The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-08-03
OUR CONGRESSMAN
News Letter Written for The Ely Miner by
WILLIAM A. PITTENGER
Member Of Congress, Eighth Minnesota Dist


AS a rule, congress puts in its best
ticks in the closing days of the ses-
ion. The 10th congress has turned our
to be no exception. Some exceedingly
important acts have been passed by
it the past few weeks. As matter OF
fact. some of these may prove epoch
making.
This, I think, applies particularly To
the Hatch Bill, passed by the House
after heated, Is hour session, on July
20. This law, if its enforcement proves
practical, will, indeed, open up new
epoch in national politics. For it is
designed specifically to wrest party con-
troll from the hordes of federal Office
holders, who under present conditions
are in position to dictate who is, or
who is not, to be nominated for presi-
dent and vice president, and even con-
gresham. The attempted "purges" of
senators and representatives by the
New Deal brain trust in the 1896 cleo
ton afford conclusive proof that the
piecounter boys are convinced that they
know best and that the only business
of the rank and file is to dance to
their music.
The Hatch law also contains several
other features, the purpose of which
is to promote cleaner politics For
one thing, it prohibits mixing politics
into relief, notably the collection of
campaign funds from WPA clients.
There is no question about the aims of
this piece of legislation being all to
the good, or that those who practice
corrupt politics are genuinely alarmed
over the prospects that it will put a
severe crimp into their rackets. These
elements fought stubbornly to block
this bills passage in the house after it
had been enacted by the senate with a
large majority. The Administration
used every available resource to de-
feat it, but was overwhelmed by a
vote of 242 to 1873. Every Republican
member of the house voted for the
Hatch bill, joined by SO Democrats.
It is universally agreed that this was
a severe rebuff to the administration,
on par with the beating it got on neu-
trality. But the same day the house
passed the Hatch bill it also adopted a
resolution, 254 to 1874, ordering an in
vestigation of the national labor re-
lations board This was also deter
minedly opposed by the administration.
The way the house is n1anhandling the
presidents spending lending bill at this
writing, it will be only a hollow victory,
if any at all when it gets through with
it.
However, it is not only what the op-
position has done that alone has con-
tributed to the heavy loss in prestige
this session as chalked up against the
administration. Some Of the New Deal
sponsored measures congress was pre-
vailed upon to enact into law have
backdred badly and put the brain trust
in hole To this category the current
WPA law most obviously belongs. The
provisions put into that act by con-
greSs, at the request of WPA Commits
sioner F. c.. Harrington, that all WPA
workers must put in not less that 13O
hours every month, and take months
layof after being on the rolls continu-
osly for 18 months or more, has
aroused a storm of protests not only
from the relief workers but in all camps
of organized labor.
So Unexpectedly was this New Deal
administration move that those who
had not followed the enactment of this
law promptly jumped to the conclusion
that it had been fathered and pushed
through congress by a coalition of Re
publicanS and reactionary Democrats
But when the real facts became known
and the responsibility placed where il
actually belongs, what the workers and
their leaders started to say about the
brain trust was not all of it fit to print
AT least some labor papers have de-
nounced the new WPA law as another
double-croSs Of the workers" by the
administration New Deal stock among
the workers never has been so low since
it came into power in 1888 as it is
right now.
Contrary to impressions gained by
many people that no more efforts viii
be made to bring natural gas to north
eastern Minnesota and particularly the
iron ranges, two applications for certi-
ficates of convenience and necessity
authorization to put in the necessary
pipe hnes-are still pending before the
federal power commission
A third application was withdrawn IN
May, without prejudice" before it was
heard on its merits This was by the
Public Service Gas company and sought
authorization for the construction of a
natural gas pipe line from Montana and
wyoming through North Dakota and
into South Dakota. Minnesota and Wis