Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-30
Political "Chariteers.

LOllLlCdl OldIIl6GIS.
If the Democratic leadership is in
tent upon making Government dole"
in place of voluntary charity as con-
Quoted by the Red Cross, an issue in
the coming presidential campaign, it
is doing a foolish thing. The American
people have been accustomed to meet
the needs of the hungry and the suf-
fering themselves, through their local
charities and through the national or
ganization of the Red Cross. The in
siStence of the Democratic group in the
Senate, aided by Republican insurgents,
that the Federal Government shall be-
come dispenser of this charity does
not take into consideration the fact that
the American people, of their own in
itiative, have been able to care for suf-
fering in the past and are doing it now.
Many more millions of dollars than the
SIS 900 900 proposed by the Senate to
be handed out from the Federal Treas
ury will be needed to meet the calls of
charity. Unless the Government Is
prepared to go the whole route, to
take over the matter Of relieving sui
fering throughout the country, 1t seems
particularly stupid that it should make
a gesture at this time which may inter-
fere with the usual functions per-
formed by the local charities and the
Red Cross.
Indeed, the drive for the Government
dole proposed in the Senate has the
appearance of a gesture, and political
gesture at that. If persisted in, it may
prove a boomerang. The Republican
party will make no mistake if it OPP
poses the dole and stands for the
American Red Cross, which has de-
clared that a Government dole marks
the end of voluntary giving in this
country.
The House Committee on Appropri-
ations has voted Is to IL against the
dole. The matter goes now before
the House. The Republican leaders
of that body have expressed confidence
that the verdict of the Appropriations
Committee will be sustained by the
House itself, despite the effort OF the
Democrats to force it to accept the
Senate dole. From the Senate DEM
ocrats, however comes a new threat
that, unless the dole is voted, special
session of the Congress may be forced
in the Spring 1t is another attempt
on their part to coerce the Republicans
of the House and the President into
accepting the dole.
The Democratic leadership Of the
Senate, having pledged cooperation
with the administration to put through
speedily measures for relief of the
drought-stricken areas and of unem-
ployment in this country, has sought
from the first to impose its own ideas
of relief-the Government dole-on the
legislation proposed. Because the dole
is resisted, it delayed action at first on
the drought relief bill and the measure
designed to give the unemployed work
on Government construction projects.
And it has delayed the raising of funds
by the Red Cross for needed relief work
by the intersection of the idea that the
Government, not the individual citizen,
is to put up the money for the SUI
ferers.
The first proposal of the Democratic
leadership of the Senate was for Gov
eminent dole only to those in the
drought stricken areas. But since that
first proposal it has been amended so
as to provide dole for the unemployed
in the cities, general dole. Appar-
emily the change was made in the hope
Of gaining the votes of those who rep
resent industrial communities. Govern
ment dole is to go to those communities
where the citizenship has been at work
for months in the relief of suffering and
the unemployed. What other step could
be taken more effectually to halt the
voluntary aid which is SO necessary
unless the Government is to assume the
entire burden? The political "chari-
teers" are putting their foot in it.