Evening star., 1934-09-09
BY OWEN L. SCOTT.

Bobbing frequently into print is
the assertion that the President would
like in one way or another to impose
censorship on newspapers. There
is not the slightest outward evidence
IN Washington to support that as
sertion. Still, following a number of
recent episodes, Mr.. Roosevelt must
wish that some one would devise
muzzle for outspoken officials.
The trouble is that the President
has surrounded himself with group
of rugged individualists, who harbor
very positive opinions. Those opin-
ions they do not hesitate to express.
Of course, a member of this small
group is Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, gruff
N R. A. administrator. And, as a
result, at Hyde Park, on Monday, Mr..
Roosevelt will deal with one of the
few official family squabbles with
which he has been troubled.
The doughty general will be given
chance to square himself with Dom
aid Richberg, his former NJ r. A.
associate, and Miss Frances Perkins,
Secretary of Labor. The event that
appears to have brought this matter
to head, even more than differences
over policy, is what has been accepted
as an inspired newspaper story.
The dispatch in question told how
the general had bested his two dis
inguished adversaries in a battle be-
fore the President, with the result
that Mr.. Roosevelt was to continue
to support him. The suggestion then
was made that Mr.. Richberg might
look for other work and that Miss
Perkins would carefully confine her
future activity strictly to the Depart
ment of Labor.
But Mr.. Richberg is a positive char
acter in his own right, and Miss Per-
kins is not readily frightened. So
now the N. r. A. administrator faces
a showdown and the probable loss of
much power. The best information is
that henceforth, if Gen. johnson stays
at the head of reorganized recovery
administration between now and the
time Congress acts on a permanent
industrial program. he will have lit
tie to say about policy. Mr.. Richberg
and Miss Perkins, instead of gracing
the sidelines, will figure in that part
of the job.
Following the change now sched-
uled, the country may hear less of
Gen. JohnSon'S picturesque language.
His may become a rather unromantic
eclipse, especially for one who SO
vividly utilized the spotlight during
the first year of New Deal effort. That
eclipse. if it is now on the way, can
be attributed to two causes. One is
an uncomfortable urge for phrase
making of very graphic sort. The
other is an unf1inching courage that
induced him to try single,handed to
overcome some old and well -intrenched
rules of economics.
The general seldom could resist an
urge to try out a pet phrase on news
paper men. Afterward, the expression
frequently would have an explosive
effect when it appeared in cold type
1t was in talks with newspaper men
that Gen. johnson picked his fight
with Henry Ford, threatened to crack
down" on chiselers, promised ECO
nomic death" for Blue Eagle opponents,
ridiculed A. A. A. professors, gave
a verbal dressing to Clarence Darrow
and made statements about the quail
lty of steel company workers. Also, it
was to newspaper men that the general
expressed his belief in the excellence of
the military form of organization for
N. r. A. and used the campaigns of
Napoleon to describe his tactical moves
as an administrator.
X
But it is not Gen. johnson alone
who has had a habit of jarring the
timid. Harry Hopkins, administrator
Of emergency relief, runs a close sec
ond. Like the general, Mr.. Hopkins
Is inclined to use expressive language,
which frequently cannot be restrained
by his able public relations counsellor,
Morton Milford.
Differing from the N. r. A. admin
istrator, Mr.. Hopkins seldom offends
the sensibilities of others. However,
he did get into one scrape this past
week with the new housing admins
traitor, James A. Moffett. Just back
from Europe, again addressing news
paper men, Mr.. Hopkins told how in
England he found private investors
glad to take 4 per cent interest in
loans for housing and how, if the
rate went higher, building slackened.
This is a touchy subject with Mr..
Moffett. He is having his troubles
because of the 9.72 per cent rate which
applies to repair loans in this country
under the new Housing Administra-
ton. So Mr.. Hopkins sought later
to make amends.
That is not the first time Mr.. Hop
kins put his foot into trouble by speak
ing freely to newspaper men. Last
Spring hs blurted out that c. w. A.