Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-03
Against Human Suffering.

senator BOTan, INSISTING UPON A1c
relief of suffering by the Federal Gov
eminent, apparently takes the position
In his address to the Senate that only
those who believe as he does are against
human suffering. The Idaho Senator
is sadly mistaken. The individual
American citizen who contributes to the
Red Cross in this emergency is quite as
much against human suffering as is
Senator Borah, or even Senator Cara
way Of Arkansas. 1t is not difficult for
an orator to appeal to the sympathies
of Nation for the relief Of hungry and
ragged women and children. It is not
difficult to state the case against human
suffering. The unfairness of Senator
Borah and Senator Caraway, however,
lies in the fact they are disposed to at
tribute to other members Of Congress
and to the President of the United
States indifference to human suffer-
ing because they favor the traditional
way Of dealing with distress in
the United States and are against es-
tablishing q precedent of having the
Federal Government on a huge scale
enter into the handling of charity in
this country.
An unfortunate result of the conflict
between Senator Borah, Senator Cara
way and other Democratic and Progress
sive Republican Senators on the one
hand and the House and the President
on the other over the method of handling
the relief problem Is that in many in
stances it is arousing the political an
tagonism Of opponents of the admins
tration to such an extent that they are
declining to make contributions to the
Red Cross, the organization that is on
the firing line in the drought-stricken
areas. The more Senator Borah and
Senator Cara&ay hurl defiance and
epithets at their opponents, who are
recognized as on the other side Of the
political fence, the more the whole mat
ter becomes political issue, outside OF
the realm of charity.
Senator Borah insists that the present
establishment Of the dole by the Federal
Government. as proposed in the Rob-
inson amendment to the Interior De-
partment appropriation bill, is not prop
erly to be called a dole" But in the
next breath he points out that Britain
established dole because men were out
Of Jobs and that as soon as jobe are
found for them Britain will do away with
the dole. The implication IS, Of course,
that as soon as jobs are found in the
United States for the men out Of work
the Federal Government will cease TO
feed them. 1t looks very much as though
Senator Borah were quibbling over the
term to be applied to the Federal aid
be desires for the drought-stricken and
the unemployed.
The Democratic supporters Of the
dole are going far afleld. They no
longer look with regard, for example,
on the opinion Of Grover Cleveland.
whom they twice elected President Of
the United States. President Cleveland
in 1887 vetoed a bill appropriating
Federal money for free distribution
Of seeds in the drought-stricken coun-
ties Of Texas. In his message return
ing the bill to Congress, President
Cleveland said: Though the people
support the Government, the Govern
ment should not support the people.
The friendlineSs and charity of our
countrymen can be relied upon to re-
lieve their fellow citizens in misfor-
tune. This has been repeatedly and
quite lately demonstrated Federal aid
in such cases encourages the expecta-
ton of paternal care on the part Of
the Government and weakenS the
sturdiness Of our national character,
while it prevents the Indulgence Of that
kindly sentiment and conduct which
strengthens the bonds Of common
brotherhood"