Evening star., 1942-02-09
Mrs. Roosevelt {
Unit Is Target
In Fund Bill
Hundred Million
Measure Is Sent
To Senate
Bv GOULD LINCOLN.

by the Office of Civilian Defense
of Government funds to employ
dancers, movie actors and others
to promote shows or other public
entertainment. the House this
afternoon amended the o. c. D.
Sl00,000000 appropriation bill to
prohibit the employment of such
talent The vote was on the Ford
amendment.
After taking this action, the House
passed the deficiency bill on a voice
vote
The original plan was to have
the dancers and actors operate un-
der the o. c. D. Division of Volun-
teer Participation, headed by Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The House also voted to retain
the Wigglesworth amendment, de-
letting from the bill $4,000 which
the Treasury intended to pay for
the Walt Disney moving picture
in which Donald Duck demonstrates
his method of paying income tax.
The Wigglesworth amendment also
eliminated s85. 900 for increased per-
sonnel in the Treasury Department
for the division of personnel and
for the legislative counselS office.
TelegramS we're sent to all men,
bers of the House by the Demo-
cratic leadership over the week end
urging them to be present to vote
on the deficiency bill and the
amendments. The supposed purpose
was to upset the Ford and Wiggles-
worth amendments before passing
the bill. 1t became clear today.
however. that such action was not
possible.
Employment of Picture Actor Mel
vyn Douglas and Dancer Mayrls
CLANCY in the Office OF Civilian
Defense again reused debate to
white heat in the House before it
acted on the bill.
Representative Taber, Republican,
of New York denounclng partlcu-
larly the activities of the volunteer
participation division of the O. c.
D. which is headed by Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt, declared:
We are down to point Whele
ve must say whether we are gong
all out for national defense, or gong
to continue boondoggling. The
American people must look this sltu-
alton in the face.
There was fellow once who
fddled while Rome burned.
It's about time we got to point
where we do only those things which
will lead to the defeat of Hitler.
There is an outfit in the o, C. D.
which is doing lot of things be-
yond the pale of the law. which pro-
vides only for an agency which will
protect the civilian population
against bombing and other attacks
of the enemy. Why should we have
extra legal activities over there?'
Cannon Answers Cox.
Representative Cannon. Demo-
crat, of Missouri, chairman of the
Appropria tions Committee. after
listening to Representative Cox,
Democrat, of Georgia denounce
what was being done by the o. c. D.
and declare that steps were being
taken which might eventually turn
the country over to the Reds, called
on the members of the House to
take a practical point of view" in
dealing with this appropriation bill
There is nothing in this bill
which would have the effect of doing
what the gentleman from Georgia
has suggested" said Mr.. Cannon. Il
love the gentleman as a brother, but
we differ widely on this bill. l am
dumbfounded at what he has said.
The emphasis in the House has
been placed on the employment of
one or two employees of the Office of
Civilian Defense Nothing is said
about the thousands of other en-
ployes who are doing splendid and
essential work I say, too, that the
charges made against these two en-
ployes are not we'll founded or sus-
tanned.
we have proposed in this bill that
the working hours of all employees
of the Government be increased to
4 hours a week. That would mean
100000 more working days, when
only the employees of the Govern
ment in the District of Columbia are
considered. No one has risen to dis
cuss that important recommended
ton.
Lowering Morale of People.
DO you think that the members
who have talked so much are really
interested in this bill? We have
got to sell these billions of dollars
worth of bonds. Yet what the mem
bers have been saying is creating
suspicion and rendering to lower the
morale of the people
Mr.. Cannon, taking up the case
of Mr.. Douglas, whose name was
on the o. C. D. rolls at salary OF
$4,000 a year, said that Mr.. Douglas
was a leading movie actor and such
actors often made more in a week
than the salary attributed to him,
a salary which, he said, Mr.. Douglas
had denied he was getting. He also
said that motion pictures were
necessary. that without them there
would be "a lot of suicides
I'VE will dance at the end of
rope if Hitler takes this country
shouted Mr.. Cannon.
That's what we must guard
against. We are losing this war up
(See o. c. D.. Page 2-X) -