Evening star., 1935-04-14
Member of the Associated Press.
In the Name of Security.

Notwithstanding bewildering debate
and parliamentary tactics in the
House, the Presidents economic Sc
curity bill now seems assured of pas
sage by that body, without material
amendment. There is plenty of oppo
sition to the measure and to various
features of it. But the opposition is
divided radically and has shown no
signs of a united front. With one
group desiring to confine the bill to
old-age pensions and child welfare,
eliminating the unemployment insur-
ance feature, and another group in
sisting upon more liberal pensions
for the aged and more liberal in
surance against unemployment. the
opponents of the measure are work.
ing at cross purposes.
President Roosevelt has put his
foot down on a proposal to divide
the measure, which would leave unem-
ployment insurance to later consid-
Grafton. He is equally insistent that
no amendment shall be adopted
which would place the payment of
old-age pensions entirely upon the
Federal Government. with no partici-
patton by the States. AS the bill
now stands the Federal Government
makes its contribution, not to exceed
SIS month. to the payment of aged
pensioners only if the State also is
contributing to that end. The Presi-
dent is on sound ground in his de-
mand that the States should bear
their share in the old-age pension
plan. It would be better if the States
did 1t all, as a matter of fact. Should
all the aged pensioners be on the
Federal pension list. what a political
army that would be!
While the President and his sup
porters insist that the adoption of the
economic security plan advanced by
the administration is essential to
bring about improvement in condi-
tions among the people and to take
many persons off the present relief
rolls, opponents Of the bill say that
1t will go far toward retarding recov-
cry. The opponents base their argu-
ment on the fact that the measure
proposes pay roll taxes that will i'm
pose heavy burdens on the industries
and the workers of the country at a
time when they have burdens enough.
Representative Treadway of Massa-
chusetts, Republican, declares that
the tax provisions of the bill impose
upon business and industry and their
employees a future burden of s2,7o0,-
100000 annually. That is sum, as
Mr. Treadway points out, equal to the
entire internal revenue receipts Of the
Federal Government during the past
year. The tax. he said, would fall upon
industries that were Gin the red" or
just struggling to exist, as well as
upon those making profit. In op-
posing the inclusion in the bill of the
unemployment insurance feature MIR.
Treadway contends that it is no way
calculated to meet the present emer-
Sency and that it would be effective
only in the future, after funds have
been built up by the employers and
the employees.
So confident are the administration
forces, however, that they have the
situation in hand they propose to be
generous" and permit the proponents
OF the Lundeen bill and the Townsend
old-age pension plan to obtain votes
on their proposed amendments to the
bill-in the committee of the whole.
In the committee Of the whole, no
roll call or record vote is permitted,
only a voice vote or vote by tellers.
The proffer, therefore, of chance to
vote on the Lundeen and Townsend
bills does not meet with approval Of
their supporters, who are demanding
q chance to place all the members on
record. 1t would be salutary to have
the House go on record on such meas
ures. Undoubtedly they would be
overwhelmingly defeated And such
defeat, showing the temper Of the
national Legislature toward these
fantastic proposals, might have an
effect on the minds Of millions of
those who admit that they would like
to have a $200-a-month pension when
they reach the age of sixty