Evening star., 1935-05-12
BY OWEN L. SCOTT.


Trouble. and more of it, makes
life something Of burden for Presi-
dent Roosevelt these days. He has
official family trouble. court trouble
Of a serious sort and congressional
trouble. Each class of trouble offers
its particular problem and calls for
a different technique for Its correc-
ton.
The President apparently takes
each trouble in its turn, without los
ing step. He certainly gives no sign
that his troubles upset him unduly,
or that they will cause him to change
his course. Even political troubles of
the kind being generated by Father
Coughlin, Detroit's radio priest; by
Senator Huey Long and by other per-
sonalities and organizations, are dealt
with in stride.
Much interest now is being shown
over the family troubles within the
New Deal. Some Of these are open.
Others are just brewing.
One Of the older, more evident sit
uations concerns Harold Ickes and
Harry Hopkins. They are rival
spenders Mr.. 1ckes, as administrator
Of P. w A. was given $500, 900 900
to spend. He has been slow in spend
ing and a good deal of that money
has been diverted from him.
Mr.. Hopkins has little trouble
spending money. Besides the appro-
priations from Congress for relief
work. he has had hundreds of millions
more out Of Mr.. Ickes' allotment and
out Of the R. F. c. His spending has
totaled about s3,o00,0 100000 IN two
years. It is a remarkable record
On that record Mr.. Roosevelt has
chosen him to be the real head of
the new $4,000, 100000 work relief
program. There now is a very intri-
cate organization and one involving
a lot of people to handle the various
aspects of that task, but Mr.. Hopkins
is the show and Is likely to be more
so as time goes on. That situation
has rather hurt Mr.. Ickes' feelings.
Mr.. Roosevelt has sought to take
away the personal sting by making
the P. w. A. administrator head of
an allotment committee"
But Mr.. Ickes' particular pride has
been the spy system built up under
P. w. A. Under the new orders Mr..
Hopkins now Is to set up division
of investigation ito coordinate the
pertinent work Of existing investi-
gative agencies Of the Government, so
as to insure the honest execution of
the work relief program"
That makes 1t look as If the P. w. A.
SPY system may be disbanded or will
have new boss in the person Of Mr..
Hopkins. The old complaint was that
so much attention was devoted to in
vestigation under public works that
work was slowed up. A change Is
coming there.
Another situation concerns DR.. Rex
ford Guy Tugwell and the Department
of Agriculture. DR.. Tugwell Is Un-
also has become administrator Of the
Resettlement Administration, with the
prospect Of $500,000,000 to spend,
and without having to report to Henry
Wallace, Secretary Of Agriculture.
Mr.. Roosevelt told newspaper men
that DR.. Tugwell would have an in
dependent status. He keeps his title
as Undersecretary in order to continue
to draw $4,000 a year without need
ing confirmation by the Senate. But,
as salve to feelings that were wound
ed when some of his cronies were
"purged" from the A. A. A., he now
becomes his own boss, subject only
to Harry Hopkins and the President.
That unusual situation could pass
unnoticed except for the fact that, as
head Of the new Resettlement Admin
istration, DR.. Tugwell Is taking over
a field Of activity in which the Agri-
cultural Adjustment Administration
Is much interested.
Some Of the A. A. A. personnel Is
being appropriated by DR.. Tugwell.
Many Of its plans are going with
him. He will get some Of Mr.. Ickes'
work in the shape Of the Subsistence
Homesteads Division, and, II Congress
puts through q plan to use q billion
dollars to help tenant farmers buy
farms, he will get that work, too.
Strange as 1t may seem, DR.. Tugwell,
known as the head of the New Deal
brain trust, now Is to run the one
part Of the work relief plan that re-
ceived the open Endorsement Of the
Chamber Of Commerce Of the United
States. He thinks that his Is a 90
year program and that he has come
out with the best job Of all.
The third center Of personal trouble
grows out Of the rivalry between
George Peek, foreign trade adviser to