Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22

pOrGAnC is as IL relates 10 Cne
subject Of leadership in the Senate.
The session itself was unimportant. Its
principal business, like that of most
short sessions, was the enactment of the
IL great appropriation bills upon which
the orderly functioning OF the Govern
ment depends Aside from that there
has been so far no legislation of prime
Importance.
turned itself largely into an enterprise
for the consideration of special ap-
preparations in the interest of the I'M
employed and of persons distressed by
drought. The aggregate of these ap-
preparations was very large. II we in
clude in it the legislation for veterans
the whole sum is an extremely large
total of gifts b. the Federal Govern
ment. Only in that respect, unhappy
for the taxpayer, has the work Of the
session been impressive.
It was the discussion of these gifts
and quarrels over them, that con-
sumed most of the sessions time. In
the Senate, especially, fair estimate
would say that seven-eighths Of the
time was devoted to the politics
politics in the smaller sense Of the
word-that arose out Of several aspects
Of Federal largesse.
Light on Leadership.
In one respect the session was I'M
portant. 1t has thrown strong light,
necessary to be seriously considered, on
the subject of political leadership as
It expresses itself in the Senate.
The session took its tone and color
from the election that had occurred
IN November four weeks before the
session itself opened. That election had
resulted in a marked increase of the
number of Democrats in the Senate
In ha hn oil IN
short, had had the atmosphere of a
Democratic victory.
Due to this, the opening of the ses-
sion and the public attitude toward 1t
took on the nature of looking upon the
session as one to be dominated by
the Democrats. 1t was as II there had
been a concrete change of party con-
troll in Congress from the Republicans
to the Democrats. Actually this had
not happened. The Congress that was
elected in November was not and is not
the Congress that is now sitting. The
November election determined the per-
sonnet of the new Congress whose
potential life does not begin until after
March 4. The Congress now sitting
was and is the same that has been in
existence for nearly two years.
Nevertheless the psychological effect
of the nearness of the Democratic vic
tories in November to the opening of
this session Of Congress had the effect
Of causing everybody to think in terms
of something like a change Of control
and in terms of the Democrats having
greater power and responsibility.
Statement by Leaders.
Taking account of this state of the
public mind, the seven principal leaders
of the Democratic party in the country
issued a remarkable public statement.
- he TomI 20 he
effect that their party would cooperate
with the Republican President in
measures helpful to the country in the
present condition Of business that they
would not resist or delay confirmation
Of At appointments to ONCE made by
the President: that they would facil-
state the orderly conduct of the ses-
eions business; that they would alb
stain from obstructive tactics-an of
which was summed up in the public
mind In word that passed into the
headlines. cooperate"
It should be interjected here that
ehis statement OF the seven Democratic
leaders had relation literally to the new
Congress not yet in existence. for which
the Democrats expected to be respon-
gible, In which they expected to have a
majority, or very close. to one. Never
theless the fact that the Democratic
leaders issued the statement at the
opening Of the present session and all
the circumstances attending IL caused
the public to feel that the promise of
cooperation had application to the
session then beginning and now in ex-
aStence. This was in the minds of the
leaders themselves. Their intention, in
the statement they made, and their
actual effort when the session came
into being, was to cooperate in the
present session as we'll as the future
one. One of the implications of the
promise. later made specific by Demo-
cratic Senate Leader Robinson, was to
% cooperate in the present session as
70 avert necessity for special session
OF the new Congress after March 4.
Ex-Candidates Signers.
The Democratic undertaking to CO.
operate was formally signed by all the
highest leadership of the party. 1t was
signed by the three living men who
have been the partys candidates for
President: ex-Gov. Alfred E. Smith,
candidate in 1923; John w. Davis, cam
didate in 1924; ex-Gov. James M. Cox
of Ohio, candidate in 1920. 1t was
signed by the two highest officials of
the Democratic national organization,
Chairman John J. Raskob Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, as we'll as
Jouett Shouse, the active head of the
committee. Finally it was signed by
the two men most directly responsible
for the actions of the party within Con-
gress-the party leader in the Senate
Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkan-
sas. and the leader in the House, Rep
resentative John Garner OF Texas
That the Democratic promise of CO.
operation went to unhappy wreck is
familiar TO every one. This fate con-
stitutes no unique reflection on the
Democrats. The fundamental cause Of
what happened does not lie within
either party: II is a condition that
affects both parties and lies deeper than
both. To realize this it is only neces-
sary to imagine reversal Of the situa-
ton.
Imagine that the Democrats were in
power with the Republicans out. Imag-
Inc that the seven highest leaders of
the Republican party had made exactly
the promise that the seven Democratic
leaders did Can any one doubt that in
such a reversed situation the hypothetl-
cal Republican promise OF cooperation
would have come to wreck? Does any
one doubt that the insurgent Republic
can Senatorial Toilette, Brookhart,
Norris and the others-would in many
cases have resented and in all cases
ignored any official, collective party
promise made by the leaders. and would
have prevented its fulfillment? The an
swer Is obvious What happened in this
session of Congress, what caused much
OF the public almost to deplore the very
existence of Congress, arises from causes
common to both parties.
Resentment in Ranks.
The promise by the seven Democratic
leaders to cooperate with the Republi-
can President was hardly dry on the
newsnapers that printed it before any
one close to the situation In Washing
ton was well aware that the promise
was resented by many Of the rank and