The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-06-27
Other
Difficulties


Difficulties senators and repre-
sentatives did not
conceal their antagonism for Secretary
Ickes while the $5,000OO0,0O0 bill was
before them. Indeed, some of them laid
down an irrevocable position demand
ing that Mr.. Ickes, public works ad-
ministrator under the old order, should
have nothing to do with the new fund,
whereupon the President soothed their
hurts by saying that he himself would
direct the spending, and his promises
are regarded as having saved the day.
When the new set-up was announced,
however, Mr.. Ickes was found to he
part of it. 1t is true that theoretically
his position is of less consequence than
that of Relief Administrator Hopkins
and that he is also subordinate in
way to Frank G. Walker, who was
brought in as a new co-ordinating ele-
ment. As the program develops Mr..
Hopkins appears more and more to
be the big shot. His influence pre-
dominates. 1t must be added, how
ever, that his policies and those emu
merated by Mr.. Ickes are not in &C
cord.
The divergence of views between Mr..
Illuminating fashion the other day
when these two officials held press
conferences on the same day.
Mr.. Ickes, who believes the admin
istratiOn never has made real try at
pump printing" by use of its public
works program, argued the impossi-
bility of conducting real public works
on any substantial scale under the
present Roosevelt program Of spend
ing. Mr.. Hopkins, on the other hand,
discoursed at length On his favorite
theme, the necessity of planning
projects from the standpoint of poten-
tails in providing employment. The
Hopkins policy takes no account Of the
question of permanence of the projects.
1t contemplates only the factors in
volved in getting immediate work. Mr..
Ickes takes the position that recovery
cannot be gained unless public works
projects serve not only to give jobs but
to induce other lines of businesses to
commence operation. Mr. Hopkins points
to previous experiences in the present
administration with these attempts at
printing the pump and causing related
jobs to prosper, while Mr.. Ickes infer
entially, at least, holds that it is bet
ter to continue trying to prime the
pump than to give up the job or use
the money in the Hopkins fashion.
While this little difference Of opinion
between the two high ranking officials
may not seem important, the consensus
is that it has had the effect of slowing
I'D the work of spending the vast sum
of money Most folks believe 1t will
take much longer than year in which
to spend the S5,0O0,000,O00 anyway so
that any additional delay puts further
back the ultimate contamination Of the
works relief program.
There is another element Of this
situation deserving Of consideration.
It is Mr.. Hopkins who Is picking the
Presidents representatives in the vari-
Gus states where the federal govern
ment has taken over the management
of relief expenditures. Mr.. Hopkins
is not a politician, has never had ex-
perience in that field and gives every
appearance of being wholly uncon-
cerned about political advices. The re-
suit naturally is that Mr.. Roosevelt is
being placed on the spot" in a num-
Der of instances through Mr.. Hopkins
Political observers are watching
these developments closely because
they see in them the germs of bitter
political enmity that may not serve
Mr.. Roosevelt so well in the next cleo
ton.
The sleepy Republicans show signs
of arousing. The administration has
been trying to ig-
Republicans more the Springfield
Auak;ne conference Of "Grass
Roots Republicans
and has succeeded except for Spokes-
man Farley. Mr.. Farley, as head of the
Democratic national committee and
postmaster general and political patron
age dispenser, had to shoot back in his
characteristic fashion. Other than his
outburst, silent treatment has been
the medicine prescribed respecting the
Republican uprising.
If Mr.. Roosevelt kept his radio
turned on while the Springfield meeting
of Republicans was in session, he
must have hardened back to a similar
circumstance involving his predecessor,
Herbert Hoover. Political writer's in
Washington and good many of the
franker politicians could not resist
drawing a parallel on the Springfield
meeting and the strafng which the
Democrats gave Mr.. Hoover. OF
course, every one knew then that Mr..
Hoover was too thin-skinned politically
to stand up under such machine gun
fire. Few of US expected that Mr..
Roosevelt had the same characteristic
because he had been under political
gun fire much more than Mr.. Hoover.
Notwithstanding White House silence
on the Springfield meeting, however,
the word leaks out that the President
has been much irked, if not disguised,
by the attack on fundamentals of the
New Deal 1t will be remembered that
for the first time the Republican oppo
sition singled out what the opponents
believe to be eighteen vulnerable spots
In the New Deal program.
Here in Washington observers are
watching closely to discover how the
President intends to Offset the Repub-
lican criticism. If and when he fights
back, it is believed his general tactical
plan for 1886 will be disclosed. Re
publicans also are watching. There
are to be more of these so-called