The Washington times., 1938-12-31
GARNER SEEKS
REVAMPINC Of
new DEAL AIMS
Election Result Seen As
Warning to Party
By ARTHUR HACHTEN


(I.N.SD Vice President John
Nance Garner is vigorously de.
manding sweeping changes in the
New Deal" according to revela-
tions today by Senators and others
who have conferred with him.
To newspaper reporters Cactus
Jack" puts on his best poker face,
mops his shaggy, white eyebrows
and says: mo comment" He
neither affirms nor denies tales
about him that are sweeping
through Washington as the new
Congress prepares to convene
Tuesday.
It am Just Christian gen.
tleman, who has been out in
the country for six months liv-
ing my own way, and these gen.
tlemen around here are just
calling to visit with me-" Gar
ner smilingly remarked in an
interview.
Nevertheless, there continued
today the steady stream OF
visitors to his office in the Senate
office building, following yester-
days parade which included Sec
retary of Agriculture Henry A..
Wallace and Secretary of Com
merce Harry L. Hopkins.
What He FdUorS
Senators who have talked with
the blunt-speaking Vice President
privately told international News
Service that he favors:
Radical changes in the
present farm-aid program.
2-Drastic curtailment of the
"New Deal" spend-and-lend pro
gram.
3-Overhauling Of the WPA
to bring more control and more
responsibility over adminiStra-
ton "back to the homes"
+Temperance in statements
by high Government officials
on foreign relations, with "rea-
sonable" outlays for national
defense.
Several Senators, asking that
they be not named, said they had
gathered from the Vice President
that he believes the November
elections, in which the Repub-
licans made gains, should be
taken as a signal to the Demo
cratic party to revamp its pro
gram in line with changing public
opinion.
Suggestions in Administration
circles that processing taxes be
levied upon major farm products
to raise $500,000,000 for parity
price benefits to farmers were re-
ported to have received the Vice
Presidential frown.
Processing Tax
Under the present law there Is
an annual appropriation Of $780,
100000 for the soil conservation
program and another $3.50, ,000, 900
for parity payments.
Among high Administration Of
ficials there was support for con-
tinuation of the present farm law,
with the processing tax to
"sweeten" the benefit checks that
90 to the farmers-a $1,000, ,000,-
900 farm-aid plan.
For more than an hour Wallace
and two of his aides conferred
with Garner yesterday. Accom-
panying Wallace were r. M.
Evans, AAA administrator, and
Harry L. Bron, Assistant Secre-
tary Of Agriculture.
Hopkins, whose nomination for
Secretary of Commerce will be
before the Senate for confirma-
ton in a few days-he is now
serving unoer a recess appoint
ment by President Roosevelt
conferred with Garner for two
hours.
LoGuardia Calls
He emerged from the session
saying:
II called to pay my respects
to the Vice President"
Asked whether he would appear
before congressional appropria
ton committees when WPA al
lotments are under consideration
Hopkins crisply replied:
81 am no longer WPA admin
1strator."
Later, Mayor F. H. LaGuardis
OF New York, long a friend o.
Garner, visited him. Democratic
House Leader Sam Rayburn OF
Texas joined this conference.
LaGuardia has been campaign
ing here for adequate" WPA anc
other relief appropriations. He
said he would return to Washing
ton next week to present recon-
mendations of the conference ot