Evening star., 1935-06-24
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

With the official advent of Summer,
washington is immersed in new guess
ing contest. Up to now people have
been speculating mostly about the date
when Congress would adjourn. Now the
popular puzzle is President Roosevelt S
exact motive for trotting out his soak
the-rich" tax program at this particular
moment, and whether he acted on the
advice of economists, reformers or poll
ticianS. The overwhelming bulk OF
opinion is that politics figured con-
spicuously in F. D. RS decision. Most
observers are convinced that the Demo-
cratic leadership made up its mind that
the moment had arrived to cut the
ground from under the left-wing share
the-wealth" crowd and grab whatever
political advantage there may be in
appropriating the Huey Long issue.
Some diagnosticians think jim Farley
did the master -minding.
X
Work relief key men concede in candid
moments that politics" probably can
never be completely kept out of so
gigantic a project as the $4,000, 900, 900
enterprise about to get under way. But
they explain that everything depends
upon what is meant by politics" If
it means deliberately favoring a man
or men just because they are Democrats,
it is declared that there will be no
politics" If it is politics" to consider
giving the preference, where a choice Is
necessary on a given occasion, to men
who are conscientious supporters Of the
work-relief idea or to avowed opponents
of it, theren be no hesitation about
favoring the former. That is said to
be q principle to which every big busi-
ness corporation adheres as a matter
of fundamental policy. On one score
the work-relief high command is
adamant. Politics" in no guise will be
permitted as cloak for graft.
Republican leaders discern plenty of
politics" in work relief, mainly from
the standpoint Of the damage they ex-
pect it to do their cause in 1886. They
make few bones of the fear that Harry
Hopkins billions will be rolling a year
hence to the almost irresistible advan-
tage of the Democrats in practically
every voting precinct of the land. No
body anywhere is expected by the G. O.
P. to take shot at Santa Claus.
Secretary Harold L. IckeS puts forth
a characteristic alibi for his new book,
Back to Work-the Story of P. w. A."
which will be officially published to-
morrow. 1t is his second volume on the
New Deal. So many people during the
last few months have written authori-
tatively the inside story" of the p. W..
A., Mr.. Ickes says, that he decided to join
in the sport, and adds that since he
obviously knows less about the matter
than any one else," it has taken more
space to tell his story. The latest Ickes
opus, dedicated to President Roosevelt,
narrates some of the wild projects pro-
posed to P. w. A. One was that 10000
men at $1,000 a year each should be
commissioned to eliminate snakes from
the United States. Another proposed
q grant of 100000, 900 to finance a
round-trip passenger carrying rocket to
the moon.
Another of Uncle Sans Far Eastern
experts happens to be In Washington at
this critical juncture In Sino-Japanese
relations. He is WHY'S Ruggles Peck,
consul general at Nanking, capital CT
Nationalist China. Mr.. Peck, now home
on leave, was born at Tientsin OF Amer
lean parents. and after graduation from
the University Of California entered
the Foreign Service In China in 1906. He