Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-03
Little Gratitude Seen
In Government Service
Jones Case Cited as Example of
Roosevelt Liberalism
By David Laurence


Why does anybody enter the Govern
ment service, or rather why should any,
body do so?
Take the case of Jesse Jones. He came
here 13 years ago. He was summoned
at time of national emergency to be-
come director and then head of the
Reconstruction Finance Corp. Though
Democrat. he was appointed by Re-
publican President
When President Roosevelt took Office,
he leaned heavily on Jesse Jones, espe-
cially during the trying days of the bank
holiday of 1888 and its aftermath. Con-
gress, which means members of both
parties, almost unanimously leaned on
Jesse Jones. They trusted him with vast
lending powers-no other man has been
given such authority. He worked day
and night and gave of his energies I'M
selfishly through all these years.
The time came when the President
wanted Jesse Jones in the cabinet, and
Congress did the unprecedented thing of
passing a joint resolution SO that he
could serve both as Secretary of Com
! merce and as Federal Loan Admins
traitor.
Loyal to President
Jesse Jones has been loyal friend of
the President and staunch Democrat.
No man in the cabinet has contributed
as much to Democratic party campaign
funds and, indeed, it has been said that
he has contributed in the last Is years
more funds than all the other cabinet
members put together. In the last cam
paign he and his close friends are said
to have given about $4,000.
When it came to speechmaking. Jesse
Jones wrote a campaign address which
the President used as the main part OF
his famous Chicago speech, and this was
heralded as the best of his whole cam
paigr. In that speech Mr. Roosevelt
went further toward winning over the
businessmen's vote than in any previous
utterance. In fact, he committed him
self to private enterprise as he had never
before. Republican votes favorable to
the Roosevelt foreign policy but appre-
hensiVe on domestic policy were thus
won over
Whenever the President wanted help
on Capitol Hill, especially with the Texas
delegation, among which were some i'm
portant committee chairmen in both
houses, he sent for Jesse Jones' The
majority of one vote in the Senate which
put over the death sentence" on public
utility holding companies is said to have
been attributable to Jesse Jones influ-
ence. Again and again Jesse Jones did
job at the Capitol or took the rap
publicly for something the President
had agreed to or had advised but which
it wasn't polite to be disclosed. In
every sense Jesse Jones was loyal
friend and a loyal colleague of Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
Political Reward.
Then out of clear sky, at inaugu-
ration time, Mr.. Roosevelt wrote Jesse
Jones letter telling him that Henry
Wallace had made some speeches in
the campaign and wanted the job of
Secretary Of Commerce, which in
cluded the post of Federal Loan Admin
istrator. Mr. Roosevelt made no bones
about 1.-THE was offering a political
reward to Henry Wallace There Is no
doubt that the President violated the
spirit of the statute which forbids the
promise of public Office as a reward for
political activities
How much trust can there be In the
Understanding protestations of our pub
lie men if they can cast aside loyal pub
lie servants? Congress enacted a law,
which the President signed recently,
whereby the Office of Secretary of Com
merce was separated from that of Fed
eral Loan Administrator. This was a
way out for the President because, hav-
ing given Henry Wallace all that Con-
gress would permit him to have, the
political debt was fully satisfied But
on his return to Washington this week.
the President, when asked about it by
the press. conveyed the news that Jesse
Jones was out completely-he had been
removed after 10 years of public service
This is the example held forth to
young men who may be looking toward
service in the Government. and this is
the warning to party men who think
there is such a thing as gratitude to
men who serve the party with their
time and energies. And all this comes
under the heading of liberalism" in
the Roosevelt administrations place in
history.
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