Evening star., 1932-07-15
No Relief +?

The country still waits for the relief
bill, promised for months. while Speaker
Garner of the House insists that the
Senate shall swallow publicity
clause"
Mr. Garner has taken another political
turn. His present and previous efforts
to make campaign capital have, however
had the result of holding up legislation
that would aid materially in the upward
journey of business and employment,
and which would help to put food into
hungry mouths.
This latest effort of the Speaker was
surprise move After the Democrats
of the House had agreed to go along
with the recommendations of President
Hoover for the relief bill; after they
had even gone so far as to dub their
new relief bill the Hoover measure" :"
On the insistence of Speaker Gamer
the Democratic members OF the WAYS
and Means Committee reported to the
House an amendment providing for full
publicity of all loans made both under
the relief bill and under the original
Reconstruction Finance Corporation act.
There had been no such proposal in
the relief bill vetoed by the President,
which was sent back to the House by
the Chief Executive because of its pro-
vision authorizing Government loans to
private individuals, another Garner
amendment" Mr.. Garner apparently
had 1t in his mind that the admins
tration would oppose the publicity
feature, thereby giving him an oppor-
tunitv TO triumph over the President.
or that defeat of his proposal would
give at least another political issue to
talk about in the campaign.
On the face of it. the proposal that
there should be full publicity of all
loans made by the Government sounds
reasonable. But the opponents of the
publicity feature insist that it would
make the relief bill, designed to aid
smaller as we'll as larger banks, of little
use to the banks, since If it were pub
I lished to the world that bank must
borrow money, its depositors might be-
come panicky and cause a run On the
bank seeking aid The Government
does not now publish the returns made
to it by individuals and corporations
under the income tax law.
But, aside from the merits or de-
merits of the publicity amendment now
placed in the relief bill by the Demo-
cratic House at the insistence OF
Speaker Garner, the tactics of the
Speaker have been such as to make the
Democrats themselves restive. Many of
them do not like to be continually
placed in a position of holding up re-
lief legislation. If there is need for
publicity of loans made by the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation, such
publicity can be obtained through sep
arate legislation.
The general public may grow skep-
tical, if it has not already become SO,
of the desire of the Democrats to do
anything at this time to improve the
business conditions of the country and
to start the wheels of industry again if
this constant Democratic delay of the
relief measure does not cease. 1t is too
obvious that some Democratic politi-
clans are figuring that if there is no
improvement in conditions in this coun-
try during the next two or three
months, it will be vastly easier for the
Democrats to win the national elec-
ton in November.
Senate Democrats so far have failed
to come to the aid of Speaker Garner
in this latest attempt to make an issue
with the President. Some Of them are
out of patience with the tactics of the
Democratic Speaker. But they do not
like to turn against their vice presiden-
tial nominee Yet the evident deter
mination of the Speaker to dominate
all the Democrats in both houses of
Congress is irritating to Democratic
Senators, to say the least.