Evening star., 1935-10-21

On returning from periodical vaca-
tions President Roosevelt has seldom
faced problems so momentous as those
awaiting him at the White House this
week Matters of both international
and domestic gravity are to the fore.
The task of keeping the United States
'unentangled and free" amid threaten
ing conflict in Europe is the question
to which F. D. r. will address himself
first and as long as necessary to safe
guard our y-out-of-war policy. If the
Italo Ethiopian scrap remains localized
the danger Of our involvement is not
acute. Trouble would Immediately arise
If Great Britain and Italy were to fight,
with the practical certainty that nearly
all Europe would be drawn in. Il is
then that such trials and tribulatioIs
as confronted Uncle Sam in World War
neutrality days would automatically bob
up. It could not be long before the
freedom of the seas" would again be-
come q live issue, on which we would
sooner or later have to take sand.
~ Xxx
If troubled international waters are
sufficiently calm to permit him to con-
centrate on the home front, the Presi-
dent will probably devote himself pretty
intensively to the unemployment prob
lem. Having consistently fixed Novem-
Der as the date by which $4,000 men
would be re-employed. it must be a
grievouS disappointment to Mr.. RooSe-
welt to realize that the actual total, at
the end of last week, was more than
100000 short of the goal. Perhaps
while Work Progress Administrator Hop
Ii
themselves under Southern Pacific skies
they and the President evolved some
magical plan for hitting up the pace. It
comes as shock to the country to dis
cover that the jobleSs army has not been
curtailed at more rapid rate since
Congress voted $4,000, 100000 for work
relief last Spring. Unless methods are
devised for providing jobs on a scale
hitherto not family approached, it will
be nearer January than November
before the bulk of the projected $780,
900 jobs is filled. New York City is the
banner w. P A. community. with 200,-
61O at work This Is more than are
similarly employed in any one of the
States, the second largest number being
81 ,9e1 in Indiana. Manhattan's record
was achieved under Gen. Johnson's re-
cent regime tnere.
Now that the master of the New Deal
has completed his first prediction
swing around the circle, political dag
nosticians are assessing its probable re-
suits. There seems fair agreement that
Mr.. Roosevelt found his fences in the
West. especially in farm regions, in good
shape. Cash bountieS and higher prices
for produce have distributed prosperity
over wide areas of the open spaces, and
voters are both afiluent and grateful.
Exceptions are encountered among
business men, who are in state OF grow
ing apprehension over Federal expendi.
ture and fear an era of oppressive taxa
ton when the bills have to be paid. The
net of the Presidents expedition through
the West is that Democratic leaders feel
he will be invincible there in 1886 and
that their real fight will be to retain the
in 1882.
Another comforting conclusion to
which the Rooseveltians have come is
that the third-party menace is as good
as dead. With neither the La Toilette
Progressives nor any combination repre-
senting Long -Coughlin- -Townsend-Sin-
clair adherents showing any sign of tax
ing the national field, the Democrats
now look for an old-fashioned two-party
knock-down and drag-out with the Re-
publicans. Nobody takes seriously the
possibility that Gov Talmadse OF 0eor-