Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-03
hePOlitical Mill
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

A little relief for the distressed and
unemployed in this country, minui
| politics. would be welcome. Gov
Franklin D. Roosevelt Of New Yorh
! worked out O plan to raise sec, 900 0e(
| to care for the unemployed and theil
| families in the Empire State this
Winter. The Republicans. who con-
| troll the State Legislature, figured that
i If they put the Roosevelt plan through
it would be playing into the hands OF
the Governor and the Democrats in
/ view of next years campaign. So the
Republicans have come forward with
bills of their own, differing in certain
| respects from that sponsored by the
| Governor. The Democratic Governor of
New York is experiencing, in his effort
| to put through relief measures for the
State, much the same kind Of opposi-
| ton which President Hoover met dur
] ing the last session Of Congress when
| he sought to carry through relief meas
ures for the Nation and for the
drought-striken areas. It Is much the
same kind Of opposition that the Presi-
| dent will have to face when Congress
meets again next December and the
Chief Executive lays before it his plans
J for dealing with the unemployment
( situation nationally.
n II
Both parties are catering to the I'M
| employed vote, which may be large in
next years elections. But the thing
can be overdone, particularly II the
Republicans in the Legislature in New
York should so deadlock relief measures
in that State that adequate measures to
care for those in distress are not acted
upon promptly enough. The same Is
| frltn ~ llo NJ
yer Republican opposition in Congress
| undertakes to hamstring the admin
STATIONS relief plans next Winter.
=
There Is q problem. closely allied with
, the problem Of relief for the unemployed,
| which looms larger on the screen as
| the session Of Congress approaches
| the financing Of the Federal Govern
ment. The Government must decide
whether 1t will increase Federal taxes
in an. effort to balance the budget.
| whether 1t will run along on borrowed
money In the hope that business will
take an upturn and bring more revenue
into the Treasury Golfers under existing
| tax rates. There will be plenty Of MEM
bers Of Congress on both sides of the
chambers who will oppose sn increase
| In taxes at this time, neither side wish
ing to take the blame for tax increase
| on the eve Of an election. 1t IA obvious,
however, that the party in power in the
end will have to bear the burden II
taxes are increased and resentment of
the taxpayer Is aroused. Many of the
Republican leaders have alreaoy de-
clared themselves again tax increases
and IN favor Of short-term credits to
cover the situation as 1t exists today
Some of the Democrats have taken smi-
lar positions. But there are plenty of
progresSiveS among the Republicans
and the Democrats who are urging tax
! increases.
It may be expected that the admin
tStration will make every effort to cut
down the expenditures of the Govern
ment for the next fiscal year rather
than increase taxes. Representative
Will Wood. chairman Of the House APP
preparations Committee. and also chair
man Of the Republican Congressional
Campaign Committee, after a visit to
! the White House has declared himself
strongly in favor of slaShing the ex-
penditureS for the Army and the Navy,
on the ground that the country is not
at war nor threatened with war. If
his argument was followed tc the end,
1t would be logical Just to wipe out
the Army and Navy and thus make it
possible to save enough money to bal
ance the budget for the civil activities
Of the Government. The Army and
measures Of national defense. Taking
| the history OF the country for the last
$50 years 1t is found that comparatively
few years have been given over to war.
But when the Army and Navy were
needed they were needed greatly. 1t
looks as though other economies might
be made in Government expenditures
with greater safety 70 the country than
materially weakening the Army and the
Navy, even in these times Of peace.
No one knows when war clouds will
crop up, despite the Kellogg treaty re-
nouncing war, signed by all the great
nations of the world.
The Government must materially re-
duce It's expenditures or be prepared
to change the existing tax system. The
present revenue-raising laws are ef-
fective in boom times, but they are not
calculated to meet periods of depres-
sion. Secretary Mellon has already
pointed out that fact.
&*
Relief, finance and economy as sub
jectS of conversation and legislation at
the next session Of Congress will be
! joined by prohibition. The wet and dry
issue may have suffered an eclipse tenn
porarily in these days when work and
food are scarce, but there are plenty
the anti-prohibition cause forward at
this time, believing that it. too, can
thrive in a period of discomfort. Wet
Republicans are much agitated over the
probable position Of the partyS presi-
dental candidate next year. They want
Mr.. Hoover, If he is renomSlated, as they
expect him to be, to let down the bars a
bit. That fact Is probably responsible
in large part for the persistent and
unverified rumors that the President
eventually will come out for per cent
beer. The vets say that the farmers
are permitted under the law to have
their wines in their homes and they do
not see why beer should be denied the
workers in the cities. Further, they
insist that the report of the Wickersham
commission on prohibition has given
urging some kind Of change in the
prohibition laws. From a practical po-
litical point of view, however, If from
no other Mr.. Hoover would have to
decide whether the @. o. p. would gain
or lose more by having its candidate
for President take moist" stand.
Certainly it would lose the adamant
uEyS, udkly vi WAkOAh AAdNC bGCA4 tOLLlB
the Republican ticket.
4 X
There Is another angle to the wet
and-dry issue from the G. O. P. point of
view-the selection of running mate
for President Hoover. II Vice Presi-
dent Curtis finally determines to step
out Of that picture and make race
for his old Senate seat in Kansas, then
the Republicans may pick wet, or at
least an opponent Of the present pro-
Already Their is a lot Of talk about the
possibility Of nominating Senator
Dwight w. Morrow of New Jersey for
Vice President under those conditions.
Mr.. Morrow eained tremendous public