The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-06-15

WASHINGTON - TIL e Town
send Plan for Federal pensions of
$50 a month to everybody over
IS years old was finally brought
to the floor of the House of Rep
resentatives and knocked on the
head, as everybody expected it
would be once it came to a vote.
DR.. Townsend and his follow
ers had been trying for several
years to get Congress to act on
the project, and many members
elected last Fall had given pied
ges to bring the measure to a
vote. They kept that pledge, but
only few of them voted for the
Townsend Plan, which was beat
en- by a vote of 3O2 to 81.
AS an offset to the defeat of
the Townsend Plan, the House
Ways and Means Committee
brought cut proposal to amend
the Social Security Act so as to
make it possible for the depen-
dent aged people of the nation to
receive old-age pensions up to as
high as $40 a month if the states
will carry half the load.
Now both parties are trying to
put the blame on the other for
the defeat of the Townsend bill.
Nobody knows how many votes
there are behind the Townsend
program. but all the politicians
are afraid there are more than
they know about.
Therefore the Democrats are
trying to make capital cut of the
fact that two-thirds of the Re-
publican members of the House
voted against the bill, while the
Republicans are saying that IS
percent of the Democrats oppos-
ed it. Both statements are true;
the vote was 107 Republicans,
1914 Democrats and one Farmer
Labor member against the bill.
Eye On Election
Such tempeSt-in-a-teapot dis
putes are the sort of things that
indicate to experienced that a
national political campaign is ap-
preaching and that politicians of
all parties and shades of opinion
are grasping at straws which
may help their own causes or
hurt the other fellows. Nothing
that is done in Washington these
days, by Congress or the White
House, is done without an eye on
the Presidential election. of 1910.
The belief is growing that Pres
ident Roosevelt will put himself
forward as third-term candi-
date, though no prediction about
the Presidents actions can be
certain. The opinion of practical,
professional politicians, is that
Mr.. Roosevelt cannot be nominal
ed unless he personally insists
upon denomination, positively
and definitely.
That point of view suggests
that Mr.. Garner stands a better
chance of becoming the Demo-
cratic 1910 candidate than does
Mr.. Roosevelt, even if the latter
wants it. But with the President
In opposition to the Garner can
didacy, talk is swinging around
to some candidate whom the
President would be morally OBJ
llged to support, and who could
also get the whole-hearted sup
port of the Southern wing of the
party. The man most talked of in
that connection is Cordell Hull of
Tennessee, the Secretary of
State.
Hull Respected
Mr.. Hull has been growing in
stature as a statesman, and gain
ing increasing respect from lead
ers of both parties, in the past
year or two. He does not "play
politics" in the usual sense, and
there has been no suggestion of
any political implications in his
proposal of a way to settle the
vexed question of American neu-
trality in case of a European war.
Mr.. Hull's proposal is that
American neutrality legislation
should enable our government to
keep free hand where our ma
tional interests are concerned and
should not put the United States
in position where it might in
jure its friends and help it's enc
mics.
Mr.. HulPs program, which he
has suggested to Congress, would
prohibit American vessels from
entering combat areas, and
American citizens from travelling
In those areas. There would be
no restriction on any sales of any
kind of goods to any belligerent
nation except that the Munitions
Control Board might decide that
certain types of military equip
mont cho11iI Lo rooo,,ol e.. -