Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1938-06-09

hIngton.-CongreS IS packing
its buds. It doesn't know exactly
-, what date it will
want TO go home, but go
Go Home home it will, in
just a few weeks
more. There is nothing more con-
tagious than homesickness among
congressman when primaries are in
the air and votes around the grass
roots await to be garnered.
suppose that when they go, there
will be a certain amount of criti-
cism about the do-nothing congress.
Particularly will they hear barks
that they have left the nations most
important problem unsolved. They
will be told how they should have
charted course to lead the country
out Of the depression and how they
failed to do anything towards restor-
ing unemployed to permanent jobs.
The prospect of this condition, it
seems to me, warrants a general
discussion without pulling punches.
Congress is supposed to formulate
national policies. It, therefore, must
accept some blame for it's failure.
But it is not alone to blame, and
the voters ought to know it. There
are some other spots to which at
tention should be directed-in all
fairness to the members of the
house and senate.
Let us look back bit. 1t must be
agreed, believe, that recovery is
the foremost problem. Recovery
plans must be divided. Attention
must be given. first, to relief of the
destitute, the unemployed. Second
ly, policies must be laid down that
will permit business, big and little,
to take on workers-or obviously
they will remain on the relief rolls.
Since last November, there have
been pleas, threats, argument-all
seeking establishment of policies
that would permit business to have
confidence. There has been nothing
from President Roosevelt in the
way of suggestions or proposals
along this line, and congress re-
fused, cowardly enough, to lead the
way.
AS the session wore on, unem-
ployment increased until the other
day the social security board made
public figures showing that about
$4,000, 900 persons were receiving
government assistance of one kind
or another-almost 100000 FAM
lilies. And during the same period,
the volume of business fell further
into new low levels. The whole pic
ture undeniably has grown worse.
Then, there came from the Pres
ident the request for the use of
further money, some six billion
dollars of it. 1t was the so-called
lending-spending program that has
just been enacted and the congress,
anxious to avoid conflict with presi-
Dental will, rubbed it's collective
hands and said, in effect, "Therel
That takes care of the unemployed"
So we will have new post offices,
new bridges, new roads, new this
and new that-some time. Those
things can not be put over on days
notice. 1t takes time to get them
started where they will employ
workers. The portion of the six
billions allocated for relief, Of
course, can be used at once because
Mr.. Harry Hopkins can have his
boys and girls write checks at
rate which is positively amazing.
The public construction phase will
be valuable, or ought to be, to the
candidates because the candidates
can say to their political meetings:
Here it is-and from my hands,
too"
After that money is spent, then
what2 My conviction is that we
will be just where we started. That
is to say, we will be just where we
were three years ago. Every one