Evening star., 1935-01-07

What Mr.. Roosevelt really had in
mind was security, not retrenchment.
What he intends to do is to drive for
secure national resources, lives, homes
and incomes. The limitation of ex-
penditures will be secondary, sort of
if-andwhen purpose, which may or
may not get mislaid for while in the
reshuff1e.
New Budget Holds Key.
This Interpretation may be some
thing of SNOWFALL down the back
of the neck for those who rose up to
cheer the Presidents assertion that
the Federal Government must and
shall quit this business of relief.
HoUeuer, you ipilI receiue con-
frmation of it Dhen you get q
SQuint at the netD budget. You tCill
see there that the Government is
reorganising relief on sounder
basis, but that "curtdilment" is
hardly the tDord for it.
You can curtail an idea with words,
but you cannot curtail hungry
stomach with anything except food.
Until thoJ start giving food away, it
will still cost money, Federal or
private.
Speech Called Vague.
The inner criticism Of Mr.. Roose-
velt's speech was that it was vague.
Even Democratic Congressman. who
lauded it publicly as great state pa
per, observed sotto voce that they
could not figure out what Mr.. Roose-
velt was going to do.
What they Uanted to knoD t0ds
hoU much he is going to spend on
his program. II he administers it
conserudtipely and spends little.
that tUiH be one thing. But if pri-
Udte business fails to absorb the
unemployed and he tries to spend
21 or rs billions suggested by the
Natural Resources BodrdJ the pro-
gram will hQve q directly opposite
meaning.
There is something in what the
murmurers say. but they do not un-
derstand or appreciate the Roosevelt
technique. They made exactly the
same criticism of his initial message
to Congress, but If you 60 back and
read it today. it does not sound as
vague as it did then.
The truth is the President does not
tell all he knows in his message to
Congress.
Walker Hinted for Job.
There are good reasons for believ-
ing that Mr.. Roosevelt now has in
mind a very specific and virtually
completed plan.
Interior Secretary Ickes and Re-
liefer Hopkins have in their pockets
right now definite list Of projects
which might be undertaken. This
list is specific enough to dispel the
doubts of the congressional murmur-
ers. but they will not get a chance to
see it for long while yet.
It involves less money and fewer
projects than the published report of
the Natural Resources Board. But
the report of the board has been the
guide in selections tentatively made
and is worth reading.
The plan actually has advanced
so far in Mr.. Rooserelt's mind that
he has been angling for man to
take the Job. The man is Frank
Walker, who formerly waS CO.
ordinator. Whether Walker can
spare the time from his priuate
business has not get been deter
mined, but there Mould be little
surprise among the insiders If his
appointment uas announced, say
about February 1.
Can Shift II Necessary.
The hidden purpose of Mr.. Roose-
velt's vagueness is now the same as
when he delivered his original mes
sage. He has laid down a broad pro-
gram and is sitting back to see the
reaction. He later can shift so de-
grees to the right or left within the
boundary Of his broad prgram. de-
pending on the necessities of the re-
lief situation. the amount of money
available. the public reaction or any
other considerations.
His political opponents are be-
wildered. They cannot attack some