New Britain herald., 1929-12-10
SENATE COALITION HOLDS WHIP HAND
Democrats and Insurgents Seem
 Set for Two Years


 coalition of uswgcnt Republicans and Democrats which now has tho national legislative situation by the tail probably will continue to func- lien ar least until it has outliycd its usefulness
 If may even work as a coalition throughout President llooyor'S first term. In that case it will sometimes veto against the administration and sometimes not, but it can be relied upon not to oppose with it's votes anything which appears 10 be dis tnctly favored by popular souti- mcnt. IL will not, for instance, unite iH opposing the administrators tax reduction program, which makes q hit with everybody.
 The three main factors in lcgis- Iation arc the House, tue Senate and the president with his veto power and his duty of rccom- mendation. Each serves as q check on the othcr Tho ideal sit. nation from the White House point of view is one wherein suh- stantial working majoritics in each chamber arc always willing 10 pass just such legislation aa the president wants. But tht executive and legislative ma chimes seldom operate so smooth | ly together. Everyone remembers what bad time Coolidge hal with Congress. Taft spent his l last two years with Democratic maioritics, Republican senators wrecked Wilson and Harding would have had most unhappy l time with Congress had he lived. l Now this coalition in the Senate has found that it can do as it 1 likes with the tariff bill and it undoubtedly is enjoying the pros pcct of using it's power in the flu turc. There is little chance of is aged by the 1880 elections. There will be many measures on which 1 it's component clements will be completely at variance,
 It would seem that the worst thing the coalition has done Io
 Mr. Hoover has been the dcstruc-
 ton of the supposedly comfort
 able Senate majority which his
 party had following the 1928 cleo
 ticns. Demoralizing the Eepub-
 lican organization in the upper
 house is not calculated to make q
 l.lr
 even though the old Guard which expected to be in charge there
 does not like Mir. Hoover and AIr Hoover does not like the Oit
 Guard.
 Legislatively, the coalition has
 taken two main whacks at the president and il expects to make , one of them stick. The one il
 expects to make stick is the aboli-
 tion of the presidents power ic , raise or lower tariff rates. The P other one is the export debcnturt
 farm relief provision which i , voted into the bill. When the bil , goes to conference the senate con fores will be expected to agree 1' f the removal of the debcuture if tn g house conrerres will agree to h
 the senatc'4 action on the tleNibilit S clause stand. The coalition appem, F. to have had thls deal in mind whel - il tackled the dcbenturc on the bli 2 a. if for trading purposes.
 il Undoubtedly the president bani.
 heavily on the hope that the admin
 iStration machine in the house wi g eliminate both the objectionab; n items while the bill is in conference n When and if the bill is finally pre | Scntcd to him for approval he cel Q tainly will not want to veto if. l - is inconceivablc that he would ap n prove it with the dobrnturc claus {, [. maininG, but it is equally incor
 ccivablc that the hOu@c lcadc; IF would leave that in. On tn" otht n hand. if the bin comes to him wi; s. his power to change rates abolish. q it will ho difficult for him 10 hi q the whole measure simply bccau ,- Ii depriyes him of an executive pr z rogatiyc previously granted by cor
 gross. lie VIII De NlfluallH IofC'
 10 swallow his first real defeat
 the hands of the coalition.
 n The coalition may not be able IS jam much legislation of its 0" i- past the house and as long as it cl f. durcs considerable compromise h likely. But as congress undcrtaI m 10 finish the tariff bill and 10 d" o- with quite Il little important lcgisl h ton the outstanding fact is that | ,- stuat" republican insurgents, or pr |, grcssiy,s. are holding and ot,cctif .d Iy welding the balance of pow m and that major legislation of q ty Id 10 which this group is opposed
 most unlikely 10 be forced througI