Evening star., 1939-01-20

1eIlStn Oh Time IL is 10 continue as a
Federal expense.
The discussion in the Senate of
politics in relief brings out little
that has not been publicized before.
The effort to punish Mr.. Hopkins by
refusing confirmation, will not, of
course, be successful, because the
controversy has taken on the nature
OF a partisan political fight and the
democrats who ordinarily side with
the Republicans are not as vigorous
IN their opposition as might be sup
posed. Possibly this is because they
feel that the President has right
to appoint whomever he pleases as
q cabinet officer, and possibly it is
because they believe the time to leg
tslate on the relief question is when
the appropriations for continued re-
lief come up for passage.
AS for the economy" wave, which
started in the House by Topping off
Sl5O,OO0,000 from the $S75 900 900
proposal of the administration. the
pressure from groups affected-from
local groups and Mayors back home
and national labor organizations
has begun to be felt. Maybe it never
would nave become so intense in the
last "a hours if word had not begun
to be passed around that the Senate
might cut more than $150,O0O,OOO.
10 stem such tide, the benef1ciaries,
directly and indirectly, of the relief
appropriations began to notify Sen
ators and Representatives that they
would be held responsible for chaotic
conditions which might result from
turning away from relief in the
middle OF winter millions of persons
with dependent families.
Ballot Stands as Threat.
1t Is easy enough to cry out that
politics in relief is bad and that
waste should be eliminated, but the
concrete problem before the country
this very winter is what to do about
cutting the rolls. Some there are
no doubt, who believe that a drastic
cut would not hurt as much as re-
ported, but political persons who
have to face irate voters at the polls
40 not readily accept responsibility
Tor such contingencies.
The truth is that if relief rolls
are cut sharply there may be no
Jobs available for some who will be
released. This matter of finding
the right Job for the person cut off
w. P. A. Is not as simple as it looks,
ana that Is one reason why the
Mayors OF various cities who know
the practical situation fear disorder
II relief is not maintained, especially
In winter time.
What is really pertinent, however
rs that jobs have not been found
IN industry before for persons on
the relief rolls. This isn't the fault
OF the w. P. A. Administration nor
OF industry, but of the many fac
tors which have retarded economic
recovery. Some factors have been
beyond governmental control and
some have been related to govern
mental policies. The economists
insist that the main trouble is the
tact that the durable goods in
dustrles are depressed and that a
settlement of the railroad problem
and the public utility question would
DO more than anything else to assist
IN bringing jobs to the needy.
Alibis Form Defense.
II governmental policies are at
fault, then Congress shows a sur
prising Indifference to that aspect
OF the matter. There is always a
tendency in public life to find alibis
and the way the congressional
orators have lately bombarded the
administration of relief, though
worthy performance in the sense
that the debate applies needed
corrective and warning, is but
smoke screen on the failure of Con-
gress to operate on the cancers of
taxation and the other national
policies which have made it difficult
for business to expand.
To cut $15O,0OO,OOO from budget
involving more than $9,5O0,OOO, 900
Is not very much and doubtless
Congress will make other cuts in the
forthcoming appropriations, but the
real job is to get industry and
business functioning and to de-
ternine how to absorb the employ
ables and how to take care of the
unemployables. Nobody in Govern
ment has advanced any program for
reabsorption of employees nor has
there been any concerted effort to
drive the national income up to
$50 1000 600, 900. 1t would seem, there
lore, that If Congress spent more of
lts time finding a substitute for
renet and amending the laws and
poncies that impede industrial ex-
pansion so as to encourage increased
employment the end of the relief
problem might be brought nearer to
realization than it is today.
Copyright. 1e39.)