Vagabond Editorials

Bv Jack Dionne

Of all'the weird stories of utter lack of understanding of practical things that have come out of Washington in the last two years, the following is the climax: t'f*

Men of the highest veracity say that one of the very highest officials in the Administration who specializes in the Government efforts to help the farmer, in a recent statement concerning present plans for agricultural assistance, declared (which is a fact) that there is a heavy jhortage of work animals on the farms of the country.

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He said the Government is going to help relieve this situation by furnishing worthy farmers with work animals, and that they plan to furnish the farmers ..mare mules that are in foal" so that the farmers will benefit by the increase when the foals ar'e born.

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The story goes that someone in the crowd who at some time or other had been on a farm and knew something about work animals, rose and remarked: .,My dear sir, f am sure the New Deal can do miraculous things, but when you start raising colts from mare mules, you are really going a little too far." And, it is related that the high-upper-farmer-helper had to have explained to him the fact that mare mules are not only without pride of ancestry, but are by nature without hope of posterity.

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And, it is further related that this gentleman, on finding out this startling fact about farm animals (what every child that ever got within nine miles of a farm, knows) in rnuch confusion requested that this particular plan of his be not published. But it is being told a million times a day.

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Anyway, f don't see why it should be hushed up. To my mind, raising colts from mare mules is one of the most practical thoughts the Brain Trust has evolved.

Reminds me of **orrlrrr*r l""a the other day. One wag suggested that we use the new work relief five billions to level ofr the useless mountains, and use the materials to fill up the useless valleys and swamps. Some other wit replied that the idea seemed practical enough but was probably too inexpensive to be considered at Washington.

Things are moving along. The Wagner Bill is now a law. As a means of putting men to work it is about as practical as raising farm animals from mare mules. The idea seems to be that the employer who has this thumbscrew clamped on him will get so wildly enthusiastic that he will rush out and hire himself a lot more men.

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Of course the Wagner Bill will remain a law until that exact date when "nine old gentlemen" with white hair and black flowing robes will rise to their feet in Washington and throw it on the scrap heap.

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Looks like a wild scramble right now to attack all the "recovery" measures in the courts. They are going to have to draw a number out of a bushel basketful of numbers to see who has the distinction of throwing rocks at AAA. Everyone, everywhere, is attacking that.

The lumber strikes "n "; al-r, tt u Pacific Coast are slightly improvedbut only slightly. In the State of Washington mills are starting at two points under thc guard of militia. It still looks like a long pull. Mills burn so quickly, and skulls crack so easily that men hesitate to try and operate in the face of communistic opposition.

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Business throughout the nation smiled openly when Congress got up enough courage to rcfuse to be whipped into line of the "holding company" bill. Not that business generally is interested in these "holding companies." But business generally has made up its mind that all business everywhere is going to have to unite and present a common front to a common danger if it is ever to get out of this hole.

The old hard-shell Democratic Dallas News refers to Democratic tepresentatives at Washington "who (rnce were leaders but now are only listeners."

The Los Angeles Ti-; ,un*"u, reminds Mr. Roosevelt that when he started this recovery campaign he likened himself to the quarterback in a football game, and said that he would try one kind of strategy, and if it failed he would

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