Evening star., 1935-01-07
ThePOlitical Mill |
By G.. Could Lincoln.


and cents 60. The budget is being
| delivered on Capitol Hill today. The
President has indicated that he will
ask for an appropriation Of $4,000
OO0, 900 to be used by the Executive
to carry on the vast program Of public
works by which 3,500,000 workers are
to be taken of relief rolls and given
jobs. Furthermore, he will ask that
this sum be left very largely to the
discretion Of the Chief Executive in
its ALLEGATION. The argument ad-
vanced for this is that the work Of
relief may 60 forward more efficiently
if the money is not tied up to certain
projects, some of which might take q
long time to get under way. The argu-
ment, from an administrative point Of
view, is sound enough. When Con-
gress makes such an appropriation.
however, as 1t is expected to do, 1t
will have again given major demon
stration Of how far it has departed
from the traditions of other days,
when the legislative insisted upon de-
Gliding just for what purposes every
dollar of Government money was to
be expended.
X X Il
When it comes to writing the appro-
sum of money to be used for work
relief-public works-there is likely to
be used certain language, similar to
that in the Presidents annual message
to Congress when he described the field
that this program would cover. But
while it may specify that the money
is to be used for slum clearance, rural
housing, rural electrification, refor-
estation, highway work, etc, 1t ap-
pears the Congress will be asked not
to nail down particular amounts for
particular projects. Whether in the
end this method Of appropriating will
be carried out remains to be seen. 1t
would have raised roar of protest
from the members Of Congress a few
Scant years ago.
\ 4 r r
Representative John B. Hollister of
Ohio, Of the old Nick Longworth dis
trict, becomes ranking Republican
member of the House Banking and
Currency Committee in the new Con-
gresS. In other words, when the G.
o. P. regains control of the House,
he will be chairman. Mr.. Hollister has
served two terms in the House and is
starting on his third. He was re-elect-
ed last November by an even larger
majority than two years earlier, indi-
eating that there are some Republic
ans left in Ohio and in Cincinnati, his
home city. During his service in
| Washington Mr.. Hollister has forged
steadily ahead in the House. He has
some very definite ideas about what
the present Congress should do in re-
gard to the Home Owners Loan Cor
poI alton.
"It is to be hoped" Mr.. Hollister
said today, that the President will
include a request for a further ap-
preparation to the Home Owners
Loan Corp. When such vast sums
are being spent by the Government
on various relief schemes, many of
dubious value, due consideration
should be given to the plight of hun
dreds of thousands of our citizens who,
through no fault of their own, but
because Of inability to keep up the
payments due on their mortgages, are
faced with the loss of the property
which they hold most dear, their
homes. Some of these are, of course.
beyond help, but many can ultimately
work out of their situation If some
leniency is shown by giving them a
short moratorium or longer spread
In the time of their payments. What
makes the situation doubly distressing
is that frequently through chance or
neglect, or even through maladminis-
tration, or favoritiSm by local Home
Owners Loan Corp offices, the selec-
ton of home owners to be helped
has been often arbitrary or capricious.
Many duly qualified applicants have
been kept in hopeful expectation for
months, only to have their hopes
dashed by the general order of a few
weeks ago to the effect that because
of impending lack of funds no appli-
cations which had not reached a
certain stage III the approval process
could receive further consideration.
Meanwhile, other applicants whose
requests had been filed much later
have received the desired help"
Mr.. Hollister expressed complete
confidence in the authorities in Wash
ington in charge of the operations of
the Home Owners Loan Corporation.
He said he believed they were fully
alive to the abuses which had crept
into local administration. He strongly
urged that Congress should make an
additional $1,000 100000 available to
the corporation to care for existing
applications from home owners, in the
order of their priority.
Senator Robinson, Democratic lead
er of the Upper House, has placed
Senator Carter Glass of Virginia and
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi
on the important Democratic Steer
ing Committee. This committee de-
cides upon the program of legisla-
ton for the Senate. Both these
Senators in the last Congress were
members of the POLICY Committee 4"
AIIC 1dlGCL COliiIlllttcc dCGo III Gull
junction with a similar committee
appointed by the House to consider
the legislative program for the Con-
gress. Senator Lorergan Of Connecti-
cut, now senior Senator from the
Nutmeg State, also has been placed
on the Steering Committee. To the
Policy Committee Senator Robinson
has assigned as new members Sena-
tor Byrd Of Virginia, Senator Nicely
of West Virginia and Senator Van
Nuys of Indiana. Assignments to
these two committees, which have
important voices in determining the
procedure in Congress and in the
Senate, are greatly desired The COM
mittees act as advisers, especially to
the Democratic leaders, who in turn,
take the programs to the floor of the
two houses.
n
Does 1t pay to pay as you 60?
Judging from the results of the re-
cent congressional elections, the an
sWer is no" For the Republican
National Committee has liquidated
during the last year all its debts and
is out of the red" and in the black"
~