Evening star., 1945-04-13

! hCIOlulil6ly, vi WAY o, 1900, tis
Works Progress Administration wa.
established by executive order Of the
President. charged with the honest
efficient, speedy and co-ordinated exc.
cution of the work reliet program a.
whole, and for the execution Of thai
program in such manner as to move
from relief rolls to work on such prof.
ects or in private employment tn,
maximum number of persons in the
shortest time possible"
Congress appropriated $4,880 900 .00(
for the purpose and Hopkins was made
WPA administrator.
Meanwhile, working simultaneously
on another front under the direction
Of Harold L. Ickes, as administrator
was the Public Works Administration
set up originally under NRA and con.
tinued by the Emergency Relief Ap.
preparation Act of 1885. AS explained
by President Roosevelt at PWA's birth
The object is to spread those pub.
lie works relatively in proportion te
the need in the various parts Of the
country, and to get people started or
work which will use the largest per-
centage of actual labor and the small
est percentage of expenditures tina,
do not 60 into labor"
| When President Roosevelt took Of
/ fee in March, 1888, the general finan-
cial troubles of the day had so seri-
ously affected home owners that by
June. 1888, foreclosures on mortgages
were forcing a thousand families a
day out Of their homes. The problem
which faced Roosevelt was not only
one of saving the mortgaged homes
but stopping the nose-dive of real
financial houses which held the de-
linquent mortgages.
His first move was to request the
act creating the Home Owners Loan
Corporation. The bill passed Con-
greSs almost unanimously and became
law June l3, 1893, permitting Gov
ernment loaning on mortgaged homes
through June II, 1886
Building Loans Insured.
BY June 81, 1884, Roosevelt was
ready to aid new building and repairs
through the National Housing Act
which created the Federal Housing
Administration under the direction of
James Moffett, formerly of the Stand
ard Oil Co.
Much criticism of the Roosevelt ad-
minlstration, Democratic as we'll as
Republican, was directed at its spend
ing policies, especially those coming
under the pump printing" or emer-
gency classification.
Federal expenditures from March,
1888, to June 30. 1886, were more
than s25.O00 100000. OF this. almost
Sl2 900, 100000 came under the emer-
gency headings of recovery and relief
The deficit rose sharply.
In his first months in the White
House the President made a deter
mined move toward economy. Six
days after he was inaugurated he
sought authority to carry out the
Democratic platform pledge Of a 25
per cent reduction in governmental
expenditures.
we must move with direct and
resolute purpose now" he said. The
members of the Congress and I are
pledged to immediate economy"
Congress empowered him to read
Just within Is per cent the pay OF
Federal workers. to reduce war veter-
ans compensation, and to coordinate
or abolish Federal bureaus. In addi-
ton, Congress slashed regular Depart
mental appropriations.
Widespread business paralysis put
an end to economy. Costs mounted
The spending of vast sums for relief
and creation of emergency agencies
was considered necessary by the ad-
ministration.
After the 1884 elections, in which
New Deal Democrats for the most
part won. Roosevelt moved even more
energetically to combat the depression
and Government participation in
social and unemployment problems
increased.
Criticism of the tremendous expen-
ditureS was not confined to Republi-
cans. Many influential Democrats
we're outspoken in their condemna-
ton of pump printing" and some OF
them declined to support Roosevelt in
1886 He was taunted with reminders
that his 1882 platform advocated i'm
mediate and drastic reduction OF
governmental expenditures
President Roosevelt, however, re-
manned firmly convinced of the sound
ness of his policies.
Unanimous denomination.
Despite considerable pre-conventior
activity against denomination of Pres
ident Roosevelt, by the time the Dem
ocrats assembled in their Philadelphia
convention June %, 1886, it was con-
ceded he would be the Overwhelming
choice of his party.
The attitude of the outstanding New
Deal dissenters was made known on the
eve of the convention. In joint
statement, timed for publication just
one day before the start, Smith, former
Gov. Joseph B. Ely of Massachusetts
former Senator James A. Reed of Mis-
souri,, former Secretary of State Balm
bridge Colby and former State Su-
preme Court Justice Daniel F. Coha-
Ian of New York demanded the put
ting aside of Franklin D. Roosevelt
and the substitution of some genuine
Democrat"
Farley and his aides, however, hao
so perfected their convention organ
ization that at no time was their SUI.
premacy in doubt. For five days
everything moved with clockwork pre-.
cision.
Delegates for the most part spent
their time cheering and paradinl
around the convention hall, marking
time until the fourth day when Presi.
dent Roosevelt was renominated unani.
mously on the first ballot. Vice Presi.
dent Garner was renominated the mex
morning and the convention adjourned
to await the Presidents acceptance
speech, Saturday. June q.
The acceptance ceremony had beer
prearranged by New Dealers as The
climax of the PHILADELPHIA convention