Evening star., 1938-12-29

Ing session.
Furthermore, this report, which
will show up the manner in which
w. P. A. was used politically in the
last campaign, will be unanimous
eport-signed by all five members
of the committee This means that
Republican Senator White of Maine
will go along with his Democratic
colleagues in both the committee
findings and recommendations.
The New Deal administration
understands that this report is
likely to raise a rumpus. Already
several moves have been made, or
indicated, to blanket the report, or
at least to minimize its effect. In the
first place, the President has made
a drastic change in the w. P. A
setup. He has boosted Harry L.
Hopkins upstairs into the cabinet
and eliminated Aubrey Williams
second in command, by making him
administrator" of the National
Youth Movement-of which he was
already executive director. At the
same time the President turned
over the administration of the
w. p. A. to a Regular Army man,
Col. F. c. Harrington. This shake
up, it is held in some quarters, will
remove the target at which most OF
the fire Of the Senators will be
directed.
President May Bring Plan.
! In the second place, the White
House is moving adroitly to have a
suggestion emanate from Congress,
Dor some member of Congress. than
nonpartisan county boards be set
up all over the country to investi-
gate complaints that the w. P. A.
is being used for political purposes.
1t may be that the President him
self will bring forward the plan, if
members of the Senate and the
House do not appear spontaneously
to father the proposal. Under the
plan outlined, however, the ad-
ministration Of the relief funds
would not be turned over to the
States; they would remain right
where they have been, in the control
Of the administration in Washington.
Another move which has been
suggested is that the President will
blanket the whole w. P. A. adminis-
tration and its workers into the
civil service. Mr.. Hopkins said not
so long ago that the relief organiza-
ton should be put under the civil
service, and others have Joined
him in such advice.
Finally, President Roosevelt is
going to the Capitol on Wednesday
with a message dealing with the
need of greater ornaments and with
other important matters which the
administration hopes will take the
mind Of the country off the Senate
committee attack on the w. P. A.
See Far-Reaching Effects.
Members of the Senate who have
looked into the w. P. A. and its use
in politics are convinced, however
that the report Of the Sheppard
committee will have far-reaching
efects-far beyond what has already
been done by the administration.
In the first place, they maintain
that the report will have an i'm
mediate effect upon the Appropria-
tions Committees of the Senate and
the House, the committees which
will be called upon to frame the bill
or resolution providing additional
funds for relief and the w. P. A
almost Immediately. The w. P. A
has during the fall months spent
almost all of the remainder of the
vast sum which Congress provided
at its last session. A sum variously
estimated from $600,0O00O0 to ST.
600, 100000 is said to be needed to
carry the relief work through to the
end of the present fiscal year-next
June 30.
The cry among the critics of the
w. P. A.-and Of the administration
is that there shall be no more
"blank check" appropriations. Men,
bers of Congress are intent upon
saying where and for what the Gov
ernment money shall be spent.
Senator Byrnes of South Carolina
not long ago delivered a speech in
New York in which he pointed out
that the administration had spent
more for relief in, New York State
than in nearly all the Southern
States combined-and that pretty
much the same thing had been done
in Pennsylvania. While the details
of the coming report of the Shep-
pard committee are closely guard
ed, 1t is the opinion of members OF
that committee that any appropria-
tions committee or subcommittee OF
the Congress will be inclined to