Evening Star Newspaper, July 31, 1937, Page 15

Books—Art—Music @he Foen FEATURES * WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION ny Stae News of Churches WASHINGTON, D. ( ATURDAY, JULY 31, 19 o= DY ICKES EXPECTS PARTY LINES TO REVEAL “> By Lucy Salamanca. BELIEVE the trend is away from the rigid restrictions of party that inevitably result in ¢ dissension within the ranks, to | the establishment of two groups comparabie to the Liberals and Con- servatives of certain other countrie All party dissension leads ultimately to a split that separates the libe from the conservative element, and the diverse opinions that characterize the | politics of today may develop ulti- mately into two such parties “The Democrats ealled the ‘Ltberals’ and the Repub- licans the ‘Conservatives,’ although I am not necessarily advocating it, but by whatever name they are known ti adherents will difT markedly from their origi political group a the Progressives d ed from the old- line Republicans back in 1912 Secretary t geaied in his beau room in the that is paneled with the deep bl soft draperies, answered the inqu writer with a spirit that seemed belie his very recent iilness and lot sojourn in the hospital. A few d before he had held the first pr conference since return to his dutie; and now he was granting an exclusive interview in a day carefully portioned out at his physician’s or Yet there was nothing to su ill- health in the vigorous personality of the Secretary he discussed the changing times and their imprint upon political parties, “As a matter of fact”” he asserted Wwith relish, “I have always believed the American people should have a fair chance to ct lib- eralism and reaction, the past, the issues have i What is taking place parties today is simp of those issues. They more sharply defined process there are bou senters. These dissenters fa into the liberal or the group. “What, for example, are vour ‘eco- nomic royalists’ Liberty Leaguers, but the conservative element in politics? They may be called by the name of Republican by any other name, but they are st con- servatives. By the same toke 50 long as it has the t lea the Democratic party that portion of it that follows Roos represents the liberals. Just as Republicans who follow Roosevelt represent the liberals as well. That is why I say ‘here is a trend toward merging into parties that may in time be as and of the s of rug to ders. est be d the two major conser or your o typify these two political philosophies, | “THE same thing that is happening today among Republicans and Democrats has happened before. There have always been liberal Republicans | going over to the Democratic ranks and conservative Democrats becoming Republicans, members of both parties kicking over the traces. Al Smith is an example, when he took that un- noticed ‘walk’ of his: Bainbridge Colby Raskob and Gov. Healy of Massachu- setts are other examples And the Pinchot brothers, Amos and Gifford Pinchot, Bull Moosers, turning con- servative, “I myself have been a Rep: & Progressive and a Democ But by whatever name you call it, I have adhered to the principles of libera It has not been a matter of party That is why I believe it would elim- inate much dissension and confusion 1f issues were settled upon such a basis and the parties frankly called ‘Lib- erals’ or ‘Conservatives. “Do you think that will Lappen in this country? That the old Repub- lican and Democratic parties, as we know them, are on the way out?” “That is difficult to s almost a rel ¥ would not say that publicans and the party sented th are they are coming to re ¥ conservative elem t is a good thing to have the conservative element As a check and ba that parties longer typifies th ative viewpoints and seek that party When asked Ppresent di growing issue an indication £plit in the Democr: tetary replied blican that repre ished Ratt sent solely that no consery ranks of of a ic part per beca conservatives were b e As a matter of fact, some of those who are at present bitterly opposing the President’s plan for court reform are the very men who, back in 1912, | supported a far more radical change | as set forth in the platform of the Progressive party. At that time, Theo- dore Roosevelt asked for recall of ju- dic decisions—certainly a more startling proposal than Mr. Roose- suggestion.” Ickes smiled t's | Mr | as he recalled that some of our present-day politi- cal commentators—particularly one columnist who bitterly criticizes pro- | posed court cha today—were in favor of more inno- vation of judicial deci- sions Mr. Ickes be- too seriously all having 0 do downfall of de- atened destruction which alarmists daring lieves we the dire vith mocr predi inevitable the now wa The ion may or may be ) can't t s sums ment over RMAN and Scotch descent, has always been char- spoken and So completely has he believed in the liberal attitude that he has been by turns a Republican, a | P essive, a Republican again and a Democrat. He had covered national political conventions throughout the country for newspapers and had | taken an active interest in mayoralty in Chicago before he be- e a devoted follower and personal frie of Theodore Rooseve! with whom he possessed m: racte in common, particularly a pro- | clivity for crashing about like a bull in a china shop wherever his prin- | les led him Rooseve el lections tics p! leadership he Progressive and stayed until he returned to Republicans 1o vote for Charles Eva sident. Later he T gain to vote for Al Smith and James a the Democrats, | M. Cox The Secretary of the Interior was | born in Blair County, Altoona, Pa, | | and as a young man went to the Uni- versity of Chicago. Graduating from a course in beral arts he took a job on a Chicago newspaper in the days | of tremendous press competition and was by turns reporter, sports writer d editor. But he returned to the University of Chica study law becoming, meanwt politica writer and develoy intense | interest in politics In 1932, while still an official of the | Republican organization in Cook County, Ickes campaigned for Frank- lin D. Roosevelt—a fact that old party | adherents found very perturbing. It was at the close of February that Roosevelt Ickes to visit him at his home in New York City. If he | thought about it at all, Ickes be- | lieved the highest job that could be | offered him would be Indian com- missioner. When the announcement came that the President had made “a | Mr. Ickes of Chicago” Secretary of the Interior many had to scurry about to find out in a hurry who “Mr. | Ickes of Chicago” was. | " Thus it may be seen that the sec- retary is qualified to speak with au- thority when the question parties, their policies and objectives. He has come to be known as the “chroric no-man” of the cabinet, com- pletely independent in thought, word and action and himself an admirable “balance.” as he believes old-time a ng an is one of {of the Ir | loves PAGE B—1 American Tendency Toward Conflict of Conservative and Liberal Ranks Believed by Him to Be Needed to Settle Current Issues—Official Devoted to Conservation Has Been Loyal to Two Roosevelts. HAROLD ICKES Secretary of the Interior . . . the “no” man of the administration Republicans, for example, to be in the | present liberal set-up. T WAS Secretary stressed the necessity for vesting powers of conservation in one Gov- ernment department that the matter of changing the name of the Dep: or to the Department of on was caused to flower. The was recommended to Con- esident as part of his Ickes who so - Conservat e the Building President Roosevelt ed: “I that every i country of the Interior remark- American who ought to take to laying ew By Ralph McCabe. HAT “million-doliar baby” who was found in a five-and-ten- cent store was a comparatively minor discovery. John C. Stevens, now almost forgotten as an inventor, did much better 86 years ago when he made a trip to Europe with a party of friends It was in 1851 that a syndicate composed of Stevens. his brother, Edwin A. Stevens: George L. Schuyler, Col. James A. Hamilton, J. S. Finley and Hamilton Wi discovered gland a pewter vase whose actual ie is somewhere in the neighbor- of 895, but which then was by the exaggerated title, ‘COMPE;F es. va hood ed what to most s championship heart the earnest and sensible plea of the Secretary of the Interior for a Vig- orous, continuing national policy of conservation. As for myself, I am dedicated to the cause. And the De- partment of the Interior, as now con- stituted, is fully alive to the imperative necessity of protecting and preserving all of our natural resources Ickes admitted to at conservation is his “pe He has a definite and o inal program which is putting the need for conservation and its benefits be- fore the people of the country in a manner that has had great popular appeal. | wealth for present easy Commenting upon the attitude of mind that exists today with respect to natural resources and that which existed in 1849, the Secretary said “To use language with which we ar 50 fam today, the Department the Interior was set up, frankly, to be the 1ent of the Gov- ernmen Treasury Department had come to feel in that year that it could no administer the vast public domain that constituted, so far as national revenues and acreage went, the richest part. of the United ates. We were still & race of eager, restless, pushing pioneers. A land- hungry people to begin with, our ap- of longer petite for land grew with what it fed upon, it ever occur to any one to attempt to | Only in the rarest instances did abate this consuming hunger. “We encouraged the settlement of the vast domain that stretched west- | ward. The Department of the In- terior, in fact, became the sales agency ! of a Government so rich in lands and | what he terms natural resources that it was willing to sell them for a ion of their real value, willing to give them away on the slightest pretext, willing, even, to close its eves in order that it might not see that some of the most rugged of our | rugged individualists were literally PHILOSOPHIES stealing large sections of the rich her- itage of the American people.” The Secretary described how gra- | dually this wanton destruction and insistent explotation was checked by “the conscience of a country that began to appraise through slowly opening eyes In the opinion of Mr. Ickes, John | Quincy Adams was the only national leader until comparatively recent times who evolved a policy which, 1f it | had been adopted by the Nation, “would probably have meant less flush dissipation, but more solid, enduring and in the | aggregate greater wealth for the peo- | ple as & whole in the long run.” Secretary Ickes believes this policy of exploitation to be sulcidal and de- | clares that Congress should decree the final end to the reckless era and “announce adherence to the policy of conservation of our national sources” As he understands conser- vation, he states, that means the pru- dent use of these resources. Also, he believes that as an effective means of | declaring this change of policy Con- | gress should enact the bill wow pending | to change the name of the department w that of the Department of Conser- vatlion “If T were one of those,” the Secre- tary added, “interested in the con- tinued exploitation of our compara- tively few remaining riches of mine | and forest and stream and public do- main, T would resist with all my might any mandate by Congress that con- servation should be made a principal | function of government under the | charge of a responsible cabinet officer. | I would be satisfied with the irre- sponsible policy of division and spoli- | ation that has prevailed in the past and T would want the activities re- | lating to conservation to remain scat- | tered. I would encourage the misun- derstandings, the jealousies, the over- | lappings, and the wasteful expendi- | tures of public funds that have grown up in the past and which were the inheritance of this administration. We conservatives are like a ‘posse comitatus " observed the Secrelary with a smile, “following each other with fitful lanterns while the thief | that we were sent out to apprehend slips away to safety.” re- TN the opinion of Mr. Ickes, Presi- dent Roosevelt is the outstanding | conservationist in the country. “Not only has he believed in conservation,” states the Secretary, “he has striven | for it. He has practiced it on his own extensive farm lands in New York | State. As & member of the New York | Senate he was one of the leaders in | the fight for conservation legislation, | As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he helped to protect and preserve the | naval oil reserves. He made conserva- tion & major policy when Governor of New York State. He is not a conserva- tionist in any narrow sense. His con- ception of this national policy is that it embraces all lands and waters, min- erals, flora and fauna—in fact, all our heritage of natural resources Mr. Ickes summarized briefly | achlevements along lines of conserva- tion that have been made during the present administration. Vast additions, he pointed out, have been made to the areas of the national | forests. New reclamation districts have been organized and additional water provided for others already In exist- ence. Under the Taylor grazing law and its amendment, 110,173,400 acres of the public domain that are useful chiefly for grazing have been set up | into grazing districts under Federal | regulation and control. The Soil Con- | servation Service has been set up to and set it in front of you while you read this. All the money you will earn between now and the day you begin collecting from that little card wouldn't buy the sails for a cup de- fender. The name Sopwith in this article will be familiar enough, but ask a friend suddenly who Tom Sop- with is and the chances are he will have to think hard to place the name For Sopwith is a newcoer to the game. He has only spent $4,000,- 000 so0 far trying to get the America’s Cup away from the New York Yacht ) Of c $8.000.000 o) to lift some would just r Thomas Lipton spent 80 In a. five attempts the cup In his case he got return. There are few men who not pay out the same proportion | of their wealth for the reputation he | built by losing gamely. ! also the cheaper | challe may be bett | been resorted to. [ for Great spendir the win the sportsmen, these Britons— millions every few years to side of a chance to But the British side is Sopwith has spent his $4.000.000 on two attempts. But | the yachtsmen of America have gone | far beyond that while there is one challenger, there are several boats | for honor of defending. The rmous cost is multiplied with each long and costly contests | are held for month: the chal- lenger and the day each | race is sailed T the skipp can say whether his boa will be chosen. The Cup Defense Committee decides, and has the ri to substitute defenders on the morni of race. Ome candidate in a stiff blow, one may be able to sail closer to the wind, one may be superior in an almost im- perceptible breeze. The committee can decide which would be best. Of course. this substitution has never The defender chosen race always has sailed ake short cup. before until certa) vessel the first | the others, but there have been occa- | before the starting gun | dry sions where the choosing of the de- fender was delayed until a few hours | In one case | the choice forced the chalienger into dock to completely change his ballast to meet the unexpected foe, | YOUNG man taking up fencing became very annoyed acquaintance who asked the practical value of fight dusls nowadays One may play golf for the glory of it, and national championships have been won by caddies with borrowed clubs. A stout man mny reduce his waistline on a squash eourt, and a You can't | collegiate hero may pile up glory and The American defender, Ranger, —A. P. Photo. - gate receipts for dear old alma mater on the gridiron. Horseback riding is good for the liver, swimming relaxes | the nerves, tennis promotes a graceful | carriage, and horseshoe pitching makes | easy and friendly conversation. But | r ING FOR AMERICA'S CUP IS Patriotism Impels Britons and Americans to Spend Millions in Annual Yachting Contests for a 95 Pewter Vase. Commodore Vanderbilt at the helm of the Ranger. class J yacht racing is just class J vacht racing. You can't boat to do it for anything else when you've finished racing. Aside from keeping one out in the fresh air for a few hours, there 15 no physical benefit, and the nervous strain must be tremendous. There are no gate receipts; the biggest prize in the world of class J racing wouldn't buy a steering wheel. There are no cheers for the fine points during the contest, no grandstand near at hand to give moral support. The only spectators are s0 far away they need powerful glasses to follow what is going on. There are few qualified sports writers available to turn out reams of publicity Certainly, borrow & | You can't use the boat | Every boat club has its fleet of | Comet class boats; there are thou- sands of Star boats, Snipes—the list is almost endless. But while the field of sail racing is open to every one, | class J is reserved, by its very nature, for a small group of very wealthy | men. | The owner of a Comet can have a lot of racing, or he can give his best girl a thrill with an afternoon | Tun in a breeze stiff enough to keep | the gunwales wet. Those who sail | larger craft can make cruises over the week end or longer. But a cup defender is a tremendously costly | machine, good for nothing except a | the | | publicity could not justify the expense. Lipton’s $8,000,000 would have gone | a great deal further in promoting tea few seasons of costly racing. The modern challengers and defenders cannot be converted into plPullrr‘ yachts, their construction involves no provision for eabins, their draft is| sales if it had been invested in an | too great for them to be used for advertising campaign. " ordinary pleasure sailing. 'nuyl L] COSTLIEST SPORT, wouldn't even do for an afternoon’s fishing—there's no way to provide comfortable seating. Horse racing and fox hunting are carefully fostered because they im- | prove the general breed of horses in | the United States. For this reason | the finest stallions in the world are | maintained by the Army at the re- | mount stations for the services of American breeders Gliding aids ma- | terially in the study of aerodynamics and leads to improvements in air- plane design. Stamp collecting aids | the study of history and geography, | kite flying assists the meteorologist, the big automobile races are an im- portant factor in motor design. But | class J yachting serves no such pur- pose. AMERICAN sailing vessels domi- £ ; nated the seven seas 30 years before the first yacht race was held and already were rapidly being re- placed by steam vessels. The Cunard Line was breaking records 11 years before the America was built What, then, is the motive behind | this unusual sport? Certainly it can- | not be pure love of sport, because that love could be satisfied in & more | enduring fashion in a dozen other | enterprise Nor can it be a desire | for exclusiveness. The men who en ¢ in cup races are hardly the type | 1o engage in & sport for the mere pur pose of being exclusive. The Vande bilts, Sopwiths, Liptons, Adamses, | Lselins. Morgans and Paines have been men of the world who have shown no evidence of monastic tendesey in their | numerous activities. The only answer, then, is patriotism It was patriotic fervor which sent | the owners of the first America to Europe seeking whom they might conquer. And it is patriotism which has led Englishmen for 86 years to try to recover the only trophy the America ever won. The pride of British yachtsmen was severely in- jured in their ignominious defeat by | the America in 1851. And their own newspapers and sports loving public rubbed salt in the wound when the America’s owners sailed for home in disgust after having been refused & the best England could offer. Like- wise, it was patriotism which caused the owners of the America to select the New York Yacht Club as custodian of the cup to be raced for in inter- national competition. In the early days of the Republic, when patriotism meant largely pride in the overthrow of the British yoke, | the sea spelled wealth to a large part of the American population. The fishing boats of New England and the Chesapeake were original and fitted perfectly to the work for which they were intended. The whalers of New Bedford were training the most efMcient sallormen in the world. The trading A ) ships of the Boston, New York, Savan- nah and Charleston merchants were | gradually penetrating the world mar- kets of England. The War of 1812, with its numerous victories for the American Navy and | privateers, only gave new impetus to | the merchant marine. When Ameri- can merchants were sure they would have full freedom and protection out- side their own territorial waters they went forward at a pace that never has | been paralleled. First came the fast | packet ships, to be followed within 20 years by the clippers. Speed and more speed became the watchword. The tea trade at that time was the height of every ship captain's ambi- tion and it had been dominated for centuries by the British. But when the clipper Oriental out of Boston got the first cargo of the season at Canton at & rate of $30 & ton, w (Continued on Page B-3.) | Under | Tennessee | establish | public works prevent the lands of farmers from being washed or blown away Large sums of money have also been spent on flood prevention projects, pelroleum regulation acts, & beginning has been made toward stop= ping the reckless everproduction and consequent waste of oil and natural gas which are exhaustible and irres placeable resources Great water power projects such as Boulder Dam, the Valley undertaking and the Bonnevile and Grand Coulee enter- prises on the Columbia River have been completed or are being developed, the enerzy being made available to the people at low cost. Great atrides have been made in reforestation and atforestation. Wild life and bird refuges have alse been establis nd a start made toe ward solving the problems of stream pollution. Submarginal lands from which farmers have struggled in vain to make a living are being purchased by the Government and taken out of agricu use. Additional areas have been added to old national parks and new national parks and wilderness areas have been brought Into the system. "l DO not pretend to say,” Mr. Ickes stated, “and in fact I do not know, what bureaus and agencies may be transferred to the proposed new De= partment of Conservation, or what bureaus or agencies may be taken away from the Department of the Interior ¥ the President is given the power to reorganize the executive branch of the Government as he has suggested. But I do know that the mere creation of & Department of Conservation will be & challenge to the ruthless exploita= tion of our natural resources and will a rallying point for those who truly believe in conservation.” The Secretary of the Interior fis charged with additional responsibili= ties, other than those involved in car- rying out this far-flung program of conservation. Mr. Ickes has, in fact, had placed upon him as public works administrator what he himself terms “a responsibility greater than has sver been given an officer of the Govern- ment, other than the President, in time of peace, since the country was founded.” He was appointed in July, 1933 “I was told in my office,” he recalls, “that the President wanted to see me &S 500N 83 possible. Later, in the office of Col. MacIntyre, I met Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Wood Robert, who extended his hand and said he wanted to congratulate me. “I asked him what for, and he sald the President was going to make me administrator. It was Suprising news to me, for I had never been a candidate for the position nor harbored the thought the President was considering me. When the Presi- dent came in, without preliminaries, After his manner, he told me he was | making me public works administra- tor. He did not ask me if I wanted the appointment. Naturally, I ase- cepted, and left the White House for my office in something of a daze. While I was elated at the confidencs the President had shown in me, this feeling hardly weighed against the sense of responsibility. I did not need to be told that the manner in which this huge fund was to be administered might make or break the adminis- tration.” _NIORE than $4,000,000,000 was ex- pended under Mr. Ickes on non- Federal and Federal projects and thousands of public schools, municipal buildings, sewer systems, highways, auditorfums, dams and similar proj- ects contributed to employment and provided useful public structures of & permanent type under his shrewd and judicious administration Here i & member of the cabinet Wwho is & down-to-earth man—a pro- diglous worker, and an individualist. Not even the splendor of his sur- roundings, as he sat facing me in that magnificent room of his, could efface or overshadow the vital personality of the man. As a commentary upon the wide range of his interests and the fine turn his abilities can take, the colors, the decorations and fur- nishings of that room were of his own suggestion. He is an original, inde- pendent as his Scotch and German for- bears, as a man must be who can, in season, vote Republican, Progressive or Democratic. The secret of his strength and individuality is his lib= eralism. Having freed himself from the restrictive and stultifying bonds of party allegiance, he can regard every issue upon its individual merits and, after due consideration, state fear- lessly from the housetops his honest oonclusions The British contendeg, Endeavour II. —Wide World Photo.