Evening star., 1937-05-28
PRESIDENT HITS
RELIEF MARKING
Tagging Third Of Fund for
P. W. A. Would Cost
$4,000 Jobs, He Says.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Appropriation bill for Federal
relief fund has precipitated bitter
est fight OF present session OF House.
Caught first in economy driDe,
bill Wds cut do,Dn from 81 100000
to 81 100000. Larger sum, request
ed by President, later ,cds restored,
but House members then began to
load up bill Nth specific inStruc-
ttons as to hoU money should be
spent.
By the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt estimated today
the S505, 100000 earmarked by the
House for flood control and other prof.
ects in the sl,500o0O,0oo relief bill
would give employment to only 100000,
whereas If expended through w. P. A..
$4,000 would be given relief jobs.
He told a press conference that re-
lief and public works should be sepa-
rated in considering the $500, 100000
bill and forecast many individual prof.
ects would be Strengthened out before
the House passes the measure.
He said he would be willing to dis
cuss the matter with individual House
members if they desired it.
Meanwhile. House leaders, trying to
reverse defeat on salient provisions
OF the BILL were planning to appeal
to the President to help bring about
compromise.
Representative Rayburn, Democrat,
of Texas, majority floor leader, indi-
Gated that he would canvass the en-
tire subject with the President during
the week end,
Rayburn STAYED off a final vote on
the bill in turbulent session yester-
day, asking members t., cool off,
until next Tuesday.
In the meantime, he sa L. he and
others would try to work { COM
promise fair ito every sec on and
every project
Rayburn, who spoke after his fellow
Texan, Representative Maverick had
accused the members of acting like
a mob" disclosed he had just ct ne
from White House conference.
Earmarking Causes Fight.
The cause of the controversy was
tentative earmarking of one-third Of
the proposed relief fund for roads,
dams and other special projects, ap-
proved Tuesday during revolt by a
coalition of Democrats and Repub-
ucans.
Rayburn and other administration
chieftains sought yesterday to throw
out the earmarking provisions, giving
the administration a free hand on
relief expenditures. (The House can
reverse itself under its rules at any
time before final passage of the BILLY
Instead, the revolt continued, and
the coalition put across a tentative
reduction of $4,000 in the $4,000 SAL
ary of Harry L. Hopkins, works
progress administrator.
In Indianapolis, Hopkins commented
later:
II don't know anything much about
my salary cut, but it's all right-just
50 they don't cut down on the relief
money"
Disgrace to Congress-
Representative Maverick denounced
the earmarking proposals as "a pork
barrel bill and disgrace to Congress"
Representative Starnes, Democrat, Of
Alabama, countered that the admins
tration leadership was filibustering-
that is, delaying vote by parlia-
mentary tactics-so that it could bring
enough political pressure to bear on
members of Congress"
That was just before Rayburn took
the floor.
After adjournment, a conciliatory
proposal came from Representative
Better, Democrat, of New York, author
of an amendment setting aside $780,
100000 TO the Public Works Admins
tration.
Il think We can get along on $780,
100000 less" he said, because some
projects are not in shape to be started
promptly"
Starnes, who won approval of an
amendment setting aside s45,00O,O0O
Tor flood control, expressed belief, how
ever, that was insufficient for the pur-
pose.