Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22

ferred in the House to the judiciary
Committee There, by the dominant
regulars. 1t had been cut and slashed
and mangled and left for dead. Sen
ator Wagner devoted himself without
encouragement to its resuscttation.
This year, with the help Of some lively
members of Col Arthur Woods special
Emergency Committee for Employment,
he succeeded.
No Funds Appropriated.
The bill was picked up and a con-
siderable number of its vitals put back
into 1t. It received House approval,
Senate approval, White House approval,
and became law, but without an appro-
priation to make 1t go into practice.
The getting of that appropriation in
competent sum still lies ahead OF Sen
ator Wagner to accomplish.
In the meantime he is preoccupleo
today with his sudden fight against
of his bill for further Federal aid TO
local employment agencies. That fght
is one of the most peculiar incidents OF
this session of the Congress.
Secretary Doak before becoming
Secretary, had committed himself to
Senator Wagner's employment agencies
bill. After conference with TIE Presi-
dent he has committed himself against
1t and has come forward with bill OF
his own This bill eliminates the idea
of any Federal effort to strengthen local
State employment agencies and adopts
hthe idea of creating new enlarged
Federal employment agency system I'M
controlled by. Civil Service and wholly
open to be entirely filled with political
appointees.
DOak Seeks Assistance.
For this latter idea Secretary Doak
has endeavored to secure the approval
of the American Federation of Labor
and of its constituent unions from the
ranks of which a large number Of the
appointments would presumably be
made. Senator Wagner is strong
labor man, but has refused to release
his labor supporters from their promise
to support his bill which, unlike the
Doak bill. contains strong protective
Civil Service features.
The Wagner bill. again unlike the
Doak bill establishes councils of en-
ployerS and employees to assist in the
administration of the employment
agencies to be aided by the Federal
Government in order to enlist the in
terest both of the private citizens who
wish jobs and of the private citizens
who can give jobs.
4 nc OccpcSL pOiIlI III Tic COIlllACt,
however. is that Senator Wagner con-
scientiously prefers to promote the To-
cal State employment agencies through
Federal encouragement while the adj
ministration, conscientiously in opposi-
ton to that proposal, has been driven
to draft the Doak bill carrying the
Federal Government by itself into a
greatly expanded employment finding
effort through Federal officials through
out the country.
This is the severest Of all the strug-
giles that Senator Wagner has en-
countered in the course OF his unem-
ployment relief activities in Washing
ton. In each one Of them, successfully,
he has walked into the wall of official
opposition. Perhaps he will be able to
knock that wall gradually down sagain
Irrespective of the merits or dement's
Of his ideas it can be said of him that
he has certainly brought ideas to Wash
ington and has certainly done battle
for them with fertility and a fearless
ness not any too often observed in our
public life.
(CopyriEht, 1885,,