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Show , it appears that nn-rfconess nn-rfconess will go by .-siroCf viUiout the con-' con-' line Kress and e nd" 5 lti On nitration doing -r ft; 0 Go Un anythlng serious 8 : f cutting down govern-tsW:rtTi govern-tsW:rtTi Vero is nothing W-lft Tmenowtowardcnrry- : :rftRooVvelt in his message l enhe told congress indii ::fnted to cut federal ex-; ex-; L important steps to- ardtt L federal budget ; under the lash of the n. ; ;: n,nU refused to require btt H fl'ocal governments to si :srtea swJ --'-Mcause congress and the Al ''C have lacked the courage oct r aSfte federal govern--rLol the relief work and kedt restore it to the care of . , ' -" I a, the various communl- llCw here reUef is need- ''rc had been a very determined :lent in congress to compel -"Us to share in the gigantic It. oEs. Vj'den. It took on various ai ";: '--t and had various sponsors. But ow oi ; :Zi and aim of all of them was get bscij "'.C:)ethe cost in equitable fash- constantly In forclnr; tlie federal government to pay the relief rolli in New York city and save his own New York city budget. Another phase of the "debate should be noticed. It was the reluctance re-luctance of congress to reassume its right to direct and control the spending of federal funds. The above-mentioned Mr. Hopkins wants to be free and unfettered in his spending and those policies were the ones he recommended to Mr. Roosevelt. Consequently, with administration ad-ministration pressure on many senators, sen-ators, the Hopkins idea prevailed and so for another year congress must sit back and watch the Hopkins Hop-kins organization spend money virtually vir-tually any way it desires. I think there ought to be a lesson les-son in this whole situation upon which the country can look back rather regretfully. The experience gained by making lump sum appropriations ap-propriations certainly shows how a bad habit can be contracted and how difficult it is to cure that habit. Seldom in history until this depression depres-sion would congress ever vote lump sum appropriations for executive departments to spend as they will. Having contracted the habit, however, how-ever, it is going to be difficult hereafter here-after to deny any President lump sum appropriations, provided only that he has a substantial majority in the house and senate. - No doubt many persons will wonder won-der whv this sort, nf thin rnn:ti'- 'ard the -.; proposal that had the best the daj of getting through was one aboaii by Senator Robinson of e out tl the Democratic leader in rste. rfcenaVe. He offered an amend-s amend-s swiff- -i to the relief bill which would 7 bete :- required the states to con-roice con-roice cL -":!e one-fourth of the amount ex- -led in each state, with the f ed-I ed-I ktasury supplying the remain-; remain-; . ia that amount was offered, ;e he : ::s something in the nature of a hip- G;:" -.iromise between proposals that . -les should bear 40 per cent ( fet they should bear none of 5?'., ::eost With the White House op-1 op-1 ;'i cr::g through the President's lob-Charles lob-Charles West, and Senator ' L-'dej of Kentucky, the adminis-v adminis-v p p. :;:ia was able to force defeat of ZJh-' l Sj'oinson amendment. Rpnatnr Rarklpv is assist- tutes an important issue. The answer an-swer is simple. Governments are wasteful and the federal government, govern-ment, being larger than state or local lo-cal governments, is just that much more wasteful and unable to handle money carefully. If states and local lo-cal communities have to bear expenses ex-penses of this sort out of their own treasuries, they see to it that only those entitled to relief obtain it. Unhappily, Un-happily, the national relief system is caring for thousands upon thousands thou-sands of men who could get jobs and who could support their families fami-lies but who will not do so as long as money is given them from Washington. Wash-ington. Since the national debt is at the highest point in the history of our nation, there is a growing conviction convic-tion at tht Canitnl that a halt must c Democratic leader of the sen-"ii sen-"ii rj and so we had the spectacle of PX R ol Mr. Roosevelt's spokesmen p4'-:? on one side and a second one xftfjt the other side. The one who ;i spurred on by the President ' ' an not sure that the Robinson aip. : ;cal would have resulted in an :;:tciable reduction in the federal ' iunea.;.' v for reUef . Of course, it would jed somi.. mt toal somewhat but by the full one-fourth that ap-: ap-: native oi :;:ej 0B its face It was vaiuatie ition. W :s piece of legislation, however, og floata! ;,J3e jt would have require(j the and a pi" . :s again to assume some of the :a which only a few years ago 7 carried in its entirety. It was not more- atiple for which Senator Rob-George's Rob-George's ' 3 fought and it was a principle i the pier 3 ' - which he was defeated be-ned be-ned tofcl a Harry Hopkins, relief admin-ban admin-ban it . objected and still objects rning any part of the relief ile. ',;"ton to tte local authorities. nselfiaiE !?cct that Senator Robinson's ind It se-:- 'm on the relief proposition loser tto ; nhelp his relations with the 'them I' use but 1 ink it ought as a cat". ! said at Senator Robinson exhausted- again his capacity as enedandt: ;tsn. He demonstrated as : he recognizes the dan-.natbe" dan-.natbe" States be called sometime. The present trouble is that there are not yet enough courageous representatives and senators to force a stoppage in such spending. While the steel strike blazed forth with battle after battle, blood was shed and property Baker Takes was damaged, lit-Labor lit-Labor Job tle attention was paid to a development develop-ment here in the nation's capital in the government itself. While all of the sensational things were happening on the steel front, one Jacob Baker was resigning his job as assistant relief administrator and was accepting the job of chief of a new labor unit to be associated with John L. Lewis and his Committee Com-mittee for Industrial Organization. Mr. Baker's unit is to be made up of government workers themselves, a labor union in the government of the United States. For some years, there have been minor labor units among government govern-ment employees. They were affiliated affili-ated with the American Federation of Labor. Generally speaking, they were impotent and did little more than create a dozen jobs for the officials offi-cials of the organization. Now, however, the government ui !irngSOmeofthe senators ' e impression that there is .. claWfc; :;.e wmr about the gov-and gov-and they wafted hulediti; v; hUaStethef cognized it as ' ! 0UW event"ally bring V ; E 7ment pending within .1 VtSenators o that r-t, 'inedthatif S Lfe' , .--tS CaUed uPn to bear It cam' ..' the burden of relief it wonM fon the 0 :;orcefully thf facf S ck I d 'mLI taxes and ey 6teeS e ed.or ir attitude. It ffas ,. reahze, however, that at" & ' tpentand db8V';;'4fi lldren and chil- t0 g! -at "aretobe taxed to ons, they wi1 workers are to have a "militant, fighting labor union which will get things done for them." Such at least is the press agent word that has been spread under Mr. Baker's direction. Mr. Baker is familiar with the problems of government service. Undoubtedly he recognizes that he cannot use the same methods in organizing or-ganizing government workers that are used in private industry. If, for example, he would attempt a strike, I think probably it would be the end of labor organizations m the government of the "militant, fighting" type. The advance notices concerning Mr. Baker's plans seem to indicate that he is seeking members below the grades of official rank. In other words, if the Baker plans are carried car-ried out, the new union will be made up of the so-called rank and file. This would seem to be an advanta- Senses " Una1' state thew', Mossomeothe re-ntry, re-ntry, 1'.; -J Wavo M burden back to otheF cfIOe rather plainly that hunt a , :;. - most 0 the sena- 'sWT & ed 'th talk that intbm .-.j a'teMwiU haunt the sno9lf(t- ieovjl 16 quired again this chadty f- Th l& ' :'ma-ors froat a Powerful lob-press lob-press ''as .thelarg-e .thelarg-e firlf f d?mg on allot the nd C'r Mayor La-I burf! t ew York was the bold-dS bold-dS he has been bold geous arrangement because u emi -inates some o the dangers that always al-ways develop" where bureaucrats and division heads assume too much authority. There is a danger also in confining confin-ing the organization to the rank and file because among the less experienced experi-enced labor leaders there is always a tendency "to flare up.' That is to say. lacking experience they may say things or do things which are regrettable or which they have cause to regret later on. The violence vio-lence that has shown its ugly head in the steel strike proves this point So Mr. Baker has his job cut out for him in this direction. Western Newspaper Union. |
