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1936 › Alf Landon (Republican) › Politics and patronage in relief administration
Relief will continue, but purged of politics, administered locally on merit, with economies taken from 'the political exploiters'
pledge_forwardspecific_pledgecandidate_directevidence A Relief, Welfare & Social Insurance similar solutions · similar reasoning
Solution
Federal grants-in-aid to States while need exists, relief run by non-political local agencies, staff chosen on merit, public works separated from relief; nobody in need to go without.
Rationale
'There is no future on the relief rolls'; the question 'is how much waste the American people are willing to stand for in the administration of relief.'
Statements (4)
The return of responsibility for relief administration to non-political local agencies familiar with community problems.
Let me emphasize that, while we propose to follow a policy of economy in Government expenditures, those who need relief will get it. We will not take our economies out of the allotments to the unemployed. We will take them out of the hides of the political exploiters.
We would consider it base beyond words to make loyalty or service to party a condition upon which the needy unemployed might obtain help.
As Chief Executive I intend to see that relief is purged of poli tics. There is ample money in this country to take care of those in need. When I am President they will be taken care of.
Follow-through
not_applicable
Relief stayed federal and in the WPA. The political-abuse charge was answered by the Hatch Act (1939), sponsored by a Democrat and signed by Roosevelt, and by the 1939 relief act's political-activity ban.
Enacted by others
| 1939-08-02 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | statute Hatch Act (An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities) | Adopted the substance of Landon's relief-without-politics pledge, minus local administration. source |
1936-landon-relief-without-politics-local-administration · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed