Evening star., 1935-11-14

and political effects, the proodole
Developments and early snagS OF
President Rooseevlt's $4,000 100000
job program.
CHICAGO, November IA (N.A.N.A0.
just how much politics is there in
President Roosevelt's administration
of the biggest campaign chest in
history? Referring, of course, to the
$4,000, 900, 900 job fund which Congress
gave him to spend virtually as he
saw fit. and taking the favorite Re
publican definition of it.
Is this money-the taxpayers mon
ey-going to buy" the 1886 election,
as some anti Roosevelt observers
fear? Or is this relief business, after
all, destined to be the Presidents
sorest headache, as many are begin
ming to believe?
Above ALL is the fund being operated
honestly from political stand
point), or is it being used for parti-
san purposes, flagrantly or covertly?
The general answer to these ques-
tions Is that the $4,000, 100000 pro-
gram is shot through with politics.
and could not be otherwise.
The specific answer is that, so far
as Mr.. Roosevelt and his w. P. A.
administrator, Harry L. Hopkins,
can control it. the old-fashioned,
sinister machine" type of politics
has no place in the picture.
Placing N0n-Political.
It can be stated definitely and
ell-inclusively that no discrimination
is being practiced in the placing of
relief clients on w. P. A. jobs, be
they Republican or Democrat.
Many of the State administrators
were appointed politically. They had
to be. Before the Senate would give
Mr.. Roosevelt the s4000,000,0o0, it
gave itself the right to confirm or
reject those appointed to administer
it locally.
But each administrator, boSs-con-
trolled or fancy-free. has a speclflc
Observation-Disclosures task-one that
permits no taking it out on the
Republicans"
This task is simply to make every
emplovable relief client into Govern
ment wage Garner. If the "employaole
welfare load" is not shifted to jobs
not the Democratic half" but all OF
it then the State administrator will
have failed and may expect to be
decorated with the royal order OF
the AK.
Plums in Administration.
But while the main task Is being
operated nom politically, the Demo-
Gratis are finding in the ''administra-
tive end" many juicy. perquisites.
In some States former Republicans
are doing the administering. In some
States what amounts to civil service
examination has been installed, even
for the administrative staff. But
nowhere does a letter from a member
of Congress or an influential admin
istration Democrat injure the stand
ing of a non-relief job applicant.
In Missouri, Senators Clark and
Truman agreed" on a protege OF
Boss Tom Pendergast for State ad-
rninistrator, and all the administra-
tive jobs are dispensed through the
regular channels"
In West Tennessee. where former
Representative Ed Crump holds Mem
phis in the palm of his hand, 1t is
the same story. But in neither case
does this seem to have interfered
with the non-partisan operation OF
w. P. A.
In Kansas City or st. Louis or
Memphis they'll tell you that an
experienced professional" can do
that sort of job much better than
an unframed amateur" The pro-
fessionals know that a suggestion Of
scandal would react like a trip-ham-
mer against their own interests and
Mr.. Roosevelt's.
Tammany Outside Wall.
In New York, Tammany had moth
ing to do with w. P. A. jobs. Mayor
Kelly of Chicago has run into Ad
ministrator Robert J. Dunhams "civil
service system"
In Detroit, there is no tight Demo-
cratic political control. Philadelphia
got into such a row with w. P. A.
over patronage that it nearly wrecked
the program. In Indianapolis, Gov.
McNutt has run the show to some
extent, but it's good show In Bos-
ton, Gov. Curley is doing his best
to get all he can out of the program
and succeeding moderately well. So
1t goes.
BY and large, it can be said that
politics has been subordinated to a
greater degree than most people be-
lieved possible.
Where political effect permeates the
program, of course. is in the inevitable
effect of such vast spending on the
voting public.
There is one school of thought,
encountered nearly everywhere, that
feels the program will cost Roosevelt
votes. These observers declare the
country is up in arms against over
spending of taxpayers money.
What's more, there are all sorts OF
stories-some true, some wild-being