Evening star., 1934-08-08
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

Federal Relief Administrator Harry
L. Hopkins is not due back from his
European holiday until the end of
August, but his absence is not In any
wise impeding the gush of relief
funds which is spraying over the
drought-stricken farm belt in lieu of
rainwater. The President has al
ready been notified that the $685.
600, 900 drought relief fund, tackled
onto the emergency deficiency appro-
priation bill in the closing days of
Congress, will be nowhere near large
enough to meet the emergency; that
the first act of the new Congress
meeting in January must be to make
further grants of cash for Federal
aid. Meantime, the regular monthly
Federal allotments to all of the 48
States for unemployment relief are
coming along with clocklike regular
ity. A new drive is being engineered
to induce the States to bear their
own fair share of their burden. What
that fair share is, is matter Of argu-
ment. But in any event, warns Mr.
Hopkins understudy, there must be
no lowering Of the American standard
Of living.
Presidential executive order No.
was dated October 20, 1862, and bore
the signature of Abraham Lincoln.
The first executive order signed by
Franklin d. Roosevelt was dated
March 8, 1888, and bore the serial
number 6071. The latest F. d. r.
executive order to be received at the
State Department, where they are
docketed and filed, was dated August
4. and its serial number is 6812. Mr..
Roosevelt is issuing great many
executive orders, but his own total
output is a long way short of the
5000 mark, contrary to the aSSlmp-
ton In some quarters, that the cur
rent docket number represented the
total r. d. r. orders. In the span of
72 years between the Inauguration of
Lincoln and the Inauguration of
Franklin D. Roosevelt presidential
executive orders averaged little bet
ter than 30 per cent. Mr.. Roosevelt
in the space of II months has issued
close to 800.
The Home Owners Loan Corpora
ton has actually foreclosed one home
loan mortgage-name, place and
amount not disclosed. Several other
foreclosure proceedings are in progress
or in prospect. This is of interest and
significance in its bearing on the moot
question of whether Uncle Sam, who
Is by way of becoming the largest
mortgage lender in the world, will in
the long run enforce payment from
his citizen borrowers to the extent of
taking their homes away from them,
in which event Uncle Sam would be-
come their landlord instead of their
creditor. The number of individual
home loan mortgages already out
standing is nearing a half a million.
The aggregate dollar total is well over
q billion. As originally framed, the
law accorded to home owner borrow
ers an optional three-year moratorium
on interest payments. Congress last
April annulled that provision and
provided that deferment of monthly
payments could only be had with the
express consent of the F. H. L. B.,
for good cause shown.
Two Federal housing projects which
have sometimes loomed large In the
past have no place in the new deal
housing program One, a Summer
White House for the President; the
other, an official residence for the
Vice President. Mr.. Roosevelt's an
cestral estate on the banks of the
Hudson at Hyde Park, N. Y. is as
fine s Summer White House and as
adyantageously located as could pos
sibly be desired. Honest Jack Garner,
though his new vice presidential
automobile is a 16-cylinder extreme
stream-line affair, has no hankering
for an Official marble palace on "the
Avenue of Ambassadors So q vice
presidential mansion Is entirely out
Of the present picture. A better way
10 spend the equivalent cost Of .