The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-05-18
The Family Circle" Among WPA
Workers Has Been Broken After
Almost Two Years To Do The
Trick, Says A Correspondent, An
nopoanrof

Trick, Says A Correspondent, An
eX-DemOcrat.
To the Editor of The Republican.
| reckon most everyone knows or
has heard at least, one humorous and
perhaps exaggerated narrative IN re-
gard to some particular phase ofrlnef-
ficiency in the operations and func-
tioning of the great WPA machine. |
suppose too, that this machine has been
the object of more sarcastic, ocular
stabs than any other alphabetical ar
rangement that has appeared thus far
on the SCARED, faded Democratic ode
preston cure" menu card.
The intended purpose Of this much
discussed WPA may be alright, but it
is conducted in a queer, lax manner
and it lacks the proper helmsman at
the controls to regulate and keep the
march of millions of dollars on an I'M
deviating course that should lead to
the poor and needy, and not the rich
and greedy.
Local WPA officials have, for al
most two years, been aware that one
of Garrett county's WPA projects was
controlled by a group Of brothers who
had virtual exclusive monopoly on
the operations Of the project.
Eventually one of the brothers APP
piled for and was accepted on a better
position (not WPA) and he, through
subtle, careful manipulation of the
situation succeeded in having APP
pointed to his position as timekeeper
another brother.
The most peculiar feature of this
brothers league was that they weren't
content to retain within the Family
circle" all the soft better-paying jobs,
so through the gracious benevolence
of a pompous WPA official, influential
Brother No. 3, who had taken Brother
No. Us position, initiated as an add
ton to the corresponding fraternity
a very near in-law, who was appointed
sub-foreman and who was to take in
structions directly from Brother No.
|. This appointment Of in-laW No. ]
to a better paying job drove home and
clinched the final nail in the lid of the
Family circles" priced pot OF
power" For many, many months ev-
erything was held on an even keel by
the supreme iron hand Of Brother No.
|, backed of course, by brother-lovlnG
officials
Now is where the humorous part OF
the narrative comes in.
Through some mysterious source
the lid was blown off that pot of
power" Probably the big guns at
Frederick learned Of the monopollzed
project. Anyhow the family circle"
was rudely torn asunder
Local officials, having been instruct
ed, Ct course, in turn broke the sad
and alarming news that it wasn't and
never had been permissible for two
brothers to sign the same time sheet.
This announcement aroused much
squirming and qubbling, but to no
avail. Obviously some invisible hand
was determinedly and persistently
pushing the family cart toward d
change in the good job" status.
The ultimate elimination of the odd
situation was that Brother No. l was
transferred to another project and in
law No. l was, by dint of rigid instruc-
ton, reduced to manual labor.
And so, much to the discontinue
and chagrin of the somewhat AFRO
giant, imperious brothers, the pot Of
power" was completely and entirely
dismantled.
But gosh 1t took almost two years
for our alert, efficient, industrious and
conscientious officials to do the trick.
AN EX-DEMOCRAT.
/ Sang Run, May II, 1889.