Evening star., 1932-07-10
BY WILLIAM HARD.

rum ana feueII 1lOSe are Tie Oeep-
est instant dividing lines between the
two major parties in the current Presi-
Dental campaign. The other lines be-
tween them are fundamentally fainter.
On rum and on relief, however, the
combat is glaringly clear.
On relief the Democratic candidate
for Vice President, Mr.. Garner. is wag-
ing at Washington warfare which
in spirit, at least-has the sympathetic
support Of the Democratic candidate
for President, Mr. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his speech to the
Chicago Democratic Convention, said:
while primary responsibility for re-
lief rests with localities, the Federal
Government has always had, and still
has, continuing responsibility for the
broader public welfare. 1t will soon
fulfill that responsibility. AS soon as
we get the chance, the Federal Govern
ment will assume bold leadership in
distress relief"
~
At no other point Except liquor in
his speech at Chicago, did Mr.. Roose-
velt establish so basic difference be-
Garner simultaneously has elevated the
relief of distress into being the tallest
controversy between himself and the
White House.
In the complicated course Of that
controversy, however, there have been
conflicts of views not only between Mr..
Garner and Mr.. Hoover, but also be-
tween Mr.. Garner and some of his fel-
low Democrats in the Senate and even
between Mr.. Garner and his running
mate on the Democratic National tick
ct. The net outcome to date is that
possibly Mr.. Garner is quite right in
maintaining that the compromise re-
lief bill contains more concessions by
him than by his chief opponent in the
White House executive wing.
The compromise bill, like the original
BILL contains three projects. In all
three the yieldings by Mr.. Garner to
the White House-and to the Senate
are distinct.
Project one has to do with Federal
public works Mr.. Garner originally
wished to spend a billion or SO OF dol
lars on them. Mr.. Wagner in the Sen
ate as the Democratic relief leader Of
that body. wished to spend five hundred
million. The compromise bill as
passed by Congress and sent to the
White House for a veto said to be walt
ing. appropriates only three hundred
tWentv-two million. Moreover with re-
gard to more than half OF that amount
the bill provides:
"No part of the sum appropriated
shall be expended If the Secretary oil
the Treasury certifles to the PRESIDENT
that the money necessary for Such ex-
penditure is not available and cannot
be obtained upon reasonable terms
It Is manifest, therefore, that In this
hill the actually obligatory expenditures
for Federal public works have been re-
duced-by successive concessions-from
a billion to approximately one hundred
flftv million. The ground yielded In
this matter has obviously been yielded
more by Mr.. Garner than by Mr..
Hoover.
Project two in the bill is in the mat
ter of direct relief to the destitute. Mr.:
Garner wished to grant 500. 100000 to
the destitute in outright gift. Senator
Wagner wished to grant $300,000,0O0 to
the destitute through loans to the sew
eral State governments of the Union on
the basis of population. The President
was opposed to the principle Of outright
gift by the Federal Government and he
believed that the loans to the States
should be on the basis not Of popula-
ton but of need. The compromise bill,
grants $500, 5000 to the States
in the form of loans on the basis OF
need. The concessions in this matter
have undeniably, therefore, been made
much more by Mr.. Garner-and also by
Mr.. Wagner-than by Mr.. Hoover.
4 +
Project three in the bill is in the field
of loans by the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation for the providing of en-
ployment. In this field there has been
a certain slender link of subterranean
subconsciouS sympathy between Mr..
Garner and Mr. Hoover Mr.. Wagner
in the Senate wanted the loans con-
fined substantially to public and quasi
public enterprises. Mr.. Hoover was
willing to extend them in certain
strictly limited circumstances to private
enterprises Mr. Garner wished TO en-
power the Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration to grant them to ANY person"
for the furtherance Of employment.
x
The compromise bill, still contains
the WOIQS 10 dliy EtIeOil II also now
includes. however, a provision to the
effect that the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation in making loans, shall give
preference to certain specified sorts of
enterprises, namely:
/. Local public bodies.
2. Corporations operating under local
law for the improvement of housing.
8. Private corporations engaged in
constructing vaducts and tunnels, and
the Like, for public use.
=. Private corporations dedicated to
FeforeStation.