Evening star., 1931-11-29
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The prospective new floor leader Of
the Democratic majority in the House
of Representatives, Mr.. Henry T. Rainey
of Illinois, who Is a dry, will not lead
any effort to prevent the vets from
accomplishing q re-SubmiSSion Of the
prohibition question to the people.
Mr.. Rainey's policies on all public
| questions are a tense topic In Washing
ton at this moment in view of the
large influence which he so suddenly Is
expected to exercise upon legislation in
the next Congress.
The policies of his fellow Democrat,
Mr.. John N. Garner Of Texas, the next
Speaker of the House Of Representa-
tives, have been widely discussed. In
the development of a Democratic party
program, however, Mr.. Garner will
naturally and wisely collect the ideas
of his leading Democratic legislative
colleagues. Chief among those colleagues
in the delivering of votes upon roll
| calls will be Mr.. Rainey. The specula-
| ton then arises:
4
Toward what purpose will Mr.. Rainey
| tend to organize the majority of which
he will be the leader on the House
of Representatives floor? Here follows
the answer:
Prohibition. Mr.. Rainey represents
one Of the driest congressional dis
tricts in the country. He has voted
steadily dry. He will continue to do so.
| He may even vote against any pro-
| poSal for sending revision Of the
eighteenth amendment to the States
and their celebrates. He nevertheless
will organize no general fight against
/ such proposal He will on this ques-
tion go along with his constituents
and willingly let his fellow Congress-
men go along with theirs. (This is
an attitude which ia becoming in
creasingly prevalent on Capitol HILL
Depression relief. Mr.. Rainey fears
that Federal appropriations for the
| relief Of distress caused by the depres-
sion may become necessary. He does
not look upon this prospect with en-
thusiasm. He will accept 1t only as
being inevitable. He thinks that some
Of the poorer communities may not be
able financially to meet the distress
problem. In that case he would favor
Federal taxation for the purpose of
obliging the richer communities to as
sist the poorer ones. He recoils from
such necessity, but fears 1t may occur.
~
Taxes. Mr.. Rainey anticipates a con-
siderable increase in the Surtaxes upon
large incomes. He is skeptical as to
the willingness of the House of Repre-
sentatives to enact sales tax. He would
himself vote against it. He thinks that
the new taxes adopted will be mainly
in the nature of increases in the in
come tax. His record shows that he
objected to the processes whereby a
great multitude Of the smaller income
tax payers were exempted from all
income tax payments. He doubts, how
ever, If it is politically possible now to
put them back on the income tax
rolls. He thinks accordingly that the
chief new taxation burdens will fall
upon people who are relatively rich.
He thinks at the same time that the
taxes that can be derived successfully
from such people will not suffice to
meet the current and prospective
deficits. He, therefore, anticipates
recourse to bond issues.
X 4 II X
Debts from foreign governments. Mr..
Rainey is resolutely opposed to the
canceiing of these debts. He seems
resolutely opposed even to the reducing
of them, unless in return for the re-
auctions we acquire some compensating
| advantages. He thinks that the exist
| ing debt settlements are unduly favor
able to the foreign governments con-
cerned. He voted against virtually all
those settlements when they were &C
| month even against the acceptance OF
the present Hoover one-year "debt holi-
day." He will emphatically vote against
| all uncompenSated extensions OF that
| holiday. Since Mr.. Garner Is equally
a zealot against any such extensions, 1t
is clear that the project for such ex-
tensions may be on its way to legislative
ShipWreck.
Tariff in principle. Mr.. Rainey says:
doVOPaCcfOT1
nothing in comparison with the depres-
sion we are approaching unless tar1tfs
| are reduced"
Tariff in practice. Mr.. Rainey says:
''The tariffs of foreign countries are
| just as bad for us as our own tariff.
They are indeed worse. We cannot in
| prudence open our own markets more
| and more widely to the foreigners II
their markets are going to be more and
| more closely shut to us. The matter
has ceased to be merely national. 1t
has become in practical essence inter-
! national. We ought to reduce our tariff,
/ but we ought to reduce it conditionally.
We ought to reduce it in company with
reductions abroad. International con-
lutely necessary. favor the calling OF
international trade conferences for that
purpose"
Tariff on Petroleum. Mr.. Rainey
favors 1t. He thinks that the inde-
pendent petroleum producers have
proved the desirability of such tariff
in present international circumstances.
| X X
Farmers. Mr.. Rainey is a farmer. He
used to be also lawyer. But now he Is
farmer only. He has 500 acres. He
has 81 brood sows and is gravely de-
pressed by the depression in the price
| of hogs on the hoof. He also has 100
cows and seriously dislikes all present
| prices offered for them.
Farm Relief. Mr.. Rainey thinks that
farm relief" cannot come too quickly.
He accordingly looks with great appre-
hension at the present vigorous en-
deavors Of European countries to re-
strict their importations Of foreign (in-
Guiding AmeTtcanl farm products. He