Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 30, 30 ʻOkakopa 1936 — H. L. Hopkins Assails Pennsylvania Critics of U. S. Works Program [ARTICLE]

H. L. Hopkins Assails Pennsylvania Critics of U. S. Works Program

| Harrv L. Hopkins, federal | Works Progresa Adraimstrator, , took off his glQves iii opening the WPA free exiiibit at Philadelphia recently and flayed mercilessly the critics of the Telief program, comparing lt in vitnolic terms with conditions as they existed in the last Republican administration—under President Herbert Hoover. In those days, wlien relief was in the hands of '-polieieal rackeleers," he declared, oae āistrict poor boara's eKpenditMres for "relief" included such preposterous items as 5,800 cigars at 11 cent.s eaeh, 20 cases of rye whiskey for $1,000; 528 bottles of ginger-ale and 950 cigars. Hopkins saia: Zn all Amenea, Uie greatest barrage of charges whieh is be-.. ing laid aown agamst the federal work-relief program is based on Pennsylyania. I have eome here to meet it. Every day ixt the newspapers, every iiight on tlie radio, national Republican leaders join with loeal ward-heelers in the concentrated chorus of eonaemnaiiou. Why, in the months of September ang October, 1936, do jou hear and read so mueh about WPA in Pennsylnia? I will adniit iiiat aiongside the oid-line politicai postgraduates who are running- this attack ? ī am a babe in anns. But even I ean add up a plain situation and get the answer. Tliis battle in Pennsylvania is between two speciiic groups — those who xepresent mi>deru so-

eial practice and those who represent what yōttr own State Department of Welfare has described as &e ve£teenth - ceai<ury piOor relief in the tweutieth centinr.

Loeal Republican bosses in this State are waglng holy war for the rctarn of the happy days when Foor Boards took rclief money and spent it for the best interests of whoever was boss. And campaigners for the highest office in the land are not above joining them because after all, only one other State has more electoral votes.

Thus far in this poUtical football game they ha.ve playea with WPA, there haven't been any rules. They have alleged we fired men we never employed from pxojeets that did not exist.

What*s A Little Ferjury ?

George Green of 1524 North Hutchinson Strect, in this ciiy ( ls a gcod example. He slgned an affadavit that he was discharged from a WPA project beeause he regiiitered Bepublican. In the first plaee, lie never worked for WPA, and in the second plaee, theT&never was any sūch proJeet as the one he alieged he was : discharged from. i Wiliiam Hard recently charged iover the radio that three members of one family, all active I Democrats, were all working for WPA in the Philadelphia district j—Mrs, Winnie Booker, Wilfred Booker and Coffield Booker, Careful investigation of the charge revealed that Mrs. Winnie Booker never worked for us at any time, that there is no record of a Coffield Booker's ever having been employed, aud tliat Wilfred Booker resigned last July. These are typical examples of the sort of charges thej are bringing against us. I could give you dozeai6 niore. As soon as we give ilie liiie ans\veis, Uiey drop them Hko hot ix>:atoes and rush on to new fantasies. I do not exp*H them to aeeepl any rules, let alone rules of my choosiaj. But I think any fairmiivded citizen wiil agree to this one: If the WPA in Pexmsylvania Is lo be me"asured, there musi be a yardst!ek. What is a fair tueas-urinj:-ro€l? I say it is what P«omylvaiiia had bcl'orc. Ih 193", there >vere neaxly a milHon and a *iuarter Fennsjī▼*«lans out of work—oter 30 of your working pft)pulation, An«lher 30%, accordinf to the Goveruar vveir« \vorfcang haL£-time or less. tn this erisfs. what did you get

Vote The Straight Democratic Ticket!!

withui ihe State? Your Stat-e iegislature vote<i $10,000,000 in tiie First Talbot Act. Your Governor said the law \vas :; eonceived in politics and born in hatred." It turaed the money over to the ioeai Poor Boarōs without supervisiou, The coiuenipubitr stoii' o: what happeneel to it lias xiow been ferreted out—waste, discrinūnatioii on the i)assb of grudges, favoring of partioular grocery stores, squeezin£j the destitate out of competitioii. und insuranee. Loeal polilieai niekeleew paid personal taxes with Uiis uioney, The stories of xiūui} o£ tUesc boards, for j ears liaek, are utterlj ineredible, Qffieial reporLs show that one distriet 5,800 ci£ars foc its offieials in 1931 at 11 eenis eaeh, and 20 cases of rje whiskej for $1,000. Ixi awiother, 52$ botties of £iii£cr ale and 950 ci£ars helpeu to build up an 'admuvistrathc overhead of 36 pereeut. "\\Tieix aii investi£ation threatenetl, tn.uty of th<; reeords \\ejfc burued, Meiuliepi look ilieii \\ives to eoiue-ulioiii. ou teiiel mtHiej t fra.med ijlunuuy real es tate deals and \\orked iuiux.uict raekets. They paid bis arehitccts' feci» iu pcriods «iuriufi whieU thcrc v\as jlig eoustruetiau, One board \va* , eutireli above favoritisau It diyided the relie£ mouej eveulj all thc qualified \otcrs! This is the pie - turc of loeal Poo,r Board leuei. Therc are do£ens oi sueh ex~ amp:es in :he p.i'ohe recc;\ts.

Whoie iamiiies of officials go£ spet-.lal favors. Siores were lavored x<\iivh exiiQrbitaut priee-s. Keeords weie sketchi' or non-existent In 1934 the State Auditor-General said one-seveii-th of ihe First Taibot Act money went for questionabie or illegal expenc!Uv:ros Manue<ī By Ward-Hellers tlie-sc Nvrd;> were maimed h} ward-he"e:;< Adr.iinistrauve exper.se rf:*o:n 13 to 40 per cent, For tho whole State Ln 1933 it wa.-; ovev per eenl, in Phila-eīolpl-iĪA e\ er 27 per eent. ln eontrast, Uie WPA's overhe;.d !r, rer.i\£i Inuiia ia ies6 *h.ir. 4 per ee;;t. Herhev: ei a ph.r.;«e w Uli liur.uuv ii\iI hnow ot' uo plaee in r An-.e-'e.i to wh.ieh ca:i be apph.ed r.vre ihan ;o the Perr>\ h ,-.:v.a Foor Be«;\Ls durtvv.o lio was Presideut rf the r- :t eā States. All your .-!reer,' peopie. o: Lvth paiiieī, tr\:ug .o rid o£ *her;*. f k v \ : \;rs \Vho Uiem v>iih jo, 5 rt The e;-j people V,lio 0 r*h; oa WTA. The hv.\' uuieīilue. The see : .,i! e\pe;ts ;.u yoar State dwell in eenstant »ar that they wih return 'o power at an*'. ♦h-e.e They are octopus vou ?top l>y ->ff ;enUe!es TVr 'hoy were fed by Kie' -h-hrst hooo'e the ?t.ite e\er "fcr,e\v. ,ro.a !h.ey v,i?. r.ot slop tryir.- to -o; :t haek Thex iried a&ain in 1555. Tou may have hea:\l of the Bateheior blu Tt to ehUphiee the SUte £mergcncy Keliel Board and give reuef money haek ?o thc Foor B<.\\rds. tt ever. pe s .v<<\r *.he Resnifchca« Senate But your g\\xi Oowr»o<r mA!\?isrrHi to sret it laid u>« «ii«u m Uie Hcusc,