The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-03-01
Drop Boy Wonder Tag After He
Propes Skill as Administrator
By S. BURTON HEATH

Politicians have stopped sneer-
ing at Thomas Z. Dewey as 1.-The
bright young man. and Dewey
the Boy Wonder. Nowadays
they treat him with respect in
official dealings and, taking
their hair down over bottles and
cards, they say;
Maybe we underestimate
him. He sure has the stuff now"
This reaction is not confined
to fellow Republicans. 1t comes
also from Democrats who
thought his talent was confined
to legal prosecutions and now
concede that he is showing real
administrative ability.
Mr.. Dewey took office Janu-
airy /. New York had been under
Democratic rule continuously
since 1923. All political offices
were filled with Democrats.
The Legislature. was about to
convene, and the new governor
must either assume immediate
leadership with a specific pro-
gram or else permit control to
leave his hands. He could not,
like his predecessors for many
years, pick up unfinished bust
ness. He had to provide a brand
new program upon which he
would be willing to have the
nation Judge him as future Pres
idential timber.
DEMOCRATS IN LINE
AS first item Mr.. Dewey had
to produce an executive budget
not later than February l. His
predecessors, running for re-
election or being succeeded by
fellow Democrats, could take
six months to prepare such a
budget. But Mr.. Dewey was not
elected until November, and had
to rush the budget job.
Thus far Dewey's program
have gone through the
legislative hoppers so smoothly
that reporters are complaining.
Their jobs has become dull.
There is no controversy. The
Democrats propose amendments
as a matter of partisan routine,
are voted down, and then are
obliged either to vote for the
Dewey bills or else explain to
their constituents why they did
not.
Such explanations, they feel,
would not be convincing. So Mr..
Dewey's program is going across
by unanimous votes. The bills
explain why.
The new governor has changed
the fiscal year to eliminate cost
ly short-term tax anticipation
borrowings. Thus he has been
able to permit income taxpayers
to settle in four quarterly install
ments, instead of having to pay
half Of their Indebtedness with
in month after writing big
checks to Uncle Sam. He has pro-
vided so that taxpayers can take
tax credit for over-18 children
still in school, and can deduct
for unusual medical expenses.
NO ONE-MAN SHOW
Sneaking up on the Democrats,
he robbed them of a 20-year-old
issue by sponsoring bill recuir-
ing power companies to pay for
all water diverted from streams
controlled by the State. 1t will
be harder, now, for the Demo-
Gratis to charge that the G. O. P.
is under public utility domino
ton.
salary for thousands of State en-
ployees to $1,000.
AS part of an as yet uncom-
pleted program to help farmers,
he has obtained statutory per-
mission for schools to keep open
on Saturdays, to adjust school
terms so that children can help
on the farms.
After providing for 100000
i, necessary increases, he cut the
states budget by another $1,000
600 on his own basis of computa-
ton. or by S12,000,000 on the
basis which has been used by his
predecessors.
It is easier to say Dewey has
DONE thus and and so, but it is
not accurate. Governor Dewey
- ooeoroI fha Y,rOpram hit