Evening star., 1934-08-30
PRESIDENTS AIDES
| ACTIVE IN DRIVE
:
Democratic Chiefs to Take
] Stump Before Novem.
Der Elections.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

The big secret" hereabouts is that
The administration would like to see
n Democratic Congress elected next
Autumn.
Because President Wilson got into
difficulties advocating Democratic
Congress back in 1918. the political
superstition has been that President
must not ask the people to be partisan.
But, just as Mr.. Roosevelt in his
New Haven speech said he didn't
know the political Affiliations Of half
the men in responsible positions, so
Postmaster General Farley, who also
Is chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee, makes up for what
MIR. Roosevelt omits to say. Accord
ingly Mr.. Farley now has come out
definitely with an appeal for a Demo-
cratic Congress.
Also the entire administration is
acutely aware of the fact that cleo
tions are coming so there Is panicky
haste to distribute as much favorable
data as possible in the hope that the
people will take it all into account in
November.
First Report.
Thus, while the new deal has been
going on for nearly l8 months, it
did not occur to the administration to
issue a series of reports summarizing
the activities of all the Government
agencies, alphabetical, and permanent,
until this last week end, when Donald
Richberg-co-ordina in chief-made
his first report.
Mr. Richberg's approach was naive.
He gave the reports just as they had
been summarized for him, and he was
careful to note that there were statis-
tical inconsistencies here and there.
1t so happens that these reports now
will be issued by Mr.. Richberg in
eight inStallments In the next few
weeks. Just why they have. to be
issued so rapidly and why only eight
may be a mystery to the uninitiated,
but, in politics, eight weeks of cam
paigning is just about all that needs
to be done before a congressional
election.
Secret" Is Surprising.
The odd part is that the admin
astration or any member Of it should
make any secret of the fact that
political campaign is approaching and
that a Democratic majority is desired.
There is really no good reason why
the President himself should not ap-
peal to the country to support him by
sending Democrats or new dealers
(even If they are Republicans to
Congress.
Mr.. Wilson was criticized largely
because he made his appeal during
the war. But, while the depression is.
In many respects, more serious than
war, nevertheless there has been no
secret here, for the last Is months,
about the fact that, to get a Job, an
applicant must have been Democrat
and good many of them must have
been able to prove that they were
Democrats B. c." which means. of
course, before Chicago" when the
loyal in the fold supported the Roose-
welt candidacy at the national con-
vention as against the anti-Roosevelt
groups and blocs.
Throughout the last 10 months the
political flavor of the administration
has been emphasized by the addition
Of nearly 10000 persons to the class
OF jobs which are awarded by political
pull-an unprecedented increase-and
something which the wicked Repub-
Hcans in the heyday of their political
favoritism did not excel.
But, while the White House has
been content to say little about the
approaching elections, 1t is expected
that nearly every member of the cab
met will be on the stump before long
or will find it convenient to accept
speaking engagements in strategic
points in the campaign.
So far as the average person is
concerned, who doesn't much care
which party is in power so long as
the grafters and politicians are kept
out Of the public trough, where they
feed on the taxpayers income, the
sight Of the two major parties this
Autumn issuing reams and reams
of data attempting to prove that
black is white when it isn't, may be
disQuieting, but, whatever else has
not recovered, the truth is the DO
litical folk hereabouts have fully re-
covered and are back at the same old
thing-using Government data and
Government time and Government
funds to make out the best case for
themselves in advance of an election.
(copyright. 1934)