, 1935-08-16
WASHINGTON
BY RAY Tucker

interest has suddenly shifted TO the
Middle West. Scouts for both the
major parties have Just convassed
IL because recent Developments seem
to make 1t the 1885 battle-ground.
The northeast has shown some
hostility toward the New Deal. from
the Canadian border to the Potc q &C
river. New England. New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania shy away
from the extreme reform program.
Many COP politicians regard these
states. including the presidents own,
as in their bag. But they will need
the Middle West and a few far west
ern states for an electroal margin.
Nom partisan reports on the mid
die west run as follows: Ohio, re-
publican; Indiana, $3.50; Illinois.
democratic; Michigan, republican:
Missouri, democratic. California, as
in 1915. may tell the story. II Is now
listed as GOP-ish.
Scarce - The enthusiasm with
which professors. lawyers and indus
trialistS once accepted New Deal
posts appears to have vanished.
President Roosevelt Is finding 1t al
most impossible to obtain able MEM
ters OF the National Labor Relations
Board and the Social Security Com
mission.
Some difficulty has resulted from
Secretary Perkins i~nsistence upon
having her say, although neither
agency was placed under her de-
partment. The president then ask
ed Senator Wagner. author Of both
measures. TO suggest names and even
he Is Stumped. He wanted Lloyd
Garrison, former head OF the NRA
Labor Board. for the same position
under the new setup. but Mr.. Garri-
son prefers to stick to his job as
Wisconsin law dean.
The New Dealers realize the need
for a fi~rst-class personnel to start
off both experiments. Otherwise.
they fear that these attempts to re-
organize the social and Industrial
systems may bog down. Even the
presidents closest friends concede
that his greatest need right now Is
able executives.
sss
Grumblers - Repeal was supposed
TO take liquor out Of politics but you
can't prove It by Secretary Nor
genthau. Although his agents are
enforcing tax laws gently and toler-
antly they have brought a storm OF
political protests about his mild
head.
The penalties for failure to pur-
chase tax stamps, for instance. range
from a $1,000 fine to two years In
jail. The punishment for other eva
sionS is even sitter. But when Mr..
Morgenthau's men feel that there
has been no willful attempt to vio-
late these laws they compromise for
$40 and $50.
The victims. however, regard
these payments as "shakedowns." In
some states democratic politicians
have promised that dealers would
not have TO pay federal taxes and
the liquor retailers conclude that
they are being "double-crossed." In
California alone there are $4,000
such dealers and they can't under
stand why they have to pony up"
Democratic politicians say that these
misunderstanding will cost them
millions Of votes.
Boss - Harold Ickes Is on the
rampage again. He Is bucking the
White House oil bin which robs him
OF considerable authority.
The Secretary or the Interior has
voiced his protest TO the president.
told Mr.. Roosevelt that he didn't
relish the idea that control over this
resource be taken out OF his hands.
In the cabinet members opinion ad~
ministraticn Of the oil code was an
activity for which nobody need
apologize"
Mr.. Roosevelt sought 10 placate
the irate Ickes by pointing out that
the bin simply gave fact-finding au-
thority 70 the new agency TO be es-
tablished. But this did not satisfy
Harold. He wants completa control
or nothing. And 1t looks now as If
he would have his way.
Reproof - steve" Early has writ
ten a formal protest TO his beloved
boss 49, FDR. II Is perhaps the first
time that a presidential secretary
dared TO put his protest against a
presidents misbehavior in writing.
A week or SO ago the president
slipped away from the White House
picnic-bent. At the time Mr.. Early
was dining with White House cor
respondents. and the lunch dragged
from I until 3 o'clock. There had
been no intimation that Mr.. Early ~
or the correspondents - would be
bothered BY presidential business
that afternoon. But when they re-
turned 70 their posts they discovered
that the president had left his Of