The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-08-29
POLITICS AND RELIEF

On July F in Boston John D M. Hamilton Chair nan of the Republican National Committee address ng meeting of party workers. quoted from letter he said was sent from the office of Gov. Leslie A. Miller of Wyoming to applicant for a foremans job in the CCC last year MT. Hamilton said that in the letter the applicant asked to tell what serv- ices and contributions he had made to the Demo- cratic party"
 Governor Miller is Democrat and the plain im- plication of MT Hamiltons remarks was that political considerations governed the placing of persons on relief rolls He asserted that the Wyoming instance was mot an isolated one and the practice is wide spread"
 MT. Hamilton's imputations were immediately re- scented in Wyoming and emphatically denied by Re- publicans themselves. Will c. Metz Wyoming WPA administrator, wired Hamilton that "foremen and all other administrative supervisory employees whether paid out of emergency relief appropriation act funds or any other funds are customarily selected basis of qualification and fitness on strictly non-relief basis and eligibility for relief is not factor
 Young men working under supervision in camps are selected strictly relief basis without regard party affiliations but you well know experienced men are required to direct relief activities and they are not relief cases though paid from relief funds.
 "The cooperation of Governor Miller with this administration in thoroughly and consistently keeping politics out of relief is well known to all the Repub cans as well as Democrats in this state Probably 50 to 60 of administrative and supervisory positions in relief and other administrations in this state are manned and efficiently conducted by Republicans"
 This statement of MT. Metz is supported by prom inent Republicans who were interviewed by the Wyo- ming Eagle Cheyenne newspaper. Gregory Powell, director of the division of employment of the WPA, who was secretary to the governor and secretary to the State Board of Charities under Republican ad- said: q have been Republican ever since I can remember and my father was one before me In the simplest and most straightforward way possible I want to state that the WPA in Wyoming has been kept absolutely and definitely clear of politics"
 Mart T. Christensen, for years Republican Register of the S. Land Office holder of other offices under Republican administrations, and director of the WPA writers project said There has not been, to the best f my belief a single instance in the administration of the federal writers project where political afla- tions have determined the selection of employees They have been selected ability alone and have main tained their jobs that basis"
 T. C. Thompson, former secretary of the Repub- lican State Central Committee, said: This program has necessitated ability and have employed that ability where found it. paying no attention to poli- tica affiliations. That phase has never been dis cussed with me and there has not been single in stance this department where party affiliations de- termined the choice of an employee
 MT Thompson is auditor of the water conserva- tion program of the WPA and has been Republican all his life
 w. L. Paulson, assistant accountant in charge of U S. Treasury state accounts office, who has been a Republican all his life said: T do not know of a single instance where politics has entered into the administration of relief in the state of Wyoming"