Show economic highlights pension headache if you want to spoil a pleasant jay day for a politician just whisper the word pension to him its an all odds on bet that he will be visited with a terrific headache for the old age assistance problem is rapidly reaching the stature of our number 1 domestic issue As an AP writer john hightower puts it voices too feeble to carry across the family parlor may echo in stentorian L tones ones throughout the halls of congress this winter the next congress may do little or nothing about it but unless a miracle occurs some not far distant congress is is going to be forced to tackle the problem and aej get down to cases the issue is not a political one in any partisan sense the idea that came into the mind of dr townsend when he looked out cut of his window a few years ago and saw a pathetic old woman searching in a garbage can for food has reached gigantic proportions and has come to bedevil and worry republicans as well as democrats it is especially embarrassing barr assing to the democrats now because they are in power A shift in party power would put it up to the republicans the pension leaders are de definitely in dissatisfied with the admin adain istra tons enacted social security legislation they feel that it offers the indigent old a bone instead of a decent meal they are arc convinced that the government should and could substantially in crease the amount of pensions they think that the federal government should take the load and that then the states will wil I 1 follow and agree to do their part of the job from the standpoint of our lawmakers the whole feole thing is a nightmare they feel that the country could not stand increases in benefits to anywhere near current demands they can produce well known economists by the bushel to testify that such ideas for financing pensions as dr townsends Town sends velocity dollar are unworkable and fantastic but this does them no good when they are confronted with the fact that the pension advocates represent and command millions of votes f and that is why there has been so much political pussyfooting pussy footing on the subject of pensions by candi dates for office offic 0 A almost 1 most all job seekers endorse in the vaguest terms they can get away with the principle of adequate and even lavish aid for the aged needy most of them once successfully convinced the voters of their worth try to get the whole topic as much out of the limelight as possible this does not necessarily mean such men are insincere some of them strongly feel that benefits must be increased yet do nothing about it simply because they got the answers to the tremendous questions principally financial that arise they want to move but they cant see a clear path ahead internal bickering still another weakness of the pension movement is found in internal bickering the townsend I 1 plan organization for instance is is split into a dozen factions some of the early leaders have deserted the doctor and are leading opposed blocs of their own furthermore ther more the fact that there is corn competition petition in the field such as the california thirty dollars every thursday proposal which was beaten last election though the movements gubernatorial and senatorial candidates were elected makes a united front impossible president roosevelt has definitely turned thumbs down on the more extreme proposals calling them short cuts to utopia and referring to their sponsors as a s the lunatic fringe it is known that lie he has instructed his congressional lieutenants to do anything they can to tc I 1 keep the issue on the sidelines a as s he believes that it imperils im perils the success of his own more moderate program but it begins to look as if matters are approaching something of a crisis where n nu one can long keep the pot from boiling over and when that happens see fireworks such as youve rarely seen before cabinet shake up the resignation of attorney general cummings md not come as a surprise it marks the start in the opinion of a number of washington experts of what is likely to bo be a major cabinet shake up some of the members meT ibers want to return to private life largely for economic reasons others it is said have incurred presidential displeasure i it has long been sad that jim farley planned to leave the cabinet and was only restrained because party leaders plead with him to keep his job long enough to handle the elections it is possible he will now resign shortly newsweek also names secretaries swanson perkins roper and woodring as being among those who may leave washington of their own volition or otherwise in the meantime it is the accepted opinion that solicitor general jackson will take mr cummings place it is taken for granted in most informed quarters that harry hopkins will be ten tendered alered a cabinet post before lon long and that there will be a white hot battle in the senate when his name comes up for confirmation |