Evening star., 1938-12-24
The Political Mill
Hopkins Watched by Business for Clue to
'PIoy-BoII' or Crack Down Attitude

a President, who is deemed entitled
to pick the members of his own Off
cial family, is likely to operate.
Senators will vote for Hopkins con-
firmation to cabinet job who would
balk at his confirmation for other
important posts.
But at that, Senate action on Mr..
Hopkins is likely to be considerably
more delayed than was its action in
the case of Justice Black. Unless
there is change of heart on the
part of a number of Senators, Mr..
Hopkins will be asked to appear be-
fore the Senate Commerce Commit
tee to answer number of queS-
tions. Senator Bailey of North
Carolina will in all probability be
chairman of that committee, and to
Senator Bailey much of the New
Deal is anathema. Further, some of
the Senators are likely to inquire
into the origin of the story that Mr..
Hopkins once said. I'VE will spend
and spend, tax and tax, and elect
and elect
never In Business.
Mr.. Hopkins selection to head
department of the Government Gre
ated to encourage and to aid busi-
ness and industry is, it is declared,
amazing. He has never been in
business. His entire adult career has
been in social welfare work, or dis
pensing funds for relief. In some
quarters it is urged that Mr.. Hop
kins, as 100 per cent New Dealer.
can do more for business than could
Daniel c. Roper, who resigned as
Secretary OF Commerce, effective last
night. Mr.. Roper, although a strong
supporter OF President Roosevelt, did
not believe in some of the New Deal
theories
Whether Mr.. Hopkins will play
ball with industry or undertake to
crack down on business remains to
be seen. He is a dynamic PERSONAL
1ty. tull of ideas and likable. Pre-
sumablv he may undertake to so
clal1ze businesS-and there is room
for such action, although not as
much room as many people make
out.
A great deal is likely to depend
upon the trend which the Senate
committees inquiry into MI. Hop
kins' qualifications for Secretary of
Commerce takes, and also upon the
character of the debate in the SEN
ate itself. If his administration of
the w. P. A. is brought into the
debate prominently, and an effort
is made to give him a vote of con-
f1dence as w. P. A. administrator.
there may be good deal of resist
ance to his continuation in his new
appointment. The w P. A. has been
again and again attacked as a politi-
cal organizations; people are giving
attention to the fact that in cam
palgn years the number of persons
put on the relief rolls has been
greatly enlarged, and then lowered
after the elections. 1t is very fresh
IN their minds. The fact that it was
used in the primary campaigns has
especially aroused a number of
Democratic Senators. Also there
have been charges of gross waste of
public funds in relief expenditures.
Murphy Slated for Job.
The President has moved into his
cabinet one of his personal friends.
There is another for whom the
President sought to do more in the
recent campaign than any other
candidate, Gov. Frank Murphy of
Michigan. The President has open
number of important appoint
mentS, one of which might be given
to the Michigan Governor.
1t is reported that Gov. Murphy
is already seeking a home in the
District Of Columbia or its environS,
apparently with the understanding
that an appointment will go to him.
He has been talked of in connection
with a Supreme Court vacancy and
also in connection with the office
of Attorney General, from which
Attorney General Cummings is re-
firing the first of the year. If Mr..
Murphy does not get one of these
Jobs then he will be given another,
it is predicted here. There may, it
is said, be another vacancy in the
cabinet to which he could be ap-
pointed, particularly if Robert H.
Jackson, Solicitor General of the
United States, should be named
Attorney General, as has been eX-
pected.
The President has no Intention of
modifying his policies or his atti-
tude, it is said. The opportunities
of some of the more important men,
bers of the Democratic party have
failed to move him, opportunities
that he be more conciliatory to the
conservative group. He does not re-
gard the recent elections as con-
veying any mandate" to backtrack
on any part of the New Deal. To
the President, the defeat of New
Dealers at the polls means only that
local issues and local rows were
paramount.
If the President. as now indicated,
plans to fight back at all New Deal
critics, Democratic and Republican
alike, in the coming session of Con-
gress, the session is likely to be
strenuous.