Imperial Valley Press

BILL TO TEST F. R. PRESTIGE

Chief Executive to Adopt Depression Tactics

WASHINGTON. April 13. (UP)-President Roosevelt revived depth-of-depression tactics today in swift, vigorous maneuvers to revive business with a big lending-spending program.

He was almost ready for a test of strength and prestige with Vice President John N. Garner or any other conservative Democrat who would challenge his recovery-relief plans.

This second New Deal drive on depression will be launched tomorrow in a message to congress and bolstered that night with a 'fireside chat.' The president has taken 45 minutes of radio time for a comprehensive statement on the state of the nation.

Odds today favor his project in general outline but without guarantee that congress will, without protest, write a check for $2,750,000,000 to be spent during the summer, autumn and winter months.

Five cabinet officers and two lending-spending aides were summoned to the White House last night in a snap conference reminiscent of 1933. White House Secretary Stephen Early said that there probably would be more conferences.

The United Press was informed that last night's conferees were "pretty well agreed" on a $1,500,000,000 program to finance a new Public Works program. Mr. Roosevelt earlier refused to say whether he would draw on sterilized gold funds of more than $1,000,000,000 to help pay those bills. He also contemplates a $1,250,000,000 unemployment relief appropriation for the first seven months of the next fiscal year. That would provide for the jobless up to Feb. 1, 1939.

Summoned to the White House last night for a conference of which no intimation had been given at a press conference a few hours before were: Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Secretary of Treasury Henry Morgenthau, jr., Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes, Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace and Postmaster General James A. Farley. They were joined by Chairman Jesse H. Jones of RFC, Federal Emergency Relief Administrator Harry L. Hopkins, Early and James Roosevelt, another White House secretary. They deliberated from shortly after 8 p.m. until near midnight.

The president's advisers told him that American business needed quick assistance. At least some of them came away from the White House convinced that their chief agreed with their rather gloomy diagnosis of current conditions.

President Maps Spending Program

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