The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-04-12
THE NEW DEAL
 IN WASHINGTON
Ickes Refuses to Take Back Seat in Work Relief Drive Tugwell . Hopkins Clash Is Settled =. How Wage Provision Slipped in Is Revealed.
By RODNEY BUTCHER Democrat Washington Corres-
 pOndent)


 Washington, April 12-The exe- cutive order creating the four-bil- lion-dollar work-relief board and generalizing as to its duties was all set to be flown to President Roose- welt down south.
 Harry Hopkins and Budget Di- rector Dan Bell had framde 1t carefully and in great secrecy for signature.
 They hadn't consulted Secretary Honest Harold" Ickles about it and that turned out to be mis- take. Ickles found out exactly what 1t contained and he raised the devil with si friend Hopkins.
 Thereupon, 1t was decided tc hold the order in Washington un- til Roosevelt returned, when it could be mashed over by all hands including MT Ickles.
 The order named to the board Hopkins, Undersecretary Tugwell, Ickles, Admiral Christian Joy Peo- pies, and Robert Wood of Sears, Roebuck and Company.
 Every insider knew by this time that Hopkins, what between direct relief needs and the glorified CWA aspect of the program. was going to be Number One Man insofar as expenditures were concerned.
 But Ickles thought the wording of the order and the board set-up indicated too big stress on ruch expenditures and a likely sighting of his beloved PWA to the greater glory of Hopkins and Tugwell. Gle expressed himself to Tugwell, tool Ickes Ready to Go Fast
 Ickes, whose able fight against grafters who eyed avidly the PWA $3,300, ,000,000 he had to spend stands out as a major New Deal achievement-but whose PWA has had very slow going-believes he now has an organization which can spend money rapidly and at the same time leave behind social im- provements of a lasting nature.
 He has almost been left out in the cold during formulation of work-relief plans and people who ought to know best haven't known whether he would be handling very few hundred millions or bil- lion and a half.
 Nevertheless, when senate con- ferees hostile to the work-relief bill itself wrote in amendments tend ing to hamper the administration as to both choice of projects and personnel, Ickes took the lead in the attempt to fight back. Every one else concerned had either gone fishing or didn't know what could be done about 1t.
 This and other things have been enhancing the mans prestige. Some of his best friends hope he doesn't get much of the four billions to spend.
 They fear 8 bad reaction after the show is over-in which Ickles will stand out relatively unsmeared if he doesn't now get into 1t up to his neck, as he wants to. Close Friends Clash
 Another thing Roosevelt had to decide was the dispute between Hopkins and Tugwell- two close friends-as to who should take over rural rehabilitation, on which about $500, 100000 will be spent.
 This is matter of buying a COW here, seed there, home somewhere else, or whatever seems to be needed to keep a beleaguered farm self-sufficient rather than a for the relief rolls
 Tugwell, who will handle the land program phase, felt rural re- mobilization should be his. Hop- kins, who has it now and has made 150,000 relief farm families self sufficient, insisted on hanging on to it.