Evening star., 1935-01-17

While wise men wondered and econ
omists shook their heads, q little band
Of quiet crusaders yesterday marked
another step in their march to a new
Utopia for America. The Townsend
old age pension plan, hope of many
and despair Of as many more, reached
the floor Of the House of Representa-
tives, sponsored by Representative
John Steven McGroarty, gray little
California poet Of u.
Its fate, for the time being, rests
with the House Committee on Ways
and Means, headed by solemn Bob
Doughton of North Carolina. admin
istration loyalist. For his part, the
North Carolinian showed little hesi-
fancy yesterday in indicating that the
proposal will get little consideration
from his committee, particularly with
an administration old age pension
measure being drawn by the Presi-
dents advisers
In other quarters, however, the
crusading fame burned no less stead
lily. Representative McGroarty, for
instance, spoke naively of the Ger
tainty Of finding 218 members of
the House willing to sign petition
to bring the measure out of commit
tee. Serving his first term, Mr.. Nc
Groarty expressed the conviction
that there are 218 men in the
House who are fair enough to let this
thing be fought out on the floor" "
Those who aren't, he added grimly,
just won't come back any more"
Mail Floods Townsend.
And in a hotel room downtown
the skeptic finds some cause to Won
der If perhaps the wise men aren't
the crazy ones and If perhaps Mr.,
McGroarty is not so naive as he
seems. For here the mail comes
tumbling in from all over the coun-
try, addressed to DR.. Townsend. hail
ing him as the new Messiah Of those
who have given their all. Here the
steady blue fame Is supplied by the
quiet but determined former country
doctor; the sparks fly from a bustling
and dynamic director of publicity who
talks breathlessly of the plan, the
surety Of its adoption, and who voices
dire threats of the fate to befall those
who oppose this newest of new deals.
Administration big wigs, not ex-
cepting President Roosevelt, are no
longer major figures in their calcula-
tions. The President thrice declined
to see the doctor. So did Relief Ad-
ministrator Hopkins and P. w. A. Ad-
ministrator Ickes. BY their refusals,
so shall you know them, the voice"
of DR.. Townsend declares. Henceforth
he numbers them as among those who
will be swept aside.
AS the instrument of sweeping, the
cloistered crusaders point to dozens of
rolls Of petitions piled up in closet,
and to stacks of unopened mail swelled
every few hours by new deliveries.
Look at this stuff" one of them
declares. 1--WE didn't even ask for it.
The senders want to form Townsend
clubs, to join clubs. to express their
support for the movement. They
promise to bring pressure on their
Congressman. It will be too bad for
the fellows who block this thing. Open
some Of those letters, any Of them.
pick them out yourself"
The publicity director leaps at the
pile, grabs a handful, tears them open.
Look here-'Dear DR.. Townsend.
Best man In the world That's from
Grand Forks, N. Oak. Here's one
from Greenfield, Iowa-'Please let
me know where and how I can put
in an application for the 5000. Will
be ever so much obliged. God bless
you Another from wellington, Tex,
says they have 1900 names on a
petition addressed to their Represen-
tative. A man in Harwich Port, Mass.
says. We here on Cape Cod Of all
ages are in favor Of your plan Here's
what q dentist In Keystone Heights,
Fla, thinks: The wise ones said that
Columbus was crazy. They who dared
to destroy foodstuf1s and restrict their
production have little grounds for as
serting that the G. A. r. p. will not