The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-27
By LYLE c. WILSON

United Press Stah Correspondent
 Washington, Dec. 27-(UP)-The 76th congress, elected last month in the first major New Deal political reverse, meets one week from today for a prolonged contest over control of the Democratic party.
 Anti-administration Democrats are maneuvering to divert the New Deal to less experimental paths leading directly to the nomination of con- servative presidential candidate in 1940. None is yet certain whether President Roosevelt will compromise or fight. Neither is it established that conservative Democrats will go through with their plan to regain a controlling voice in party affairs. That each desires party conrtol is undiSputed.
 MT. Roosevelt will define the gen. eral battle lines in two messages to be delivered during the first week of the new congress. On January he will deliver his annual message to a joint session of house and senate. The budget message probably will be read to congress by clerks the fol- lowing day.
 Depends on Speech
 The nature of MT. Roosevelt's rec concentrations and especially his spending plans for the next fiscal year will determine partly how far conservative Democrats will carry their rebellion against New Deal leadership. It is known already that the president will devote more than customary attention this time to for eign affairs. There are indications that the administration is approach ing the new year and the new con- gress with national solidarity for national defense major 1940 ob- jective.
 Conservative Democrats, however, are planning to force some changes in Roosevelt domestic policies, not ably the method of spending relief money. On the issue of relief and related questions hot 1940 political conflicts are expected. Economy and budget balancing are to some extent factors in the approaching spending wars. But congress appears to be less economy minded than deter mined that the spending preroga- tives consistently voted to MT. Roose- welt since March 4, 1883, shall here after be restored to congress.
 Changes for Hopkins
 The lean and energetic Hopkins stands now charged by Democratic senatorial investigators of the 1888 general election processes with per- mitting his WPA organization to be drawn deeply into politics in behalf of New Deal candidates. Many con- gressional Democrats would have baked at voting Hopkins another big lump sum although he is per- sonally popular on Capitol Hill and generally is recognized as an able administrator.
 Succeeding Hopkins is Col. F. c. Harrington, 8 suave and handsome West Pointer, who was designated acting WPA chief rather than per- manent head of the organization. The White House hopes it will not be necessary to obtain confirmation for Harrington. He would be con- firmed easily enough, but debate of his nomination merely would provide another opportunity for conserva- tive Democrats to speak their mind about Hopkins and political relief. '"
 Method of Spending
 The method proposed to restore to congress spending authority, which woul dextend from the treas ury doors to the actual expenditure on relief and other projects in the field, is to "earmark" forthcoming funds for specific purposes. The New Deal Spendin system has required congress to vote large lump sum ap- propriations to the president-thoSe sums have been called blank checks upon which the White House drew to allocate money to the states or to local communities.
 Critics of administration spending repeatedly have charged and the administration has as regularly de- nied that agriculture, unemployment public works and other subsidy ol relief checks have been distributed on occasion where they would have political effect.
 Show Down Coming An almost immediate showdown i: coming in tn enew congress on tho questions of administration spending and '.relief-in-politics." The Worki Progress Administration is going broke again, rather more rapidly than had been expected. It will bt necessary next month for congres: to appropriate new funds to pay thu unemployed from about February