Evening star., 1938-05-01
ReHefS Alliance With Politics

BY JOHN H. CLINE.

accurately foretells the future the
United States must prepare to 20 into
the relief business on a permanent
basis
Should that forecast prove correct, and
very respectable body Of opinion holds
that 1t will, the time is at hand for Con-
gress and the administration to decide
whether relief is to be administered for
the greatest benefit of all who are desti-
strong political machines.
Since President Roosevelt took office, the
Federal Government has spent billions of
dollars for the relief of the unemployed,
but they are still with u.s. When the So
called recovery movement was at its height
the number of persons on the relief rolls
was reduced materially, but at no time
during the past decade has unemployment
decreased to the extent Of arousing any
real hope that it will cease to be a serious
national problem within the predictable
future.
Raises Question of Honesty,
Couple the past history of work relief
with the Presidents request for an addi-
tional $2,250, 100000, to be spent through
the Works Progress Administration and the
Public Works Administration, and it be-
comes highly pertinent to inquire how
wisely and how honestly the relief billions
of past years have been distributed
Those officials whose duty 1t has been
to disburse these funds have been accused
Of many things, but by all odds the most
serious charge is that this money-public
money-has been used to strengthen the
Democratic political machines in several
States. If that be true, contentious that
relief officials have been guilty of waste
and inefdciency become of secondary i'm
portance.
The evil inherent in the use of relief
money for political purposes leads to some
thing more serious than the perpetuation
Of political organizations. unhealthy though
that may be. The greater danger is that
the public sense Of moral values will, in the
end. be destroyed. When the agents Of gov
ernment compel man to sacrifice his
political freedom in return for something
to eat, it is inevitable that his respect for
government and his respect for himself are
in some measure destroyed Let that occur
often enough and there comes time when
the public conscience is so dulled that plain
dishonesty is tolerated if not applauded
When that point is reached, as the history
Of other countries demonstrates, anything
can happen.
At the present time charges that w. P.
A. relief funds are being used to further
individual political careers are coming in
from Pennsylvania and Florida, where hotly
contested Democratic primary campaigns
are under way. 1t is difficult to appraise
the truth Of these charges since it is en-
tirely possible they are colored to some ex-
tent by the ambitions Of the men making
them. But at the same time it would be
foolish to suppose they are baseless, as
they have been too numerous recently and
in past election campaigns
1t is rather strange that the charges all
most invariably have been leveled at w.
P A. rather than P. w. A. The sincerity of
Harry Hopkins, w. p A. administrator, and
his genuine interest in the plight of the
unemployed have been demonstrated on so
many occasions that one must look further
than Washington for the immediate causes
Of the unfavorable criticism aimed at his
organization, while P. w. A. has enjoyed
relatively smooth sailing. 1t is more than
likely that the explanation lies in an i'm
portant difference in the procedure fol-
lowed by the two agencies
Secretary Ickes, in charge of P. w. A.,
has set up seven regional Offices, each in
Guiding several States. When a town or
other political subdivision desires a P. w.
A. project it makes its application to the
proper regional director. The latter ex-
amines the application with a view to de-
termining the legal power of the applicant
to incur the obligation, its ability to repay
the loan and the soundness Of the project
from an engineering standpoint If it is ap-
proved by the regional director, the appli-
cation then is sent to the central Office in
Washington for review. If approved there
it goes to MI. Ickes, and if 1t is satisfactory
to him it is sent to the White House for
final approval. If the President gives it his
O. K. the necessary contracts are signed
ana the money is released as needed. OF
significance is the fact that the regional
director has no voice in the disbursement
of funds.
Not Entirely Free Of Politics.
There is no reason to suppose that politics
play no part in the functioning of P. w. A..
Senators and Representatives from region
in which project is desired almost invari.
ably use their influence to secure its ap-
proval and presumably some weight is
given to their Endorsements Another prac-
tice that has evoked some criticism is that
of advising members of Congress when a
project desired by their constituents has
been approved and letting them make the
announcement. In cases where one Senator
from State is in the good graces of the
administration and the other is not, the
former can be given a little political boost
If enabled to make such an announcement
before his colleague knows the project has
been approved.
It has also been charged that the ad-