Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-12
Vanderbilt Not q Yes Man.
Young Rhode Island Governor Shocks OdLne Republicans
By Marauis lds

SoiAoSAoAI Put IIuOuBl COllp1Ctc IC.
organization of the State government,
doing away with anachronistic forms
and setting up responsible departments
with centralized authority. Thanks in
large part to this reorganization, Wander
bilt was able to cut the budget of the
State for the current year by 81 ,250,000,
which is nearly 8 per cent under last
years budget.
"And We did this" he adds, without
cutting relief or cutting any vital social
service in any way"
To bring the budget into balance. tax
increases were necessary to supplement
the cut in State expenditures. Besides
the increase in the utility tax, a 2-cent
TAX was put on cigarettes and the State
inheritance tax was increased in the
middle brackets. I'VE felt that was a
fair apportionment of the tax burden"
vanderbilt says. 1T wasn't all put on
any one group or class Rhode Island,
incidentally. has neither a sales nor an
income tax.
Some Democrats Renamed.
i oo'cAoA AIotdIlCcS WNere DemO.
cratic office holders had proved their
efficiency Vanderbilt gave them re-
appointments. He has continued in
office the Democratic director of edu-
cation and the tax administrator. Need
less to say, this has not endeared him
to job-hungry members Of the old Re-
publican machine. Then, too, when
trained men were not available for spe-
cial1zed positions, Vanderbilt went out
side the State to find them. AS warden
Of the State penitentiary, he named
Clement j. Ferling. who had been for
many years with Warden Lawes at Sing
Sing. trained penologist. AS assistant
director of public welfare he named
Joseph Laughlin of Connecticut, who
had had long experience with both relief
and budgetary problems
They told me couldn't do it that
way Vanderbilt says. "They said I
couldn't get away with 1t. Well nv
answer was that If couldn't do it this
way, wasn't interested in doing it at all.
The Republicans have got to offer
something new, something positive The
old way of getting by isn't enough any
more. If the party goes into the cam
paign in 40 as 1t went into that of SO,
then it might just as well not go in at all.
You've got to have constructive pro-
gram: you can't beat something with
nothing"
Sees Good in New Deal.
The Governor thinks 1t is a hopeful
sign that many men outside organized
politics, both Democrats and Repub-
licans, have recently interested them
selves In government. AS one example
he cites Gov. Lloyd Stark of Missouri,
whom he has come to know through the
annual Governors conferences. He
speaks with high praise of what Stark
has done to clean up bossism in Mis-,
souri,. Another Governor he admires is
Harold Stassen, Minnesota Republican,
who is only 80 years old.
There's no use pretending that every
thing is wrong with the New Deal"
Gov. Vanderbilt says. "A great many Of
the things that have been done under
the New Deal have been excellent and
certainly no one can quarrel with the OBJ
jectives. What has been wrong 50 often,
of course, has been the method"
He has backed State laws essential to
supplement Federal laws dealing with
slum clearance and other phases of the
New Deal program. This, too. was
something of a surprise and shock
for Old Guard Republicans.
The Governor denies that he has
any intention of running for the Senate
next year, as has been rumored here and
in Washington. There is strong indica-
ton here that Senator Peter Gerry, the
Democrat who is up for reelection, will
get many conservative Republican votes
because Of his opposition to the New Deal
Vanderbilt seems to feel that the Senate
is a little too remote from his interests
and those of his State. He prefers q
political job where he can see tangible
results Then, too, his farm at Ports
mouth Is only 45-minute drive from
Providence and except on days when the
pressure is unusually heavy he is able to
commute.
This is the first time Vanderbilt
has ever held public ONCE, although the
name has been q household synonym
for wealth and social position for at
least three generations. It was the Gov
errors great-grandfather, william H.
Vanderbilt, son Of the old commodore,
founder Of the family fortune, who is
reputed to have used the public be
damned" phrase that has echoed through
American history.
1.-THE version of that which was
brought up on" says the Governor, lis
that the old man was wakened out Of q
sound sleep In a Pullman car at Buffalo
In the middle Of the night by cub re-
porter. The reporter asked some not
very important question and said the
public demanded to know. think, under
the circumstances, probably would have
made the same answer"
The Governor has made blunders
He has antagontzed important groups.
And he knows that he'll make other
blunders. But With Ill the grief in the
Job, there are compromising rewards,
Vanderbilt has found. You get to know
Z lot about people, he says.
4.