Evening star., 1936-04-10
ROOSEVELT TO GET
c. c. c. BAREBACK
Representatives Expected to
Demand to Know What's
What on Cut.
BY CARLISLE BARGERON.


As soon as President Roosevelt gets
comfortably settled in the White House
after his return today, there are lot
of Representatives who want to talk to
him ebout the terrible misunderstand- |
ing in the matter OF reducing the
G. c. c. camps.
That the House members have be-
come unusually attached to these
camps, as well as have the local cham
oers of commerce and other civic
bodies, is evidenced by the fact that
they revolted a few weeks ago when
Mr.. Roosevelt in an effort to reduce
governmental expenditures, announced
the number of camps would be cut
from 2,158 to 1,406 and the enrolment
from 100000 to 100000. Under the
leadership of Representative Jack
Nichols of Oklahoma 255 members of
the House became so indignant that
they planned caucus to call the Presi-
dents hand. Then Nichols went to see
the President and after series of con-
ferences he informed his colleagues
that the order had been reScinded and
that there would be no curtailment.
Observers can't recall when there
has been so much jubilation among
the members. They demonstrated for
10 minutes and almost wrung Mr..
Nichols hand off congratulating him.
Reads Roosevelt Letter.
He read letter to the House which
Mr.. Roosevelt had sent to Robert Fech-
ner, head of the c. C. c., reading:
'The present number of Civilian
Conservation Corps camps shall be
maintained unless such camps are re-
duced as a result of the completion of
the work now being performed by the
enrollees or the reductions through dis
charges, separations or other causes in
the number of enrollees to approx
mately 1853 in any one camp"
This means" Nichols dramatically
declared, the present number of
camps will be maintained as they are
until March 81, 1887, which is the time
limitation in the original act. Since
the purposes for which the recent Pc
tition calling a Democratic caucus have
been accomplished, this caucus will not
be called"
The Representatives rushed to their
Offices to assure their civic-minded
constituents that the camps were to be
maintained, and at the same time,
they pointed out, in effect, that as long
as they were in Washington, their con-
stituentS need not ever fear that their
interests would be neglected. Each
House member has his own little way
of handling matter like this. Some
of them intimate that it is only be-
cause of their closeness to the Presi-
dent that such matter as this can be
accomplished. Those who have cities
in their districts prepare statement
for the newspaper boys to send back
home. In the case where small or
country papers are their only vehicle
of spreading this intelligence they send
kilograms to the editor.
Buchanan Enters Picture.
It has developed, however, that
Nichols was wrong when he told his
colleagues the camps were to be main
tained. Chairman Buchanan of the
House Appropriations Committee is
on the other side of the issue. 1t isn't
that he doesn't like c. c. c. camps, but
he is trying to save penny here and
there. So he had an understanding
with Mr. Roosevelt that so camps we're
to go on April l.
When Mr.. Roosevelt said the camps
would not be reduced unless "as a
result of the completion of work now
being performed he meant, it seems,
completion of programmed" work.
All the interested Representatives
knew they had enough work in their
communities to keep the c. c. c. boys
busy for the rest of their lives. so they
hadn't worried about this statement
at all. But Mr.. Roosevelt meant, or
so Mr.. Fechner holds, the particular
project upon which the boys were en-
gagged at the time.
Proves Embarrassing.
1t is terribly embarrassing to those
members of the House who had as
cured their constituents that all was
well. How a Representative handles
a predictment like this is indicated in
the statement by Representative Dan
Reed of New York
What else can We co." he asks,
''but take the word of the President
when in an executive order he states
specifically that the present number
Of c. c. c. camps shall be maintained
How were we to know that all the
time there existed private agreement
between the President and an influ-
Cntial member of Congress that so
camps were to be closed May l, pe-
gardless of the condition of the work
started?"
Mr.. Buchanan, with his private
agreement" hasn't made much of a
dent in the c. c. C. camps, though.
There are 2,15S.