The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-30

eral land banks, and allows farmers
under prescribed conditions, to Dor
row for refinancing their debts aside
from the mortgage. No one doubts
the sincerity of this program, nor does
anyone question but that 1t is needed
and that it will be of immense help tC
farmers. Yet attention was called
during the debate in congress to loop
holes through which team and Wagon
can be driven. According to these ar
guments, If the federal land banks dc
not accumulate some mortgages hav
ing a face value of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars, but actually little
more than your cats and dogs, it will
be a miracle.
AS l said earlier, observers here are
convinced that Mr.. Roosevelt car
check malfeasance in
Rely on any of the numer.
Roosevelt Gus directions If he
acts In time and
with firmness. His loyal supporters
insist he can and will sense any ten.
denotes of that kind as they develop
but his opponents, or rather opponents
of his programs, claim he will be un'
able to discover them until the infec.
ton has become fostering sore.
do not propose to set down cOnclu.
sion respecting these arguments, nor
the probability or possibility that any
of the conditions may eventuate. My
purpose solely is to suggest what can
happen and where we would be headed
should the dangers become real rather
than theoretical.
l called attention above to the fact
that congress had somewhat disrupted
the Presidents program but that, all
in all, it had given the President the
widest powers ever accorded in peace
time. The reason there was a break.
ing of party lines in congress was be
cause some senators and representa-.
tives awakened toward the end of the
extra session to the fact that they had
voted away almost all of the powers
they were supposed to exercise. They
grew fearful of what would happen.
The feelings of the doubtful ones
were not becalmed either by the prod.
ding they were receiving from Hobbies
of powerful groups such as the vet
Grams.
Mr.. Roosevelt was not entirely vic
torious in this battle. He succeeded
far beyond expectations of many
Washington analysts, but sore spots
were created that are going to be hard
to heal. So it probably is just as well
that there will not be any meeting of
congress again until January, 1884
The President can proceed to carry
out the program he has in mind under
authority which congress gave him,
upon his own responsibility.
The Roosevelt administration, being
now about four months old, has dis
closed strong procliv.
Keep Public tiles in the direction
Informed of publicity for 1t.
self. 1t seems to have
adopted the title of well-known show
"Of Thee Sing" and the pee-pul are
going to be told In considerable detail
Of what is being done. Nearly all OF
the important branches of the govern.
ment have taken capable newspaper
men into their organizations that the
proper supply of information may be
made available to those writer's who
continue at their regular means OF
livelihood. 1t has helped the unem.
ployment situation among the writer's
anyway, for where the government has
hired men, their places have been
filled from among others whose salary
checks have been small or have been
missing altogether as result Of slack
business for the newspapers.
Administration leaders justify the
policy on the ground that correspond
ents cannot be familiar with every
phase of government and particularly
now that we have so many new laws
and new activities resulting from the
new deal. The public is entitled to
have the facts, the leaders explain
and the use of high-class newspaper
men in publicity jobs in the govern
ment, therefore, constitutes a service
to the public.
This attitude, of course, has a basis
in fact and there is merit in the argu.
ment. But there is another side ia
the proposition. 1t has been the rec
ord of other administrations that EN-.
ployed an array of writing talent that
considerable amount of plain, UNI
adulterated propaganda somehow man
aged to creep into official statements
and information released through
these channels. 1t is the average
writer's function to report the news
He or she cannot openly question the
truth or the accuracy of an official
statement. Consequently, II the state
ment be of the propaganda sort, there
is little the writer can do about It
The decision has to be left to the ed.
itor of the paper.
The President himself is not a fail.
ure by any means in getting the right
sort of publicity. Twice a week he
receives the accredited correspond.
ents in his office and talks as freely
with them as though they were part
Of his own organization. He tells them
that which they may use as coming di.
rectly from him or on which he may
be quoted; he gives them information
which the writer's may use as official
but on which he may not be quoted, OF
he tells them things that are doing but
may not be disclosed at all. This lat.
ter category of information Is ''off the
record" and seldom. If ever, does II
reach the public eye or ear. 1t is q
pleasant arrangement because the
newspaper writer's can feel that they
are informed at all times and are not
likely to write inaccurate accounts. II