The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1936-12-18
BEHIND
THE SCENES!
WASHINGTON
| nv n0DMEY DurcHER-,

Democrat Washington CORES.
pOndemt)

Il SANAD
to Balk Scuttling of WPA
-. Proposed Slash in Rolls
to Be Modified DrasticaIly.
Washington, Dec. 18-Harry Hop
kins has not decided to resign as
boss Of WPA, despite various re.
ports.
His only present plans are to
stay In Washington and fight
against the campaign for liquida.
ton Of his huge work-relief or
ganization. Part Of that campaign,
according to the administrators
friends, calls for liquidation Of
Hopkins himself, which may ex-
plain inspired reports that he had
accepted big Job with Chicago
mail order house.
General confusion following
large cuts I'm WPA rolls and sub
sequent retreat from the reduce
ton program call for q resurvey
Of the WPA situation In Washing
ton. Hopkins and Assistant Ad-
ministrator Aubrey williams have
taken the rap for both those steps
and the confusion as well but
here's what has happened:
Secretary Of the Treasury Henry
Morgenthau and Budget Director
Daniel Bell sold Roosevelt on the
idea that industrial recovery war
ranted gradual decrease in re-
lief expenses. They convinced
Hopkins that they hadn't enough
money for WPA TO last even to
Jan. 20 II the payroll wasn't cut.
| Roosevelt confided he'd like to
have WPA costs cut to between a
billion and a billion and half for
the next fiscal year-as against a
WPA estimate of two billions
and suggested WPA expenditures
might gradually be brought down to
500, 000,0 900 a month.
Set Back; Fights On
Hopkins, who has never known
for more than a month ahead how
much money he would have, gave
in. He knew he could hardly get
a deficiency appropriation from
congress before January 20.
Orders went out which meant
dropping 10000 from WPA's ad-
miniStrative, relief and relief
personnel, as well as 100000 who
all along had been slated for
transfer TO the Resettlement Ad-
ministration (which will pay them
less money, in dole form
Expenses were to be cut from
S168,00O,0OO in November to
$152,O00,000 In December.
At the same time Hopkins girded
himself for bitetr-end fight with
Morgenthau, Bell, Chamber Of Com
merce and Against Roosevelt-Be-
fore Election elements and re-
ported Liberty League Lobby" over
proposals to gradually strapgle
WPA and toss the able-bodied UNI
employed back to local politicians.
Money Suddenly Found
But soon LaGuardia Of New
York and other members of the U.
8. Conference of Mayors were ra-
doing the president, then in south
ern waters, that II WPA workers
were to be dismissed on the theory
that private industry would absorb
them, 1t would be much better If
someone would point out the jobs
they were TO take.
WPA workers staged demon
STATIONS. Pro-New Deal and anti
New Deal newspapers cast scOrn
at an administration which would
keep WPA intact 10 help IL win
an election and then start fir
ing WPA workers Unfortunately
as soon as the election was won.
Radiograms cracked back from
the cruiser indianapolis to Nor
genthau, Bell and Hopkins. Sud-
denly, by what Iegerdemain Is not
yet known, MOrgenthau and Bell
found there really was enough
money to take WPA through
January at the November rate.
Hopkins called special press
conference to declare over and
over that "No one in need will be
dropped"
Even though 1t tended TO make
WPA look foolish In the light Of
conflicting official statements
based on the previous policy,
Hopkins Loyalty covered up for
Roosevelt and the Treasury Budget
Bureau crowd.
Cut Radically Modified
About 100000 WPA workers in
rural areas will be transferred TO
Resettlement, as planned. But the
cut OF 10000 others will turn out to
be one of nearer 0,000-administra-
tive workers, non-relief workers on
cultural projects and "chiselers" dis
covered in purges.
Boards of appeal are being set
up to see that no needy WPA
worker is unjustly fired.
One of the first little Jobs
Roosevelt had 10 figure on when
he returned was q session with
Morgenthau, Bell, and Hopkins.
Later, the battle Of relief will
be fought out In Congress and
there will be an effort TO "get"
Hopkins. He has enemies In the
administration, partly because he
has been so close 10 Roosevelt
and usually able to get what he
wanted at the White House, and
also on Capitol Hill.
Among the latter group Is
Chairman John J. O'Connor Of the
House Rules Committee, who may
be so bitter because administra-
ton forces have baked his ambi-
ton to be floor leader that he will
make an especial attack on Hop
kins.
Copyright, 1885, NEA Service, Incl