Evening star., 1945-04-13

his second administration would en-
deavor to blot out the cancers" of
, economic injustice.
He had been the first President
to be inaugurated on the new date
of January 20.
President Roosevelt not only
wanted to reorganize the Supreme
Court in 1887. He wanted law to
set rigid bottom for wages and a
top for working hours. He wanted
to revamp the governmental estab-
lishment.
Agencies Jumped Together.
He sent his initial request for re-
organization authority to Congress
on January IL. 1881 He submitted
the report of a presidential COM
mittee recommending, among other
things, the Jumping together of more
than 100 existing Federal agencies
into II regular departments, and
the creation of two new cabinet
places-social welfare and public
works. He also proposed that the
Office of Controller General be con-
responsible to Congress only for the
auditing of governmental outlays
after they were made, and that the
Attorney General take over other
of the Offices functions.
Bitter BATTLES.
AS sent to the White House or
March 90 1899, after one of the
most prolonged and bitter battles
in Congress during the Roosevelt
administration, the reorganization
bill provided that presidential re-
organization orders should become
effective automatically within &C
days of their submission to Congress
unless both Senate and House
turned them down within tha:
period.
The original proposals for Gre
alton of new department of well
fare and for remodeling the Civil
Service Commission ard the Cen
eral Accounting Office were omitted
and such quasi judicial bureaus as
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion were exempted from the re-
organization program.
Mr.. Roosevelt promptly merged
welfare, works and lending func-
tions into three new agencies, pre-
dicted this step would increase eff
cheney and save SIS 100000 to $40
100000 a year, AMI announced other
changes which he estimated would
result in an annual saving of ST.
25O,00O.
The legislative battles reflected
the rising opposition in the Demo-
cratic party to the Roosevelt pro-
gram. More than that. They caugh.
in their depths light strong
| enough to cast shadows across and
| beyond the 1888 congressional cam
paign.
Mr.. Roosevelt. save for cautiously
extended Endorsements of favorite
:. liberals, had reIraineo from active
!, participation in the primary cam
paigns during his first five years
!. in the White House. He maintained
this attitude until after the June
, primary in Iowa in 1898, although
he defended the right of Harry L
T Hopkins, his relief administrator
to indorse favored candidate. The
. man whom Mr.. Hopkins indorsec
lost. and Senator Guy Gillette, g
Democrat who had voted against
the Supreme Court change, was re-
nominated and reelected.
Late in June the President went
to the radio and told the Nation ir
a "fireside talk" that he felt he hac
every right to speak his mind jr
those few instances where there
might be clear issue between can
didates for a Democratic nomina-
ton involving the definitely liberia
declaration of principles set forth
IN the 1886 Democratic platform,
or involving "a clear misuse of my
name
Beaten in Five States.
From that time until the votes
. were counted the following No
vember, he was up to his ears ir
the campaign. He travelled across
the continent and advocated the
, denomination of his supporters ir
Kentucky, Ohio, Arkansas, Okla
| homa and California. That wa:
the first stage.
. Before his return to Washington
5 he entered upon the purge" proper
At Barnesville, Georgia, he urgec
the defeat of the veteran Demo.
t cratic Senator, Walter F. George
{ Similarly, in South Carolina, h,
, wanted the Democrats to droI
Senator Ellison D. Smith; in Mary,
: land, he opposed Senator Millare
Tydings, and in New York he callee
t for the defeat of Representative
l John O'Connor. The latter, a
chairman of the House Rules Com
mittee, had helped to delay actor
! on the wage and hour bill.
e In Ohio and California, the can
. didates he had Endorsed were de
= feated. Georgia, South Carolina
} and Maryland also rejected his ad
/ vice and sent their Senators back
: His candidate won over Representa-
e tive O'Connor in New York.
But the bitterness Of that "purg'
. campaign" was destined to affec
;, the Democratic party vitality in tn,
: next session of Congress and max,
. itself strong factor in the 1914
5 election.
He took office in 1893 with com
: paratively little trouble on the in
: ternational horizon. Before his sec
ond term ended he had witnesse,
I the remaking Of the political map
| of Europe, Africa and Asia unde
the pressure of war or threats O
war.
s Arsenals Opened.
J, The general course of action wa
S fairly we'll determined when wa
!, broke in Europe in September, 1898
e The doors of Americas arsenals
= few and thinly stocked though the,
:. were, were opened to England ant
= France. Slowly this country's grea
t military and naval expansions wer