Evening star., 1935-12-26
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G. Could Lincoln.

is seeking relief-relief from a 100000
debt which 1t has carried on its back
ever since the campaign of 1928. 1t has
tried in many ways to raise the money
to pay off this debt 1t has succeeded in
reducing the debt as it originally stood
by more than half. But the last 100000
seems to be the hardest. The Demo-
cratic Committee has had to maintain
considerable force and to keep a lot Of
work under way, and the money collected
activities and at the same time to re-
duce the debt materially.
The Democratic sponsors Of the jack
son day dinner here have thoughtfully-
or was 1t unconSciously-Sen letters to
Federal office holders whose salaries run
around $4,000 a year or more. These
letters suggest quite firmly that 1t would
be an excellent thing for the recipients
to purchase $50 ticket to the dinner.
In the past, when the cost OF seat
at the Jackson day dinner was moderate,
something like $5 or $40 a plate, the
pressure for tickets to these affairs was
enormous. 1t looks now as though the
pressure was being eXerted from the in
sode of the dinner out to fill all the
places. There are perhaps two ways OF
looking at the proposal that holders OF
Government jobs pay $50 plate for the
Jackson day dinner. The holder OF one
of these jobs should be grateful to the
administration that put him on the Gov
ernment pay roll and entirely willing to
contribute Doubtless there are lot OF
sincere Democrats who feel just that way
about it. Another aspect OF the demand
that Government Office holders buy din
ner tickets at $50 throw is that 1t Is
shake down; that voluntary contrlbu-
tions are all right If they can be had,
but, If not. involuntary contributions will
be eXacted.
No one knows just how far the po-
litical powers that be in the Roosevelt
administration are prepared to go in
showing their disfaeor to Government
office holders who receive these invita-
tions" to the Jackson day dinner and fail
to come through" Moreover, lot OF
the recipients OF these dinner bids would
like to know how far repriSals are likely
to be made. 1t would be salutary thing,
and certainly gratifying to those on the
anxious bench, If Postmaster General
Chairman James A. Farley would make
public statement saying just what they
might expect If they failed to purchase
these $50 tickets. Mr.. Farley might
with a good deal of propriety give public
assurance that a regret" would not be
considered grounds for relieving the Office
holder of his job.
If some of these invited Office holders
have to temerity to throw the invita-
tionS to purchase these $50 dinner tickets
into the waste basket, and some time later
they find themselves out of Office and
off the Government pay roll, what then?
A certain amount of publicity might be
given to the fact that they had been
relieved from their duties by an indig-
nant political machine. And that pub
Lcity might be hurtful to the reputation
of the Democratic leaders. There is
always the possibility, however, that
those in power would merely say that
the Office holder had not been efficient
or that his job had not been necessary
in the administrations set-up.
Just how the heads of other executive
departments of the Government regard
the dinner plans Of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee, headed by Postmaster
General Farley, has not been entirely
disclosed. Are they inclined to back up
the suggestions" that employees of their
departments pay $50 a plate for the
Jackson day dinner? How will Mr.. Hull,
the Secretary of State; Mr.. Roper, the
Secretary of Commerce; Mr.. Cummings,
the Attorney General; Miss Perkins, the
Secretary of Labor, and Mr.. Ickes, the
Secretary of the Interior, regard the
matter? Perhaps they could provide
useful hints regarding the etiquette to be
followed in this matter. One thing IS
sure: The list of guests attending the
Jackson day dinner will be scanned with
unusual interest the day after that affair.
While the Democrats are making these
new efforts to pay off the committees
national debt" the Republican Con-
greSsional Campaign Committee, headed
by Representative Chester Bolton of
Ohio. is charging that the Roosevelt
leaders are preparing to use the Federal
relief funds-running into billions OF
dollars-to influence the voters to re-
elect President Roosevelt next year. In
pamphlet just issued by the committee
the Republicans ask: who are the po-
litical profiteers?" They drag forward
record" which shows, they say, that
Federal relief funds were used by the
New Dealers to win the congressional
elections and State elections in 1884.
They charge that the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis are preparing to carry on similar
maneuverS on an even larger scale next
year. Quotations from various Demo-
cratic Office holders are given, in which
they urge that the sums for relief and
public works allotted to States and con-
gressional districts through the Roosevelt
administration be called definitely to
the attention of the voters in those States
and districts. Say the Republicans: He
president Roosevelt) has never repudi-
ated these despicable methods, nor has
he removed from office officials directly
responsible to him who have been guilty
of breaches against common decency."
4 X
What effect the Government pay roll,
plus relief payments and farm benefits,
will have on the national election next
year no one can say exactly. But 1t Is
possible to do a lot of guessing. AS Al
Smith said a couple Of years ago: who
ever heard of shooting Santa CLAUSE"
There is, Of course, the possibility that
the millions of voters who are not on
the receiving end Of all these public
funds, but who are on the tax end, will
revolt and unite against the admins
tration. There is also the possibility
that even many of the recipients Of Gov
ernment funds may become dissatisfied