Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-12
DICTATOR POSITION
DOES NOT APPEAL
To THE PRESIDENT
BY ROBERT r. SMALL
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1929

blamed for the present situation in
congress which is giving so much
concern to President Harding and
the administration. The situation
is particularly bad in the senate, the
presidents own branch Of the ma
tional legislature, where there is
disposition to go ahead with Leg
islation which Mr.. Harding plainly
has stated would prove embarrassing
at this time.
Whether the president has stepped
into the situation in time to save 1T
remains to be seen. He has been
loath TO assume an attitude of die
tating to congress because he felt
that such a policy on the part of the
executive was condemned by the
people at the polls last November.
Strange as it may seem, in these
days of strange political develop
ments, some of the presidents clos
est friends in the senate are inclined
to blame him for not intervening at
an earlier date. They claim certain
senators ARD groups of senators have
taken advantage Of the presidents
hands off, policy to decide for them
selves what was best for the people
and for the Republican party. These
groups have openly defied the leader
ship of Senator Lodge by refusing to
adopt his motion for recess Of the
senate, while the house is fighting
with the tariff bill. This recess was
intended, of course. to cut off the con-
sideration of the legislation to which
the president has taken exception at
bonus bill.
May Address Congress
The president will tell congress
early next week in a message that
the best interests Of the country de-
mands that the legislative program
at this time be confined exclusively
to tax revision and the enactment of
probably carry the message to con-
gress in person, to lend a personal
emphasis to what he has to say. The
congress leaders say that the con-
sideration of other legislation has
ficult to head it off. They hope, how
ever, that once the president has
spoken, the effect will be sufficiently
great to hold the various bloc SEN
ators in line for the definite admin
iStration program.
President Harding has been told by
some senators that the situation in
the upper branch Of congress is part
ly due to the fact that he has had
no authorized spokesman in that
body. The same is true, they further
possible for any senator to rise in
his place and speak with the au
thority of the White House behind
him.
President Harding has felt that con-
gress did not desire the dictator
cbiY1o Of q M mi Cfr-ot inn Hcnnly on -
He has wanted to adhere to his cam
paign pledge for a return to a con-
stitutional form of, government with
the executive, legislative and judicial
lines of demarcat1on. sharply drawn.
The president has felt that after max
ing certain recommendations to con-
gresS in his messages, his sphere OF
action called for nothing further IN
til the laws were submitted to him
for veto or approval.
The presidents friends, in induc-
ing him this week to take an active
hand in directing the course of leg
islation through congress, have ar
gued that the very fact that he has
the the veto power; equal to - on e. 4E
congress, makes him a part of the
legislative machinery and RESPONSE
BILE to the people as such:
No Adjournment in Sight
Nevertheless the president has
congress in the. way it should go
with a great deal Of reluctance. He
had high expectations of congress
when he was inaugurated on March 4
last. He fully expected at that time
that congress, working diligently and
in the spirit of a new order of things
in the nation, would be entirely
through the work it was called in to
perform and ready to adjourn by
July Is.
es, congress has, scarcely touched
the two principal tasks before it.
Unless the presidents appeal of next
week should bring about a revolution
of ideas in the senate. it is likely
that congress will remain in Wash
ington until the snow flies. There
are many who predict that this extra
session will merge with the regular
session due in December. The presi-
dents plans were all made for an
entirely different schedule. He hid
hoped, among other things, to go to
several other trips, but congress will
hold him here indefinitely.
There are no indications as yet
that, out of the present tangle there
will emerge a new leadership IN
the upper branch, and Representative
Mondell, in the lower, hold their tt
ties of leadership by right of longev-
ity of service and longevity of <serv-
ice is sacred in congress under the
present order. There is no dispo-
sition on the part of the administra-
ton or of the Republicans in con-
gress to upset this leadership. It
is felt, though, that to give the lead
ers effective control 1t will be neces-
sary for the president to stand
1t is possible, too, that the list of
White House congressional callers
will be appreciably widened. The
pressure of other business has pre-
tact between the capitol and the
White House that the president has
desired
May sidetrack Tariff
One situation in congress which
the president would like to change
IS the plan for. going ahead with the
vision is considered. This is one of
the particulars in which his friends
in the senate have told him he could
have directed affairs Both tax and
tariff legislation must originate in
the house of representatives and SEN
ate leaders have no authority over
the lower branch.
There is a plan afoot to sidetrack
the tariff when it reaches the SEN
ate and to wait. for the tax bill.
the house for three weeks longer.
Meantime the ways and means COM
mites will try to frame a tax re-
vision bill. 1t may easily be six
weeks to two months, however, be-
fore that bill reaches the senate4
That is why recess Of the senate
at this time was deemed advisable
by the senate leaders, and it is easily
possible that after the president
speaks next week, the recess plan
may be adopted If there is to be
any party discipline in the present
administration that course certainly
will be followed.
Txuo Py;oe+e Savo Civil