Evening star., 1925-07-05
STATE HEADS FAIL
ON VITAL POINT
Discuss State Rights Issue,
But Get Nowhere in
81 Conference.
BY Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
PORTLAND, Me, July 4-Eleven
Republicans and eight Democrats
not counting lieutenant governors and
former governors, sat in the seven
teenth governors conference here this
week and heard arguments which got
nowhere over the State rights issue
as revived by President Coolidge.
Party lines didn't figure at ALL
neither was there a suggestion of the
old North and South division It was
Just a question in most cases of
whether governor hailed from a
State needing Federal encroach-
ment' in the form of aid in road
building and agricultural extension
work
Are you as good State rights
Democrat as President Coolidge?"
Gov. Whitfield of Mississippi was
asked.
Cites Practicable Needs.
Il was brought up on State
rights" replied this Southern Demo
crat, but you can't build d wall
around a State. 1t won't keep out
the boil weevil. Modern industry has
practically obliterated State rights.
We've got to have Federal aid in
pests that menace the Nations food
supply. The Federal Government has
got to take over affairs that concern
all the people"
OF the State executives who eX-
pressed themselves with some definite
ness the Republicans seemed to be
three TO two against strong federalist
development of the United States Gov
ernment. The Democrats We're about
tn a ca iTNs on hn .afl HOY Il
of the fence, and the party label was
not a factor in either group.
In the conference could be heard the
Stalwart Republican business man
governor from Iowa arguing for local
autonomy, and then a rich Southern
voice responding with a statement of
the necessity of Federal cooperating
in growing list of governmental ac-
ttvitieS that concern citizens on both
sides of given State boundary.
To New Hampshire. Maine, Vir-
Einia, Mississippi, Wyoming and other
States without flocks of big tax pay
ers the Federal policy of helping in
road building and other expensive
projects is welcome. But Maryland,
Florida and Iowa. Rhode Island and
Connecticut all are for resisting the
system. These States don't get any
thing like as much back in Federal aid
as they are taxed by the Federal gov
ernment for the support of these CO.
operative undertakings.
Issue Far From Met.
So far as meeting the issue is con-
cerned, the conference was a failure
The governors talked all around it,
but the meeting did not tackle it
squarely as did Gov. Ritchie. Demo
Crat, of Maryland, who vigorously
sought to carry TO its logical conclu-
sion President Coolidges line of
thought in his Memorial day address
Gov. Ritchie analyzed the present
Federal aid to the States, 80 per cent
of which, he said, went into high
ways. He held that by indirection
and by bargain the Federal Govern
ment gets control of these affairs
which are wholly local concerns of
the States, and that it is unjust that
the wealth of one State should be
spent in State that lacks wealth of
it's own.
The weakness of that argument"
the Republican governor, Winant, of
New Hampshire. contended. lis that
those who feel as Gov. Ritchie and
President Coolidge do look upon the
funds paid by individuals in Federal
income taxes as State contributions
The wealth of our sparcely settled
States finds its way into the centers
of trade and manufacture. New York
attracts great wealth from the han
ding of the commerce of a large part
of the Nation. 1t is just to permit
New York to have the taxing and
spending of all the wealth that is pro-
duced in many Western and Southern
States?"
Gov Brewster of Maine, Republican,
disagrees with Gov. Winant on the
trend of the times. The pendulum
has already begun TO swing from cen
tralization in Washington toward in
creasing local authority" says
Names governor. I'm the next five
years it will swing too far in the di-
rection of decentralization. 1t is a
trend to be resisted, for it's impetus
comes largely from strongly in
trenched interests that know they
can handle State governments to their
own ends more easily than they can
handle national governments"