The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-10-20
T { " PROMISES
ARE MADE To
VOTERS
Candidates Realize Difficulties
They Must Face IN
FulIfiIment
Continued from First Page.)

VSVAA1AAA0N AIV4u CHbS GABSJ
lapse and be forgotten, that you
must choose what you win hope
from your next national admins
tration.
And don't expect. however you
may hope, that your candidate will
succeed in Incorporating all or
many OF his selected timbers into
your house Of government within
the four years Of his term Of office.
For you must remember that
however earnestly he may work, he
must induce at least one.half the
bs1 workn1sn in Congress to CO.
operate with him, put their
shoulders to the job and boost each
separate plank into place before he
can drive a single nail. And even
after he gets his planksin place and
firmly set, that create architectural
authority, the Supreme Court, may
come along and order his handi-
work torn out and destroyed.
Prepare To Discard Now.
When you are figuring on what
You want and what you may get
from your Government during the
coming four years, do not let the
beauty Of your candidates polished
planks so dazzle your eyes that you
are unable to see how they are
likely to effect the sesthetic tastes
or the Congressional workmen and
the Supreme Court architects. bow
ever your candidate may boast and
however pleasing the pictuce, you
may better discard now, than later
to be disappointed, all planlIs likely
to lack Congressional support or
Supreme Court approval.
Remember that there are two
houses OF Congress-, one with 435
and the other with ninety-six MEM
bers and that your candidate must
have solidly with him 218 in the
House ana forty-nine in the Senate
to get any kind Of legislation. He
must have more than that, oRdi-
nRrily. The opposition must be
divided, for IL the minority be solid
ly against your candidate On any
proposition, bringing It to q vote
would be an almost hopeless task.
To force an issue through the Con.
gress, your candidate must have a
working majority in both Houses.
Few peace-time Presidents in
American history have been able to
command such a safe working
majority at all times. Probably
Woodrow Wilson during his first
term came nearer to 1t than any
other in recent years, But the
record Of hts last two years was
one OF successive defeats for his
policies in Congress, particularly. in
the Senate. Even Warren @. Hard
ing, elected In q landslide and with
an overwhelming party majority in
both houses OF Congress, was unable
to obtain passage Of his ship subsidy
bill.
Coolidge's Difficulties
Calvin Coolidge, still with q roni.
nally safe working majority In both
houses Of Congress-, was compelled
to compromise repeatedly there on
his most vital policies, his own
party forsaking him almost en-
maSse on such legislation az the
soldiers bonus and Japanese ex.
clusion. Even his tax reform pro.
gram, backed by his efficient Treas
ury Secretary and the solid bust.
ness interest Of the country, he was
unable ever to. force within strik.
ing distance OF adoption by Con.
Kresg.
Throughout the last Congress a
group Of approximately q score Of
members in the House ana another
OF seven In the Senate were able,
by throwing their strength first to
one side and then to the other
to force compromises on almost
every measure before the Congress-,
and so to influence almost all legis.
lation. They thus were able effec-
lively to block all bills to which
they were opposed.
Even the most partisan Of politi-
cal prognosticators do not hope that
this bloc will be smaller in the
coming Congress, while the insur-
gents themselves openly boast that
their numbers will be largely in
creased. That It win maintain its
strength must be figured on when
how much Of his program
your candidate win be able to carry
through IL elected for the coming
term.
Then the Supreme Court.
So much for the legislative diff
culties q President must face in
making good on his promises, made
as q candidate, to the voters.
After Congress, the Supreme
Court, to pRraphrase the saying Of
q fatuous French ruler. Even so
conservative a President as Mr..
Coolidge has run head.on into this