, 1935-05-03
WASHINGTON
By Raw Tucker


BY Ray Tucker
Bear-It looks like curtains for
Harold IckeS star OF the New Deal
drama up 70 now. His role In the
spending OF the $500. 900 900 design
Cd 10 end the depression appears 10
be minor. President Roosevelt tried
hard 70 placate all his pr1ma donaS.
out everybody on the inside knows
that Frank Walker and Harry Hop
kins will run the relief show.
Here's how II will work out: Mr..
walker will scrutinize all projects
and submit them 10 the president
and the allotment board headed By
Mr.. IckeS. The president has made
II clear that Mr.. Walker will rec
ommend." and it's a safe bet that
Walker-approved plans will. get the
boards 0. X. nine times out OF ten.
Mr.. IckeS has only one vote on this
22-man agency, and he has many
enemies among his associates. They
think that he has scared too high
and spread himself too much.
Next Mr.. Hopkins takes charge In
AA2 hAAiAAAAugAN way AC AAuuNo ACQ
tape as much as Mr.. Ickes dotes on
Il. Hopkins viii supervise construc-
ton. purchase materials, fix wages,
hire workers and keep things NOV
ing. Mr.. Roosevelt expects him 70
duplicate his record Of employing
100000 G. w. A. workers in a few
months. Thus Waller will plan. Hop
kinS will perform and Ickes will
growl.
Crawlers-Mr. Ickes may fool the
s~idetrackerS yet. His experience as
Public Works Administrator gives
MIN an advantage over rivals On the
allotment board. Nobody will be as
well fortified In discussion OF prof.
ectS which come before his body. He
may blow up some OF the recon-
mendatiCns.'
Confusion over the function Of the
various work-relief agencies has al
ready played into his hands. Politi-
cal delegations have c~ongregated at
The capital to beg a slice OF the S4.-
000.000.000 fund. Many interviewed
Mr.. IckeS as they did IN PWA days.
Some brought new projects, but
many simply revived proposals which
he rejected long ago. When told 70
present their requests to Mr.. Walk
err they badly raided Mr.. lckes' files.
They demanded their papers" back
asking for the legal. financial and
engineering data which accompanied
their original requests for approval.
Then they walked down the street
TO work on Mr. Walker. One delega-
ton dragged IN q S59. 100000 power
and-navigation scheme which has
been turned down by their own state
engineers. Army engineers, the Fed
eral Power Commission and Ickes.
But they still hope 70 crawl under
the tent or the new public works
show. They won't If MI. Ickes sees
them firsti
TradeS-The latest silver mys-
terry" makes good telling. It demon
strates that the administration has
a bear by the tail in carrying out the
silver policy enunciated by congress.
Secretary Morgenthau had no in
tention of raising the price q week
ago. His hand was forced by a news
paper reporter and silyerites on
Capitol Hill. The reporter published
a story to the effect that the treas
ury was paying the world price in
stead of a higher domestic rate. AS
late as four o'clock that same day Mr..
Morgenthau denied that he would
raise the ante. Then the silver Sena-
tors barged in. BY telephone they
demanded that he keep his promise
hat the domestic would top the
world price. That evening Mr.. Roose-
welt issued the proclamation which
gladdened the hearts OF the silver
bloc and set UP free drinks In west
ern mining towns.
But there Is more TO the silver
movements than that. The admin
stration did not act solely TO please
MeSSrS. Pittman. King. Wheeler, Nc
Carran. etc. IL expects something IN
return from the dozen senators who
represent silver-producing states.
You won't know all the factors in
fluencing these monetary move
III you see how they vote on such
controversial questions rs the bon
Us. banking, holding company and
social security bills
PrOtector-Once again Jesse Jones
has startled conservative colleagues
Of pre-New Deal days. HIS latest sur
prise has been his demand for con-
troll OF a Chicago holding company
which owes the comparatively small
sum or $4,000 900 TO the Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corporation. II he wins
Uncle Sam will find himself god
fathering a $500. 000. 900 public utili-
ty system that extends into IA states,
four Canadian provinces and 500
cities IN England. Scotland and
wales.
The RFC took the holding com
pany's note as partial collateral for
It's 500. 100000 loan 70 Charles G..
Dawes bank IN Chicago. When the
company fell into technical default
MIR. Jones moved TO collect and fore
close. He has refused all offers OF a
compromise on the basis Of install
ment payments. insisting on his
pound Of flesh. Although temporarily
defeated in an attempt 70 obtain
management control he will try
lgain when the stockholders meet In
June.
Jesse doesn't regard himself as a
Flaming liberal" He Is not a brain
truster." for he went TO col
lege. The fight against holdinr COM
panies on Capitol Hill dcesnp excite
him. He Is simply trying to be q
good. old-fsshioned banker and
to protect Uncle Sans interest.
Interest-The RFC and the Treas
ury. incidentally, are piling Up a tidy
profit on their loans TO banks. in
dustries. railroads. etc. The RFC
| Davs z ner cent for funds advanced