Evening star., 1933-04-26
WELFARE PROGRAM
LDCOvERNMENT
| DUTY TO CITIZENS
Plea Is Made Before Session
of League of Women
Voters.
CURTAILMENT DECLARED
"DESTRUCTIvE ECONOMY"
Stand Also Is Taken for Merit
System in Civil Service as
Efficiency Step.


Government to the citizens, Mrs. Siegel
the General Council of the League of
Women Voters. meeting in biennial ses-
sion at the Washington Hotel today.
She said the Children's Bureau. Wom-
ems Bureau, Bureau of Home Economics
and Office of Education are so impor-
tant that any curtailment Of their funds
would be destructive economy" and
stop the progress of social and public
welfare in every community.
She also called upon the woman
voters to stand for the raising of the
standards of Government administra-
tion, through the merit system in the
| civil service, the executive budget sys-
tenn and with administration control in
the hands of the President.
Constructive Economy Policy.
"The league" she said, stands for
constructive economy in government
It understands such economy to near
| reduction in the cost of government
/ without injury to those services which
| are peculiarly essential to the social
welfare during depression. It believes
| the Federal Government has response
bility for the social welfare Of its
| citizens"
She also called for elimination of vet
erans' preference in civil service and
| the abolition Of the married persons
section of the 1882 economy act.
Continuing, she said:
In order to strengthen our public
| finance system, the League urges the
! abolition of deficiency appropriations to
| bring reform in budgetary procedure.
| The President now has the power to
| keep down expenditures below appro-
priations, through political influence,
| but this should be strengthened by CIV
| ing him administrative power"
Reports Presented.
That women voters political interest
! is vital influence behind governmental
! economy, efficiency, unemployment re-
! lief and international cooperation was
| brought out by reports summarized by
| Mrs c. Shepard Barnum of Los An
geles, Mrs S. NJ Campbell Of Indian
apolis and Mrs. Royal C. Taft Of Provi-
dence, r. I.
The reports were based on studies
made of women voters activities in 80
States.
Particularly have the women been ac
tive in the cause of unemployment re-
lief and the prevention of future eras
! of such unemployment as the country
is now passing through. They have
exerted influence to have unemploy-
| ment relief funds administered by
, trained personnel and have aided pub
lie understanding of the need for CO.
| ordinated system Of Federal and State
| employment exchanges. They have
undertaken sponsorship for legislation
, for regulation of private employment
exchanges and legislatures have been
importuned for legislation for unem-
ployment insurance. Support along
these lines. the reports showed. has
been vigorous in California. Illinois,
Minnesota, Maryland, Missouri. Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wis
consin.
The District of Columbia Voteless
League of Women Voters was praised
for taking the initiative in success
fully defending child labor standards"
In % States, the reports continued,
reorganization Of governmental units to
eliminate waste has been supported by
| woman voters, while in 18 of these
States the legislative efforts have been
intensive.
The women are reported to have
| worked hard for balanced public
finance systems IN about half the
States.
Sees SOclanSt1C Iren0.
Speaking at yesterday afternoons
session of the gathering, Prof. Edward
S. Robinson of the Institute of Human
Relations of Yale University declared
the American voter is turning slightly
toward socialistic doctrines, although
not actively supporting the Socialist
party.
His talk was based on a scientific
analysis of the minds of 8,4l9 man and
woman voters in 81 States on the eve
of the 1882 election. The group in
cluded five social classes, professional,
managerial, clerical skilled and semi
skilled trades and farmers and factory
workers.
Prof. Robinson said:
1.-The most distinct system of
political ideas was possessed by the
upper class groups voting for Norman
Thomas. Those who voted for Hoover
or Roosevelt were distinguished mainly
or disapproved of certain political
propositions, rather than by adoption of
any unique political ideas.
THE political attitudes OF those who
voted for Roosevelt swung sometimes
toward the ideas of Thomas, and some
times toward the ideas of Hoover, and
sometimes fell between. There Is only
one clear case in which the Roosevelt
supporters took more decided stand
than did the supporters of one of the
other candidates. This was in the case
of the plank calling for. in unqualified
terms. the repeal of the eighteenth
amendment.
Political attitudes showed allegiance
to such old laissez-faire propositions as
the currency should be kept sound at
all hazards and the farmer should ad-
just his production to the law Of supply
and demand But by October it was
also clear that there had crept into the
generalized American mind the definite
ly socialistic doctrines that 1t is the
duty of the Federal Government to
place farming on an equal footing with
industry and that the rich should bear
a larger proportion of the burden OF
taxation
Plea for Veterans.
"'The Government should support
only those veterans disabled during the
war was found to be the most popu-
lar statement on the list.
IF politicians had searched among
the issues of the last campaign for one
for which majority opinion was most
definite, they could not have picked
safer bet than this one regarding the
limitation Of veterans relief"
He reported that voters Of all parties