, 1935-11-28
Behind the
Scenes i'm
Washington
BY RODNEY BUTCHER
The Brownsville Herald Washington
Gnrrpgnnndpnt

Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Nov. 28-Only
those who know how messy is the
relief situation can realize how
messy 1t really Is.
Harry Hopkins knows. So did
some Of the mayors here for the u.
s. conference Of mayors. That was
why Hopkins. after his speech to
them. pleaded an urgent engage
ment at the white house and can
celed the scheduled period for
questions from the mayors.
Half an hour later Hopkins was
still In the Mdyflower hotel, talking
with some friends.
You just can't believe anything
you hear about relief any more. The
highest officials concerned, from
President Roosevelt down. are fore
ed TO reverse themselves and change
tune.
But high FERA-WPA officials are
privately agreed that there prob
ably will be more desperate suffer-
ing among the unemployed this
winter than in the last two winters.
One recently estimated vaguely
that az least half a million families
would be badly up against it as a
result Of the Roosevelt policy OF
quitting this business of relief"
while others felt he was too con-
sentative.
Prospect Is Tragic
Thnffuh Dnnnnvnff errhua1t.a-NI~
has evinced some private concern
over such possibilities, the prospect
Is still for a tug OF war between
federal and state or city govern
ments over respective relief respon-
s.bilitieS-in which no one knows
how many unemployed, in many
areas, will be left holding an empty
bag.
Roosevelt has promised that re-
lief viii continue after July /, but
there's a problem more immediate
than that. Direct federal relief is
scheduled to stop for this fiscal
year oh Dec. !, by which time it's
still hoped WPA will be employing
100000 persons.
BY Christmas most states will
have depleted the last OF their fed
eral relief money. Probably there
will be a great howl by the time
Congress meets.
Protest Wave Rises
Congressman, as well as mayors,
have begun to protest that cessa-
tiOn OF federal relief now will mean
starvation for thousands. Mayor
Mansfield OF Boston, for instance,
says at least 10000 of his employ
ables" won't be cared for by PWA
and that WPA'S full program for
Boston will cover fewer persons than
the FERA work programs employed
from April to August.
Some critics have insisted the
administration was asking states to
care for nearer 100000 needy per-
sons than the 100000 "unemploy-
ables" II estimated. Congressman
John Martin of Colorado has esti-
mated 10000 citizens OF Colorado
would fall outside all forms OF re-
lief, including work. and Chairman
Herbert f. Goodrich Of the Phila-
delphia county relief board insists
100000 Of that city's population
would face starvation"
How IL All Sums Up
Component ingredients in the big
relief stew include:
A president who last January
said the federal government must
quit this business Of relief" who is
anxious TO proclaim recovery and
slash federal relief expenses to the
extent that some OF his relief sub
ordinates whisper he IS blinded to
the problem"
States and cities which refuse 10
make adequate efforts to cara for
their unemployed when FERA steps
out.
States and cities which can't
make adequate preparations. in
Guiding those with busted credit.
cities whose states won't help them,
and cities whose legally circum-
scribed budgets can't be arranged
soon enough to absorb the load.
Underlying fact that expanding