Evening star., 1932-02-09

| SETNa1oh bS
| law in time to relieve existing distress.
and, therefore, want to have bill
which can be approved by the Presi-
| dent rather than to create futile
political issue with him.
Our substitute is preferable to the
La Follette-Costigan bill for four out
| standing reasons:
I First. because it provides work In
addition to relief;
Second, because it does not provide
| dole nor a gift nor an invitation to
relaxation of local effort. but it does
! make available substantial sums as
| loans to States wherever the needs
justify such help;
Third. because it gives the States the
right to administer the relief through
those experienced agencies which are
already handling tie situation. without
any bureaucratic red tape and Federal
domination Of local administration, ana
Fourth because it avoids dlrect
invitation to presidential veto by
avoiding the La Follette-Costigan pro-
vision for the giving away OF Federal
money to displaCe what ought to be
raised by local responsibility.
The proposed substitute is sponsored
by Democrats, approved by the Demo-
cratic Policy Committee and Steering
Committee, and has been supported oy
a clear and able public statement by
the Democratic leader, Senator Ropln-
son of Arkansas. 1t has, therefore,
been called Democratic substitute YET
there is in it nothing OF partlSansnlp
and its underlying principle OF insist
ence upon local responsibility Tor dl-
rect relief is tie reaf1rmance .ot an
accepted American principle rather
than partisan Democratic one. Inc
respect which We have shown to Presl-
dent Hoover'S recently expressed views
on this subject should commend our
substitute to our Republican colleagues
and there is reason to hope that many
of them will join in supporting our SUD-
stitute bill.
Cites Strange Paradox.
The economic dislocation Is without
anv precedent 1t is indeed paradox
that there should be hunger, want and
dire need in this land Of wealth ana
plentv. and vet we have that picture
plainiv before us and We cannot turn
orr ewes away Testimony OF COM
netent witnesses before the Senate
Committee on Manufactures demon
strates beyond a doubt that IN count
less communities throughout the Natloh
there will soon be a disastrous snort
age of funds to meet the most urgent
necessities in the care Of the destitute
After private charity and local taxing
units have done their utmost, there
is still not enough in sight TO carry
through the year.
None of us can fail to WISH thaC con-
ditions were not so. None OF us can
fail to hope that they will not remain
SO long. But notWlthstanolng tilas,
none of us can yet see clearly the way
out of this economic dislocation. nor
state with confidence when we may pe
able to find and follow that way.
In the meantime there can be no
differences of opinion that the hungry
must be fed and that human suffering
and dire want must be, SO FAR as poSSl-
bic aIleviated. That this can be done
with complete fairness and efficiency
we cannot hope; we cannc: hope tnat
it can be accomplished without mis-
takes, without SCme measure OF waste
nor can we hope to get through the
crisis without some impairment OF
morale and sef-respect on the part OF
those who are obliged to accept charl-
ty: without some measure CT lmposltlon
practiced By minority who are willing
To take unfair advantage of a distress
ing situation; nor without some I'M
portant exceptions be made in the
strict application of the theories OF
our economic and political philosophy.
What we must seriously consider IS
how we may best meet this difficult
and unprecedented task, facing the un-
welcome facts just as we find them,
using, as we must, existing poiltiCal
and social agencies, with such faults
as they have, and endeaVor1ng to &C
complish the task with the greatest
possible efficiency. the least possible
Waste and loss of morale, and with the
least possible sacrifice of governmental
principles which have long proven
sound.
FavOrs Road Building.
Of course, the true remedy for un-
employment is employment. The sub
stitute bill recognizes this by setting up
greatly expanded program OF road
construction, making Federal contrlbu-
tions to the States for this purpose
without requiring that they be matched
by State appropriations, and providing
that the work on highways thereby au-
thorized shall be done in such manner
as to use the maximum of human labor
consistent with economy, and further
providing that those now unemployed
shall be given preference in employ
ment on such work. The provisions OF
our program in respect to this road
work are in line with the policy es-
tablished for the Federal Government
! by the Wagner act, providing for carry
ing forward necessary and desirable
public works as rapidly as possible dur
ing times of general unemployment.
This wise policy having been established
by the Federal Government, We submit
that now is the time to put it into
practical effect And there can be NJ
doubt that the practical effect of {
large expenditure on road work will be
to aid very substantially in mitigating
the prevalent unemployment and dis
tresS.
In order that the benefits of this pro-
gram may be equitably spread and
/ may reach to the great metropolitan
communities where the unemployment
situation is most severe, we provide, by