Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-04
A Way Out.

President Hoover stated yesterday to
the country and to the Congress that
If at any time the Red Cross, ether
voluntary charitable organizations and
State and local governments should
prove unable to meet the task of caring
for the destitute in this country he
would call upon Congress for aid from
the Federal Government. The Presi-
dent, however, did not weaken in his
demand that the American people be
given an opportunity to handle the
present emergency due to the drought
and unemployment. lie did not weak
en in his inSistence that to have the
Federal Government undertake to feed
the people would be a blow at volun-
tary charity, as represented by the Red
Cross, and in the end a blow at the
Government itself. He did call upon
those members Of the Senate and the
House who have been insistent upon a
Federal appropriation to feed the peo-
pie to stand aside and let the people
take care of their own, as they have
done in the past.
The willingness of the President to
pledge himself to ask aid of the Fed
eral Government to feed starving
Americans if the need arises brought
into the Senate debate yesterday a
decidedly more conciliatory tone. Sem
ator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, for
example, called for a solution of the
controversy which has arisen between
the Senate on one side and the Presi-
dent and the House on the other
Reading from the Presidents statement
the Mississippi Senator pointed to the
fact that the Chief Executive said he
did not wish to add acrirnony to the
discussion, and that he credited to
those who wished Federal aid for the
anxiety" He expressed full confidence
that the President would carry out his
pledge to call on Congress for Federal
aid to feed the starving if it became
necessary. And finally, the Mississippi
Senator insisted that he thought a way
can be found and ought to be found to
%clarify the situation and bring about
some common understanding"
Later still in the debate, Senator
Couzens Of Michigan asked Senator
Robinson. the Democratic leader and
author Of the proposed SIS, 900, 900 APP
preparation TO supply food to the dis
tressed throughout the country, whether
IL the plan to appropriate s15,00O,0Oo to
loan to the distressed for the purchase
of food originally advanced in the SEN
ate were agreed to, he, Senator Robin
son. would be satisfied. The Arkansas
Senator replied that from the first he
had declared the people in the drought
stricken area would prefer loans to
charity from the Federal Government.
He added, however, that he would re-
serve his Judgment on the suggestion
Of Senator Couzens until some one
makes proposal that there is oppor-
tunity to carry out" He added that If
the original loan proposal had been
carried out, the present controversy
would not have arisen in all probability.
The spirit of Cancellation, which APP
parently has been advanced by the
President and in measure also by his
Senate opponents, needs encouragement.
There seems little to result by the main
tenance Of the deadlock, except the
hampering Of voluntary charity and
denial of Federal aid. The Presidents
proposal that the American people be
permitted to finish the job of relief
which they have undertaken, and that
IL it be demonstrated that the job can
not be adequately done through volun-
tary aid. then the resources of the Fed
ersl Government be called on, is sane
enough. The acrimony which has
arisen, the bitter things which have
been said in Senate and House have
only served to arouse ill-feeling out in
the country as well as in the halls of
Congress. Unless the Congress is en-
tirely impotent except for the utterance
OF words, there must be a way out.