Evening star., 1938-06-09
W. P. A. in Politics.

traitor, says the defeat of his candidate in
Iowa proves that the relief organization
was not engaged in politics in that State.
The converse of this argument would
necessarily be that If his candidate,
Representative Wearin, had won, it would
have proved that the w. P. A. was en-
gagged in politics. A lucky thing, there
fore, for Mr.. Hopkins peace of mind that
Senator Gillette won and Mr.. Wearin
was defeated!
But Mr.. Hopkins, having entered the
Iowa primary as champion Of Mr..
Wearin, has now gone step further. He
has entered the fall election campaign
in Iowa as a champion Of Senator
Gillette. Perhaps the w. P. A. organiza-
ton will be more effective politically when
arrayed against the Republican nominee
for the Senate than it was when Mr..
Hopkins called upon the voters to support
Mr. Wearin.
The w. P. A., it has been frequently
charged, was used to defeat Republican
candidates in the elections of 1884
and 1886. But nothing has been done
about those charges up to date, beyond
inquiries conducted by Mr.. Hopkins or
his own assistants. Now comes the head
of the organization himself with plea
to the relief workers in Iowa to elect
Senator Gillette and to defeat former
Senator Dickinson, his Republican op-
ponent.
President Roosevelt can see no wrong
in these statements of Mr.. Hopkins, for
Representative Wearin in the first in
stance and for Senator Gillette in the
second. Yet Mr.. Hopkins holds the purse
strings. If he tightens them, men and
women without jobs in private employ
ment suffer; If he loosens the strings,
men and women are given living wage.
Yet the President sees no immortality in
the statements Of this official Of the
administration who holds the power Of
Ife-if not the abundant life-over the
people to whom he speaks. What a COM
mentary on the New Deal and New Deal
thinking!
First, apparently. the Senate put its
seal of approval on the use of the w. P.
A. organization in political campaigns
to influence the voters. And now the
President is making excuses for the head
OF the w. p. A. and his open foray into
the Iowa campaign. The Senate by a
vote of 40 to 81 turned down the Hatch
amendment to the relief and recovery
bill-an amendment which would have
prohibited the use Of w. p. A. influence
in political campaigns on pain of dis
missal from the service. If this amend
ment had been adopted. Mr.. Hopkins
would have been barred from making his
latest statement to the reliefers in Iowa
urging the defeat Of Mr.. Dickinson.
After having delivered what amounted
to an invitation to Mr.. Hopkins and his
organization to 60 into politics in a big
way, several Democratic Senators, in
cluding Senator Tydings of Maryland,
came to the conclusion that something
should be done to erase the bad effect
which this preposterous action was
having on the public mind. So Senator
Tydings and nine Of his colleagues have
proposed the appointment OF a COM
mittee Of three Senators to investigate
all charges Of political activity lodged
against the w. p. A.
The resolution should be adopted. It
is poor substitute for the Hatch amend
ment. At least. however, 1t may let the
light Of day play upon w. p. A. political
activities and so act as deterrent. It
remains to be seen whether the White
House viii swallow the proposal or 60 to
work to undermine the proposed inquiry.
It has successfully obstructed every pro-
posed investigation Of the w. p. A. by
q congressional committee up to the
present time.