Evening star., 1936-12-25

resumed from some quarter as soon as
Congress is on the job. Mr. Hopkins
fight for his irreducible minimum is
sure to strengthen the hands of those
members of House and Senate, who are
admittedly anxious, with the home folks
in mind, to keep relief dollars rolling.
With Hopkins facts and figures as talk
ing points, the gimme" block is ex-
pected to enact vociferous and per-
sistent role.
Turmoil in Cuba, resultant from Presi-
dent Gomez's impeachment, could not
have broken out at a more inopportune
moment. from Uncle Sans standpoint
Some Pan-Amercan authorities feel
that high-handed events at Havana take
bit of the edge of the love feast which
the 81 Americas Just staged at Buenos
Aires. DR.. Gomez visited Washington
as President elect last Spring, and made
the most favorable impression on Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Hull. He
left behind him feeling that faction
alism in the strife-torn island had come
to an end with his constitutional cleo
ton to the presidency. While Washing
ton has suspected that Col. Batista and
the army we're scheming for more power,
our people thought that the concilatory,
square-shooting Gomez would keep
things OH an even keel His sudden
upset took Washington by surprise. If
the Platt amendment stin existed the
United States Navy might once again
be showing its flag of MORO Castle.
Louis Stark, the New York Times
labor expert at Washington, has just
coined prize word for the speculation
that has so long ragged around the un-
employed total. He dubs these wildly
divergent tabulationS "guesStimates. 4"
Even today, with the depression on its
last legs, statisticians are miles apart
regarding the actual jobless population.
American Federation Of Labor figures,
now in process of revision, are expected
to reveal approximately about 8,500,000
idle. The United States Chamber Of
Commerce "gueSstimate" Is 1000, 600.
The National Industrial Conference
Boards total is close to the A. F. of l..
count. How soon the Federal Govern
ment, in President Roosevelt's idiom,
can retire from this business Of re-
lief" will depend very largely on the
compilation Of reliable unemployment
data Exactly what constitutes being
"out Of work" Is still moot question.
White House plans at long last to
grapple with departmental reorganiza-
tion reminds contemporary observers OF
the Washington scene that the project
has whiskers at least Is years old. It
was something to which first the Harding
administration set its hand. Walter r.
Brown of Ohio, later Postmaster Gen.
eral under Hoover, was intrusted with
the job of bringing order out of execu-
tive chaos. But beyond a mounting pile
of reports, surveys and blue prints, which
SpaSmodically enlisted public interest
and cabinet attention, the project
through the years managed to get ex-
actly nowhere. While Secretary of Com
merce, Herbert Hoover made recurrent
stabs at reorganization, but, like every
body else, remained voice crying In the
wilderness. .
It's suspected that one Of the reasons
why Jim Farley may not soon leave the
cabinet is that F. D. r. may find 1t use
full to keep the Postmaster General at
work rs JobmAster General. The recent
Roosevelt landslide created brand-new
army Of deserving Democrats. It's not
likely to be long now before they line
up at the pie counter In serr1ed ranks.
(oe0sxasht 1885,,