Evening star., 1936-04-18
LOCAL POLITICIANS
BLAMED IN RELIEF
Joirt Federal and State
Effort Suggested as Cure
for System.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Politics has become a thorn IN the
side of the relief administration, but
the responsibility for the abuses That
have grown up is put squarely on the
shoulders Of over-zealous, If not un-
scrupulous local politicians.
The cry being raised by Republicans
that relief be turned back to the States
is answered by Harry Hopkins with
the statement that this would merely
intensity political influence. And it
requires no stretch of the imagination
to realize that Hopkins Is right on
that point, If State relief were admins
tered in the same way that Federal
relief is handled.
Hopkins insists he will do every
thing he can to eliminate politics
from relief and judging by his record
in fighting Democratic as well as
Republican misdeeds in various States,
he can be depended upon to follow
out conscientiously the program Of
-partisanship, which he has out
lined.
Unbeatable System.
But Hopkins was beaten before he
started. It is the political system
which Hopkins is up against and the
moment the President agreed to let
the members of the United States
Senate help in the naming Of State
administrators under the w. p. A
they all have to be confirmed by the
Senate when nominated-thatd day re-
lief went headlong into politics and
has been there ever since.
Hopkins has said publicly that he
believes persons who are friendly
to the New Deal policies should be
appointed instead of those who are
opponents. This, however, Is a poll
tical concept. AS matter of fact, the
. relief job should have been handled
by persons who are not particularly
concerned about the policies Of the
Federal administration as such, but
who are efficient in performing the
tasks allotted to them.
Local Bosses Crowd In.
Throughout the United States re-
lief is being administered by organi-
cations set up by Washington and with
key men in there who are directly, or
indirectly related to the political or
ganizations of the Senators who are
instrumental in naming them. This
encourages the local political bosses
to assert themselves and to claim
political influence, which they may not
really possess.
The alternative of the present sys-
tenn is not State administration, but
a combination Of Federal and State
effort. The Federal Government, by
its grant Of funds was in a position
to insist upon standards. 1t could
have required the appointment by the
. Governors of the States of persons who
had high standing in the community
/. and who were known as public spirited
. citizens, unreachable by political cur
4, rents. Such a commission in every
: State of the Union would have pre-
vented the development of political
machines in the relief organizations
and unless a Governor appointed a
high grade commission, the Federal
Government could have baked at
granting aid.
System Increases Bills.
Public opinion In each State then
, would have held each Governor re-
sponsible and similarly each mayor
OF every city. As it is today, the local
administrators are under pressure for
increases in funds for w. P. A. prof.
ects. The local interests that are
selfishly interested in how w. P. A.
funds are spent exercises influence
through political channels and since
the key men are themselves part
of the political system, the Federal
Government is loaded with more and
more expense.
Relief costs are going up. This
Is defended on the ground that the
unemployed people have never really
been given adequate relief. This may
be true, but it is also apparent that
efforts to increase the total number
In jobs in private industry have been
Woefully inadequate. The statistics
show that there are still about 10000
600 persons unemployed. The w. p.
AS job is relief and not economic
readjustment. Why has re-employ-
ment been retarded? What poll
cies of the New Deal have been
an impeachment to increased en-
ployment? What would happen
If some Of the unnecessary re-
strictions on industrial operations
were removed? These are questions
which are going to be asked more
and more as relief itself becomes en-
tangled in politics and higher and
higher expense. For it is insisted on
every side that w. P. A. is temporary
and that direct relief is out of the
question, and that permanent relief
must not be assumed as invitable. An
attack on the causes of continued un-
employment is really the key to the
relief problem.
(COpyrtRht 1891