The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-05-12
Living On Relief"
Washington, May 7.


for WPA. Though some strings will
be attached, no real effort is going to
be made to change the system, though
there is overwhelming testimony that
more relief for far less money can be
given through local administrations,
and that the present method is the
most costly and wasteful ever devised.
1t is also plain that little considera-
ton will be given the really sound
Bacon bill, which, while not reducing
the amount, certainly would take re-
lief out of Presidential politics. APP
parently no step in these directions is
going to be possible until something
happens to genuinely arouse public
sentiment or there is new occupant
of the White House Nevertheless, it
does seem that there should be suffi-
Gent strength in Congress to insist
before making this appropriation,
even if the system is to remain I'M
changed, that, at least, relief money
must be spent for relief and not, as in
the past-and present-diverted to
purposes not even remotely concerned
with human suffering"
Attention to this indefensible diver
sion of relief funds to governmental
agencies far removed from the relief
field has been called by the recent re-
quest that $1,000,000 of the new relief
funds be earmarked for the so-called
National Emergency Council. This eX-
traordinary agency, while it has hard
X been heard of at all for more than
two years and in that time has not
had directing head, is still function
ing at considerable expense, employs
several hundred persons, has paid
agents in every State and is still
spending approximately million dol
lars a year. Originally created by the
President in 1888, it consisted of the
members of the Cabinet and all the
various departmental heads. The
avowed purpose of the council was CO.
ordination of the various government
tai activities, but that has been a joke.
Neither it's first ,000-a-year head
Mr.. Frank C. Walker, nor its second,
Mr.. Donald Richberg, got anywhere
at all in the matter of coordination. 1t
was simply an impossible job. Under
Presidential pressure, Mr.. Walker &C
tually tried it twice, but gave up in
despair two years ago. Now, the of
fetal White House coordinator is Mr.
James Roosevelt, the thrifty young
insurance millionaire, though what he
coordinates has never been very clear.
Those who have reviewed the record
of the NEG say that it really is COM
bination propaganda and information
bureau; that there is no real excuse
for its existence, and that for five
years it has largely "lived on relief"
but in this it is not alone. Various
other governmental gadgets set up by
the Brain Trusters and the first New
Deal similarly Give on relief" One of
these is the National Resources Board,
for which S1,00O,000 is now asked;
another is the Prison Industries
Board, which wants 100000; another
is the Puerto Rico Recovery Admins
tration, which needs $11,000,000. And
there are others.
The diversion of relief funds to sup
port these governmental boards, COM
missions and councils created by Ex-
ecutive order, has been going on since
1888. 1t is a natural result of appro-
priating huge lump sums to the Pres
ident without limiting his discretion.
The practice of using relief money
for other purposes has been denounced
IN Congress and out, and, of course,
there will be an effort this time to
write into the bill an amendment put
ing an end to the practice. That it will
be successful is much to be doubted.
The pressure from the White House
and from the agencies that Give on
relief" is very strong. In the closing
days of session, with congressman
facing election and anxious to gohome
with assurances of their shares of the
public funds, it isn't easy to thwars
an Administrator in matters of this
sort.
There is no time to arouse public
opinion and it isn't certain it could be
aroused if there were. The fact re-
mains that this diversion of relief
funds cannot be defended. These vast
sums of money are sought to prevent
people from starving. On that theory
they have been voted by Congress and
on that theory the country has been
willing to bear the increased burdens
of taxation and submit to great bor-
rowinps that clearly threaten the ma