The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-04-28
On Our Way wheree

OH OuE way VHcTc.
Washington.-Dear Editor: I wish
I could dodge writing column this
week. The whole Washington pic
ture is SC disturbed: the course is so
uncertain; the future is SO indefi-
mite, that I must confess my in
ability to properly appraise and re-
port on the situation. You will re-
member President Roosevelt once
wrote book which bore the title,
''On Our Way" guess that is cor
rect as it applies to the national
government now; only can not fig
ure out what the way is or where
we are going.
To explain in some detail what
my personal problem is, let me say
that before I write each week, I
have canvassed many, many peo-
pies opinions and have obtained the
facts that are necessary for the dis
cussion which undertake. There
has been no change in my method
Of work. Yet, I find myself ten
days after Mr.. Roosevelt has an
nounced his new and larger spend
ing program totally unable to get
heads or tails of the story. That is
to say, have found both the heads
and the tails seem to be from the
same carcasses. They don't fit.
So. therefore, must write that
have found nobody who has been
able to tell me where we are going.
I listened to Mr.. Roosevelt's radio
speech and read his message to con-
gress about the $3,012, 000, 900 which
he proposes to spend to stop the
depression; I talked with officials |
!. OF the Treasury and members of the
federal reserve board Of governors |
about the billion and q half of idle J
gold that Is to be made active" ,,
again, and I have looked into the
program by the Reconstruction FL |
nance corporation which is prepared |
to loan almost two billions to COM
merce and industry. There is so !
much activity about it, among the
executive departments, that it seems
something must come Of it. There
Is activity at the capitol, too, but it
is In the nature of row over the
question whether all Of this spend
ing will do any good.
The one tangible thing evident
around the capitol Is that perhaps
40 percent Of the representatives
and senators have been left rather
cold by the idea Of great new
spending program. Somehow, they
look back on the previous pump
printing operations and they tell me
that the pump was primed by q
total Of about eight billion dollars
without causing the water to flow
freely as good, streamlined New
Deal pump ought to work. These
things they are saying in commit
tee consideration of the various
phrases Of the new program by
which the President expects to bring
back prosperity-or, at least, by ,
which he hopes to check the de-
preston. II
There is depression now. That
may not be news particularly, but
1t is now official. It was a ere .
cession" for some seven or eight
months, according to all official ;
announcements, but now that soft
word has grown claws and it has be-
come bold, bad depression. It is
too bad that the depression had to
come just when congressional cleo
lions lay ahead OF course, there
can be no connection between the
spending campaign and the cleo
lions! Not being able to analyze
the situation-a fact admitted at the
start naturally would be the last
to say that retention of house or
senate seats is as important as pro-
viding funds for relief of the desti-
tute, loans or grants to states, cit
les. counties or businesses that
might otherwise find votes against
New Deal candidates. We insult for
get that phase.
Will IL Work Now?
Now, obviously, being one who is /.
unable to understand what is going 1
on, what the plans are if it is .
planned that way, should wait and
see what will come out of the pump
DISQUALIFICATION, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..