Evening star., 1937-09-27

~ Will SOOo-
natured euphemism. He says the
last of the public works money is
being awarded. He speaks OF the
greater part of the emergency as
being over, and he pointedly remarks
that I'VE have to come some day to
An end of the greater part Of that
program" of spending and lending
which has been going on for several
years now.
This was a significant thing to say
AZ Mr.. Roosevelt stood at the gateway
to the Rocky Mountain and Pacific
Coast States. For recapitulation of
expenditures of the last few years
will show that, in IL States, nearly
three and a half billion dollars was
expended. Last Summer. as I visited
this same Western territory, I wrote
some comments on the problem of
what these States were going to do,
what kind of an economy was going
to support their people when the Fed
eral subsidy was really withdrawn.
The contingency is here sooner than
expected.
Warning TO West.
1t begins to appear as if the Presi-
dent Is warning the West that is
must start now to think it terms of
self-reliance. This is an important
point Of view to convey. Mr. Roose-
welt. OF course, has yet to visit the big
dams and construction projects of
the Far West and he will no doubt
have to promise some continuing aid
on the big reclamation project there,
but the old liberalism" OF unre-
strained spending is over and the
West might as well know the pocket
book Of the East, which pays the tax
bill. u getting bit strained. Incl
dentally, the President made another
significant statement in the Cheyenne
speech. He said:
"Yes, 1t is a part of the duty of the
presidency to represent, in so far as
possible, all the people, not just the
Democrats, but Republicans as we'll,
not just rich people, but poor people
"a we'll"
This Is a broad viewpoint no. found
IN his previous speeches this year,
and. coming at this particular mo-
ment. Is, indeed, refreshing.
Mr.. Roosevelt's omission OF any ref
erence to the controversy over the
Supreme Court enlargement may mean
that he feels he said all he needs to
Tor the present on that subject in his
Constitution day address. The subtle
ceremonies which grew out of a DO
lit1cal desire to administer a bit of
slap at Democratic Senator like Mr..
OMahoney, who stood by his convic-
tions on the court-packing bill, were
not. OF course, lost on the purely DO
At1cal elements in Wyoming.
What to Do?
It Is yet too early to know whether
Mr.. Roosevelt will or will not en-
courage reprisals against Democratic
Senators who didn't vote with him on
his court plan. Maybe by 1910 Mr..
Roosevelt himself will want to forget
the court controversy. Much depends
on how the Ku Klux Klan aspect of
the Black episode turns out in the
long run.
There are people who care more
about the material and financial bene-
h6 they get out Of New Deal leqisla.
eion than about religious tolerance
and there are Senators and Repre-
eentatives who want to keep on get
ting patronage and public funds for
their States who are publicly mini
mlnng the Klan controversy, but ex-
perience shows 1t is not the kind of
an issue easily dismissed or laughed
OF.
DO not share, on the other hand.
xi1e view that Mr. Roosevelt ran away
from the Black issue by going West.
He cannot escape it if he tried. NV
feeling Is that he feels the awkward
ness OF the situation as much as any,
body else. But what can he do? He
cannot ask Mr.. Black to resign unless
he does it informally and in the
utmost privacy, and this would be A
bad precedent in itself.
But the question of whether Mr.
Black Is constitutionally eligible is
before the Supreme Court at its
October term. That tribunal has a
petition before it relating to 8 con-
stitutional question wholly apart
from any Klan membership or nom
membership. This will be disposed of
after the court convenes next week.
The Klan issue will be debated, how
ever, no matter what the outcome.
Many well-meaning people, for in
stance, are saying that everybody in
the South" joined the Klan and that
1t was like joining the knights of
Columbus or the Masons or any other
fraternal order. The difference, how
ever, Is that not one Of these lodges
or societies ever required an oath
pledging members to see to it that
no persons Of the opposite faith or
creed or color held offlce in our Gov
eminent.
(Copyrieht. 1897, by the North American