythe bythe the political support of In his hla fight for probably more than any other candidate in 1938 Darkley Barkley Was Hurt Pretty Badly by W P A Business But the consensus is that Barkley was hurt pretty badly badly badly-as as far as BI his his reputation outside Kentucky is concerned concerned concerned-by by that business If It Darkley Barkley were not in his own heart a candidate for the presidency press prell dency in 1940 he could afford a renewal of the scandal But n asIt as asit it stands Barkley Darkley would like th the country to forget how on the floor flow r of the senate he defended the us use e of in politics politic because it wa was s necessary to meet the use of state employees on the other side It will be found unless a good many minds change between no now w and then that few stones will b be e put in the path pats of those who wis wish h to do a lot of dirty linen w washing over Hopkins' Hopkins confirmation At least few stones will be put there ther thereby thereby e by senators The White House of course and Hopkins Hopkins' host of friends friend s in the left wing of ot the New Deal will try to move heaven and earth However there is no Indication that anyone around the senate will pa pamuch pay y much attention to efforts that Harold Har liar old Ickes Tommy Corcoran and Ben Den Cohen may make to protect the their r friend Even the senators who are at still for the President do not all ail like his left wing lieutenants There Is ii s i the question of believing the best bes ta t Democratic strategy looking t toward to tCo a ward 1940 Is for a slight turn t to o the right as predicted by Gen Hugh h oh S. S Johnson There is the old fact o of t human nature that loyalty lies t to o I the king but not to the kings king's min rata Alcohol as at Substitute For Gasoline It 1 a Up Again Agitation for substitution of alcohol alco alc o hol In hol-In in part part for for gasoline and thus thu s providing a largely increased market market mar ket for corn is with us again ligan buis but bu butIs butis t is not likely to get anywhere On the surface the Idea is ver very y appealing Farmers could turn Ira from Iron other crops to corn thus relieving g not only the hog corn surplus bu but t also the surplus in the other crops crop s from which the farmers would tur turn n to corn com It Is easy to figure out from department of agriculture figures figures figures fig fig- ures that virtually all the overproduction o of farm crops in the country coun try would thus be ended This would eliminate the a year now being paid farm fans ers ens not to raise specific crops Acs ACl According to the bureau of ot the chemistry chem chem- m and soils soil and this finding i is I. e I 3 supported by an impartial curve survey su which is soon to be published in d detail de tau tall the idea is 11 not sound so ec eco ecCo 0 J 1 1 as might be expected In the first place the survey es n establishes to its Ita own satisfaction at least that blending the proposed quantity of produced corn alcohol with gasoline would make the cost of this thI mixture two cents centa a gallon more than gasoline This rills it is ii estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated would cost a year which might be financed either by increasing the price of gasoline to consumers or by the governments government's governments government's governments govern govern- ments ment's subsidizing the whole move in the Interest of agriculture Assuming the latter the government government government govern govern- ment would be only inthe Inthe in inthe the red by the operation as aa compared compared compared com com- pared with present farm subsidies But that is I. only part of the pic ture In the first place the government government govern govern- i ment might have to come to the relief of the oil oU industry I Motor-Car Motor and Truck Uteri Users Would Let Lei Out Ou Big Dig II Howl fowl owl Again the idle capacity of the al at alcohol cohol Industry which Is 11 about gallons a year is only one one- tenth of what would be necessary to supply a 10 per cent blend of alcohol alcohol alcohol alco alco- hol and gasoline for the motorists So a capital investment of some would be required to provide the necessary facilities Then it would seem likely that the motor-car motor and truck users usen of the nation would let out plenty of complaints complaInts complaints com com- plaints if It the proposed blend were forced on them by government flat lIat A road test was conducted this year yearby yearby yearby by the American Automobile association association asso uso elation in operation co with the U U.S. U.S. U. U S. S bureau of standards This revealed revealed revealed re re- that the proposed 10 per cent alcohol blend would be nearly 5 per cent less efficient than straight gasoline What the big trucking companies would have to say about this can be Imagined and it so happens that for some time they have been I organized politically and needless to say would make their views known on Capitol Hill I Politics May Complicate I National Defense Problem Presidential politics promises to complicate the national defense situation sit alt amazingly Actually the fight light will be led on the one side by Louis LouIsA A A. Johnson assistant secretary of war and on the other by Sen Bennett Bennett Bennett Ben Ben- nett Champ Clark of Missouri Johnson will fight light for prodigious appropriations and authorizations For example he wants wanta airplanes air air- planes planes for for the army alone Of these he figures about will be necessary nece- nece sary sari for training so that the would yield a net of only fightIng fightIng fight- fight Ing fag planes Clark will lead the fight against any such heavy appropriations He will demand Why are they necessary necessary necessary sary What good fOod will they be after atter a couple of years ears when they are obsolete And so on down the line The interesting part of the situation situation situation situa situa- tion Is that neither of the two men who will thus be before iF January is Is' over BIthe as BI z s the champions of the two sides are President Roosevelt's Roose Roose- velt's volts own choice for W his successor in the White House and wit yet both will use this fight light as the stepping steppingstone lui stone atone toward that big gob Job Senator Clark Shrewd observers CI Clark ar k figure that no matter matter matter mat mat- ter how Important Harry L. L Hopkins may make his job as secretary of commerce it will be completely blanketed as BI far as publicity is con can concerned concerned by national defense In fact tact some point out the out the better job Hopkins Hop hop- kins does as secretary of commerce the less publicity he will get gel It isn't a page-one page story to do something something some some- thing to smooth the path of cf busIness business bustness busi bust ness or to lighten its load But U its it's a page first story to scare the country country coun coun- try trl about the possibility of the dictators dictators dic die tutors coming over here from Johnsons Johnson's Johnsons John John- sons son's angle and end its it's also a first- first page story to attack the munitions makers as inspiring all the bally ballyhoo hoo hoe for national notional defense heavier taxes and endangering getting this country Into war war especially especially the lat lat- ter And that will be Clarks Clark's bid for forthe forthe the Widespread Feeling for More National Defense Defenses On the whole congress Is willing willingto to go very far with the President on national defense It doesn't think very much of the contention that this would provide employment and therefore lighten the relief burden In fact tact congress will be told that I the chief limit on the amount of money that can be spent for national national national na na- na- na defense is the scarcity of ot skilled mechanics Unemployed more or less shiftless Individuals can be of ot little use in an armament arma arma- ment meat program And actually the tho shipyards the gun gum plants and the airplane factories are all aU reporting that they are having the greatest difficulty In getting the men they need seed right now As AI a matter of at fact tact it is common knowledge in Washington that the navy would like to put a great many more men to work Immediately in n its gun factory but simply cannot get properly trained men But congress on the whole is for more national defense More lore sections sections sec see fleas of cf the country are aroused than ever before Congressmen will wW willbe willbe be found voting for big defense appropriations ap ep who a few years yean ago afo were regarded as staunch little navy men if U not pacifists The reason reasone is 11 simple Their districts have changed and they are voting in accord with the new sentiment C G DeU BtU Syndic S Service |
