The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-18
Boondogg|ing Traced to
The Very Best People

work-relief by anti-New Dealers.
According to the National Repub-
lican Congressional Committee, all
type of recreation, community
construction and welfare projects
are boondoggles.
The committee even includes in
this classification approved Fed
eral funds for the building of a
town hall in New Rome, Wis, not
so many miles from Ripon where,
in 1854, beneath the rafters of a
similar community meeting house
the Republican Party was founded
by A. E. Bovay.
DOONDOGGLING, expert boon
- dogglers say. began in the
pioneer days and has been fost-
cred and financially aided ever
since by the interests which now
seek to discredit it.
I'm establishing educational,
recreational and statistical prof.
ects in local communities, the
Works Progress Administration is
merely attempting to carry on
program of social and economic
advance which until the depres-
sion was largely sponsored by pri-
vate contributions" Jacob Baker,
deputy WPA Administrator, de-
clared today.
"a special committee of repre-
sentative citizens made thorough
survey of so-called boondoggling
projects in New York City. In
their formal report, members con-
cluded the projects were of as
much usefulness to the commun-
ity as were the other activities
which compose the work life of
the people of that city.
THE committee found that the
projects were a representative
croSS-Section of the kinds of serv-
ice that regular governmental or
CARNATIONS or cultural groups
think it worth while TO finance
with funds derived from other
than relief sources" Baker said.
THE committee discovered there
is no more, and probably less,
boondoggling in the New York
work-relief program tnan in pri-
vate business, or in the trades
and professions generally
MANY projects which contrib
1V1 ute to the health and hap
piness of the public, and more
particularly to the unemployed,
have been approved, Baker said.
Just because they are unem-
ployed these millions of people
need medical care and added
recreational and educational OPP
portunities, he said.
An artist, writer or musician,
when he is hungry, is just as
hungry as a bricklayer. We are
giving the White-collar workers a
chance to work at the things
they know best. They teach tap
dancing. play in civic orchestras,
paint pictures and murals for pub
lie buildings and write and pro-
duce plays. For the first time in
our his'sry our government has
become a patron Of the arts, Off
cially and unashamed. when
times were good, community chest
campaigns to which bankers, in
dustrialists and business men
gave freely, provided the neces-
sary funds for the same activities.
Today this type of financing is i'm
possible without the government"
Much of the Republican criti-
cism on work relief has been di-
racted at statistical projects spon-
sored by WPA. Baker pointed
out that here again the govern
ment is merely continuing an al
ready established function.
I'VE are doing practically the
same type of work that has been
sponsored by the Rockefeller and
Carnegie Foundations and the
Spellman Fund. In fact, these
organizations today are joining
with us and actually adding money
to that supplied by the govern
ment to determine the habits Of
people in relation to their social
and economic problems"