Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14
BY WILLIAM HARD.

"Tempestuous teapots" would be a
fairly accurate description of the legis-
lative politics of this congressional
session down to the present week end
Such a summary would cover all the
furores over both of the main pieces
of emergency legislation-the drought
relief bill and the unemployment relief
bill. In both cases the scope and cost
OF the projects themselves are negli-
gible, In comparison with the efforts
and by private committees of busi-
ness men, while, on the other hand,
the amount of politics produced out
of them would seem sufficient to pro-
vide palaver for a dozen presidential
candidates. in 1882.
Dispute Over $4,000, 900.
The drought relief bill, which helped
to draw forth the Presidents fulmi-
nation against playing politics with
human misery" is at bottom a dispute
tration and the Republican leadership
Of the House Of Representatives want
the appropriation in the bill kept down
to $30,000,000. The Senate has passed
the bill with an appropriation of $780,
600, 600. Numerous Democrats in the
House, led by Representative Aswell of
Louisiana. wish to concur with the
Senate. The difference between $780,
100000 and $30,000,o00 is on the sur
face $30,000,000. In practice, as the
bill would work, it Is not
The money is to be given to drought
sufferers in the form Of loans. The
experience of the Federal Government
with such loans is that 80 per cent Of
the money comes back. twenty per
cent-at the most-is lost. If, then,
the appropriation in the present
drought relief bill is to be $50 900 900,
the ultimate cost to the Federal Gov
eminent will be only $12.000,000. If
the appropriation is $50 900 900. the
ultimate cost will be only $4,000 900.
The difference between $4,000, 900 and
100000 is 100000. This is the
equivalent of approximately one-third
OF the cost of each of the new six-inch-
gun cruisers that we are going to build
under the London Naval Limitation
Treaty. Financially it is a flea-bite.
Politically 1t Is meal for wild lions. It
leads right on to the colossal question
colossal for the presidential politics of
1882
Is Senator Robinson of Arkansas. the
Democratic leader of the Senate, really
cooperating" with President Hoover
W save IAlc COuIlCIy!
Is and Is Not Co-Operatinx.
The answer is that he politically
wisely is and politically wisely is not.
This helpful fact has fully emerged to
view in the course of the Senate's con-
sheraton last week of the unemploy-
ment relief bill.
That bill has three parts: Ordinary
roads, roads in national forests and in
national parks, and rivers and harbors,
For roads in national forests and in
national parks it originally contained
an appropriation of $4,000. 900. Bv
amendment in the Senate this amount
was increased by 100000 to be de-
voted to more roads in national forests
ana TO roads on the general Federal
landed domain and on Indian reser.
vations.
These sums can be put to one side
Ihey have only the most indirect rela-
lion 10 unemployment. The national
forests. the national parks. the general
Feoeral landed domain and the Indian
orally speaking, the UNEMPLOYED are not
More may be anticipated on behalf
OF the unemployed from the appropria-
ton which the bill contains for or
ulnary roads somewhere near the CEN
CerS IN which the mass of the uneYn-
ployed exist. The appropriation con-
famed In the bill for such roads is
$80,000,000. :"
Many Senators complained that this
appropriation represents RI actual
contribution by the Fedora, Govern
ment. They called it, and It is onlv
an advance, or loan, to the States. THE
states are to pay it all back through
curtailments of their future allotnents
OUT OF the Federal Governments reRlI-
lar ordinary State-aid road funds. It
simply permits the States to get now
what in any case they would get later.
It's new ultimate cost to Federal in
come taxpayers is nothing. The alleged
stlngineSs and selfishness thus about
to be exhibited by the Federal income
taxpayers was vehementiy denounced
on the Senate floor by Democrats and
by Republican insurgents.
Then came two roll calls on motions
to compel the Federal income taxpayers
TO carry the burden of all. or of half
OF the proposed $4,000, 900, which was
said to be tiny burden in view of the
alleged and established fact that the
State and county governments of the
country are now spending on roads the
sum of more than $500, 00O, 600 an
nually.
Democrats Saved Administration.
On both roll calls the administra-
ton position was to leave the burden
on the States and counties and the
anti-administration position was to put
1t upon the Federal income taxpayers
On both roll calls the administration
would have been defeated had it not
been for Democrats. on the first roll
call 10 Democrats and on the second
roll call 8 Democrats took the admin
istration view of correct policy. For
this reason, and for this reason only
the administration was victorious.
Thus cooperation" triumphed. Sen.
Rtor Robinson himself, however, on one
OF the two roll calls, was absent and
on the other cast his vote against the
administrators position.
A double Democratic political suc-
cess was accordingly achieved. In the