Evening star., 1935-02-24
FIGHT ON RELIEF
LEFT TOPEOPLE
Administration Leaders De.
eide to Let Action on
Measure Rest.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page.)
legislation for adequate relief. The
Republicans want to know, however,
what this huge sum Of money is to
be expended for and how"
Administration leaders are worried
not only over the action Of the Sen
ate In support Of the prevailing wage
amendment to the work relief bill.
They fear that unless the incipient
revolt Is checked, the other major
measures in the Presidents program
Of legislation may meet reverses, in
cluding The economic security bill
and the bill to extend the life Of
the N. r. A.
Hope Strategy viii Work.
The strategy which the administra-
ton leaders nave adopted with re-
gard to the work relief bill they hope
will be effective. In the light Of the
fact that the McCarran amendment
had only q majority Of one when 1t
was voted on Thursday IN the SEN
ate, and 1t might have had q favor
able margin Of only three had Senator
Thomas Of Oklahoma and Senator
Smith Of South Carolina been present
to vote, the administration has not
great deal Of ground to gain to
upset the opposition. Senators In
whose States public works projects
have been under way and for which
more money is required, as well as
those who hope to obtain many more
such projects for their States, will
be under considerable pressure, they
point out.
Frankly. some Of the administra- -
tion Senators are surprised at the
| ease with which they were able to get
the work relief bill recommitted The
supporters Of the McCarran amend
ment had the measure In the shape
they desired. Possibly II they had
had the week end to think the sit
uation over, they might not have
yielded 50 easily to the motion to re-
commit.
Should the Appropriations Commit
tee finally report out the measure
with the appropriation cut to $780,
600, 900 for immediate relief needs, as
has been suggested In some quarters,
and the bill be passed in that shape,
1t would 60 to conference with the
House. In conference the $4,000
100000 for work relief might be re-
stored and the bill then become law
! A prevailing wage amendment could
not be written into the bill In con-
ference. So it is expected that Sen
ator McCarran would offer his
amendment again, no matter how
small the appropriation proposed by
| the committee in its report OF the bill
Labor Wants Wage Clause.
Organized labor, and particularly
the American Federation OF Labor, Is
to continue its efforts to bring about
the adoption Of the prevailing wage
| amendment, despite the fact that the
President has let 1t be known that he
will veto the bill II 1t carries that
provision. The administration lead
ers In Congress do not wish TO have
the bill laid ON the Presidents door
step in that shape, however. They
do not wish to have him faced with
the necessity Of vetoing the relief bill
It Is the contention Of organized
labor and OF the Senate supporters
OF the prevailing wage amendment
that without 1t wage scales through
the country will be beaten down
when the Government has put In op.
Grafton the proposed lower scale
They argue, too, that the administra.
ton can accomplish its original pur-
pose Of putting 3,5oo,o00 unemployed
| ;aE Il
dition to the s4,000.0o0.00o for these
projects. They propose the expe-
dent Of limiting the hours which the
men shall work per week, thereby
holding them to the average Of $50 q
week.
There Is no minimizing the fact that
the action Of the Senate last week va:
serious rebuff to the administration
This is particularly true since the Sen
ate has on two other occasions in the
present session gone contrary to the
recommendations of the President and
his advisers. Once when 1t defeated
World Court adherence and again ir
q vote on interest charges in the
farm mortgage bill.
Robinson's Statement.
Senator Robinson's statement in full
was as follows:
THE work relief program contem-
plates the expenditure Of large sum
for two purposes Of great importance
First, to get rid Of the Federal dole
and second, to substitute for 1t work
relief on q scale Of sufficient magni.
tude to afford made work for those
who are desirous Of earning their live
lihood. The fundamental principle
Of the Presidents proposal is that
work relief employment shall be on q
basis that will not invite and attract
persons now engaged in private enter
prise. On the contrary, the theory
of the legislation Is that those who
accept employment in work relief shall
do 80 with the full understanding that
1t Is desirable and necessary that they
enter private employment as soon as
the opportunity is afforded.
DO those who have upset this pro-
gram for the present realize the full
effect Of their actions? Do they un-
derstand that to guarantee the pre-
vailing wage means the perpetuatior
Of the dole, the problems Of unemploy-
ment rather than their solution in q
sane and practicable way?
"The vote in the Senate which in
corporated the McCarran amendment
by majority Of one, was contributed
by a Democrats and 81 Republicans
and / Farmer-Labor and ! Pro-
gressive. The amendment thus ap-