"Even More Objectionable"

As planned by the Democrats who pushed it through Congress, the $251 million aid-to-depressed-areas bill was vetoed by the President last week and fell into place as a plank in the 1960 Democratic campaign platform.

Ike, in sending the bill back to Congress, recalled his veto of a bloated $389.5 million depressed-areas bill in 1958, saw "in 1960, another election year," an "even more objectionable" approach to a long-neglected problem. His chief objection to the openhanded, broadly defined Democratic bill: "It would make eligible for federal assistance areas that don't need it."

In contrast to the Administration's $53 million relief measure, said the President, the Democrats' bill "would squander the federal taxpayers' money where there is only temporary economic difficulty," would downgrade local self-help efforts by massive federal subsidy, might involve the Government in industry-financing in 600 eligible rural counties, and would largely overlap existing federal programs.

Chances of overriding the veto: nil. Chances of passing the Administration's alternative bill: dim.

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