Evening star., 1932-11-28
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.


tention Of conducting q filibuster to de-
lay action on a resolution to submit the
question to the States AS the Idaho
Senator says. he never flibusters. But
he does insist upon thorough discussion
and consideration Of important mat
ters that come before the Senate. And
II amending the Constitution Of the
United States is not an important mat
ter. Senator Borah would like to know
what is. Senator Borah intends to give
a good deal Of attention to the consider
alton and framing of the prohibition
amendment to be submitted He is par
ticularly interested in seeing that there
Is no return of the saloon, and also in
seeing that there is proper protection
given the dry States, If the bars against
the sale OF liquor are let down in States
which wish to manufacture, sell and
consume these beverages.
y i X
The plan Of the Speaker Of the House,
Vice President Garner. to recog-
nize a member Of the House on the
first day Of the opening session Of Con-
gress to move suspension of the rules
and vote on a resolution proposing re-
peal or revision Of the eighteenth
amendment is little short of scandal
Gus in the opinion OF soue members OF
Congress, who look on the matter OF
amending the Constitution of the
United States as a serious affair, to
which the keenest attention and con-
sideration should be given. It is their
belief that to take up such an impor-
tant amendment to the basic law of the
land and act on 1t after 40 minutes
depate, ~ minutes on side, would
belittle the House in the eyes of the
people; make them think that the
House acted on important matters in
opera bouffe style. On the other hand,
1t might as well be admitted that, once
resolution has been framed and pre-
sented to the House and members
know what 1t contains, speeches sell
dom have the slightest effect on the
votes cast.
More and more it Is becoming ap-
parent That the Democrats In Congress
and the advisers of the president-elect
are most anxious to avoid the necessity
OF calling a special session Of the new
congress In the Spring. They would
like to- have Roosevelt take office and
nave six months or more to get things
running before he has a Congress to
tackle. This is one reason why the
Democratic leaders are willing to speed
up the prohibition amendment and the
beer bill They would dearly like to see
some farm legislation put through at
the coming short session of Congress,
too. If these things could be accom-
plished they would feel that a special
session might well be avoided. They
are willing to take chance on the
tariff although they attacked the
Smoot-Hawley law throughout the
campaign and for the last three years.
They feel that something may be de-
veloped in the planned economic con-
ference which would lessen the tension
and increase international trade.
This lame duck" session differs from
many other such sessions when new
party is about to come into power. In
other days the effort of the incoming
party often has been to prevent any
action; to have a colorless session with
nothing done. But now the Democrats
are keen to have the lame ducks get as
much necessary work out of the way as
done in way which commends itself to
the Democrats.
X X *
Bob" Lucas, who has been the ex-
ecutive director of the Republican ma
tional organization, with headquarters
In Washington, during the last two or
three years, resigned that Office and
became assistant to the chairman of
the Republican National Committee
when the campaign organization was
set UP last Summer. Mr.. Lucas is now
opening law Offices in Washington and
will practice here, maintaining his in
tereSt in Republican politics, but with
out taking o directing position In the
party organization which will be main
tanned in the interim before another
campaign. He was internal revenue
commissioner before he became director
of the Republican organization and has
had wide experience. He halls from
kentucky, like Jouett Shouse, who was
executive chairman Of the Democratic
National Committee. with headquarters
here for three years, and who is now
the president Of the Association Against
the Prohibition Amendment.
X X y x
Some Of the Democrats are talking
about setting up an assistant to the
President" to take lot of the work of
enters the White House If Mr.. Roose-
velt asks for the creation of such an
Office it will be said that he is not up
to handling the onerous job for which
he has been elected Furthermore,
members of Congress who have dealings
with the President much prefer to deal
with him than with an assistant"
Congress would have to put through the
law creating the new job and provide
for the salary Of an Assistant" Just
how much an assistant" to the Presi-
dent should be paid is another matter
Of some. interest, not to mention the
question as to how far such an assist
ant would have authority. The Presi-
dent is an elected officer. An appointed
assistant" might find 1t difficult to
deal with important matters. 1t looks
as though the President would have to
depend upon picking secretary of
ability to aid him and to take as much
possible. A presidential assistant has
been talked OF before this, but the sug-
gestion never got very far.
X n
Senator Hiram Johnson Of California,
leaving his home State to return to
Washington, was quoted as saying that
the progressive Senators could take
care Of themselves He was replying to
suggestions that the regular Repub-
licans in Congress might undertake to
discipline them. It does not appear
now that the regulars win do anything
about the progressives who leaped on
the Roosevelt band wagon; they will be
invited to the Republican caucuses as
usual and probably will not attend, un-
less they turn over new leaf The
regulars are inclined to believe that the
Qnly way the progressive Republicans can
be dealt with effectively is through the
action of the voters in their own States.
johnson and La Toilette of Wisconsin,
among those who supported Roosevelt in
the last campaign, are coming up for
denomination in 1884. Unless the DEM
ocrats in California and Wisconsin GO
into the Republican senatorial pri-
maries in those States to help out john
son and La Toilette, they may yet have
a rough time of it getting renominated
The more immediate concern of the
however, is the part which
they will play in the Seventy third