Evening star., 1942-02-02

The few who M '
come to Wash 4:$'S;;
ington for social David Lawrence.
reasons have money enough Of their
own. 1t is not they who are crowd
ing Washington. The congestion
comes because hundreds Of thou
sands Of political employees were
brought here during the last eight
years under the New Deal con-
cept that the Government owes
everybody living,
The Federal pay roll long before
total war broke out in Europe in 1910
had reached the highest in Ameri-
can history. Despite the boasts in
the campaign Of 1910 that the New
Deal had brought prosperity. the
number Of parasites living on the
patronage Of the political system
and at the expense Of the taxpayer
had risen to incredible heights.
No Cut in Expenses.
Even now when the American
people are being asked with all the
emotion that a war background can
command to buy Defense stamps,
give up automobiles and sugar and
whatnot, the Federal Government
has not made any appreciable cut in
non defense expenditures. The rea-
son is that the political patronage
idea Is too firmly fixed in the mind
of almost everybody here from the
President down. To lop of office
holders might offend this or that
political group and nothing must. be
done, Of course, to offend the pohti-
cal groups. It's much easier to
make the public believe that Wash
ington is full Of do-nothing rich.
It makes the heeSlines and diverts
attention from the real trouble In
the National Capital.
For several weeks now the ad-
ministration and some Of its para
site press agents have been issuing
innuendoes about the automobile
industry declaring that it has failed
to convert its facilities to wartime
use. Failure to convert the auto
industry has become the political
alibi for delay in the defense pro-
gram. Yet what has been done in
Washington to convert peacetime
governmental agencies to wartime
uses? Has anybody of the Donald
Nelson type been appointed to the
task Of conversion of personnel and
Office space utilized by the Govern
ment for less important purposes
than war?
Priorities for Civilians Only.
In these dispatches time and
again since the war emergency
broke out more than a year ago,
attention has been directed to the
fact that priorities are being ap-
piled to the civilian population but
not within the Government itself.
Some feeble efforts have been made
by the administration to move
few Government agencies out of
Washington but this in itself is not
the answer. When the American
people are being deprived Of so es-
sential q function as automobile
manufacturing 1t is certainly within
the realm Of possibility for the
American people to do without
few hundred of the activities that
ordinarily are performed by gov
eminent.
It Is not suggested that these
agencies be discontinued or that any
Of the political favorites Of the New
Deal or that all the parasites on the
taxpayers pay roll be dismissed that
merely that most Of them be asked
to do the war work and that other
less important activities be allowed
to suspend.
Collection Of Lawyers.
Thus, for example, there isn't the
slightest excuse for the $1,000, 900
or more of money now spent to give
high salaries to the biggest collec-
ton of lawyers the National Capital
has ever seen in any one unit, namely
the antitrust division. When COM
petition has been killed by war pool
ing and when the Government itself
is fixing prices, it would seem that
the same sized staff which kept
America from suffering the evils of
antitrust crimes In 1896 or prior
thereto would be adequate and the
War Production Board and the
Army and Navy could use those
same lawyers to handle the public's
interests in the awarding and allo-
cation Of the billions Of dollars OF
contracts for armament. Instead,
It so happens that the antitrust
division-thinking 1t must earn its
PAYS carrying on q campaign Of
persecution and is harassing the top
men in American industry at time
when the Government is demanding
all-out effort for war. The time for
the New Dealers to stop throwing
stones at the auto industry and to
put the Governments own house in
order by conversion of facilities and
more efficient use Of Office space and
housing accommodations has ar
rived. Maybe the President deserves
commendation for raising the issue
of who is and who is not a para
site" It fits in with the demand
for conversion"
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