Evening star., 1939-12-08
Ohio Is 10 Blame
For Relief Crisis,
President Declares
~
Asserts Stute
Hos FoiIed to Garry
Out Its Obligations
CONTINUED From First Page.)

people but that he had received a
lot OF other gratuitous advice.
Roosevelt Chiefly Interested
In Votes, Bricker Charges
By the Associated Press.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 8.-Gov.
John w. Bricker asserted today that
President Roosevelt was more inter-
ested in trying to discredit Repub-
IcanS and get votes than in human
welfare
The Governor expressed his views
In statement replying to press
conference declaration of President
Roosevelt that Ohio had failed to
carry out its relief obligations.
IF the President and his valuable
secretary were as interested in hu-
man welfare as they are in trying to
discredit Republicans and getting
votes, they would pay to the aged of
Ohio the $l,300,000 which is owed
them and which was withheld in
Washington after a most disgraceful
quarrel with my predecessor" Gov.
Bricker stated.
Gov. Bricker referred to the Fed
eral Social Security Boards refusal
to pay Ohio the Federal Govern
ment's share for old-age pensions in
October, 1888. The board charged at
the time that former Gov. Martin L.
Davey was using the pension system
for political promotion, an assertion
which Mr.. Dayey denied.
Gov Bricker declared: "The relief
situation in Ohio has already been
solved and the lurid catch phrases
which are being used by political
opponents are not more applicable
in Ohio than in any other State in
the United States"
Mayor Harold H. Burton Of Cleve-
land commenting on the Presidents
statement said: I'm comparing the
action the city of Cleveland has
taken on relief you will find it COM
pares favorably with that taken by
other cities of the Nation"
Gov. Bricker's prepared statement
In reply to Mr.. Roosevelt follows:
"Ohio's relief situation is in very
good shape. The real cause of the
trouble, whatever trouble there is,
is due to the w. P. A. in Cuyahoga
County during an election year
raising its rolls $4,000 persons and
then suddenly slashing them back
to 10000 persons after the election
was over.
Situation Held Aggravated.
"The Federal authorities are do
Ing lot of talking and very little
to help the situation. They seem
more interested in the politics of
the affair than in helping the needy.
They have only aggravated the situ-
alton. There will be adequate help
for all the needy There would be
no problem in Cleveland if the w.
P. A. had taken its employees from
the relief rolls instead of hiring
thousands who were not clients.
If the Federal authorities are
30 interested in the welfare of the
people of Ohio, why is it they have
Jailed to repay the State the ST.
100000 in old-age pension funds
withheld because of a political
row?
III the President and his valuable
Secretary were as interested in
human welfare as they are in trying
to discredit Republicans and get
ting votes they would pay to the
aged of Ohio the $1,30O,OOO which
is owed to them and which was
withheld in Washington after
most disgraceful political quarrel
with my predecessor. It is as honest
q debt as any Government subdi-
vision ever owed to another.
If they were as interested in hu-
man welfare as they are in votes or
attempting to discredit the Republi-
can administration in Ohio they
would not have cut w. P. A. employ
ment in Cleveland from $4,000 in an
, election year to less than 10000 in
q non-election year.
1T is that political manipulation
OF w. P. A. employment that has
brought about the difficulty there
has been in Ohio.
S35O,OO0 Furnished Cleveland,
For the advice of the President
and his secretary, Ohio has furnish
ed S35O,0OO to Cleveland and has
provided a means and pointed out
the way whereby they can secure
another s1,2O0,0O0, which is more
than the amount needed to Put