Montgomery County sentinel., 1932-03-18
The Fayorlte AIIbl.

The favorite alibi Of the apolieist OF the
Administration for the two-million-do dollar
deficit that has resulted from dozen years
Of absolute Republican domination over the
Governments expenditures and receipts is
that wicked Congresses have run over wise
and economical Presidents Harding, Cool.
idee and Hoover--and that therefore In
some mysterious way the White House is
absolsed from blame.
Theoretically the President is the leader
Of his party and when the Presidency has
been held BY strong men there has been
no difficulty in his laying down the party
policies and directing legislation as long as
Confessional majorities were Of his poll
Iith. Cleveland. Roosevelt and Will
al had insureencies to deal with. but
In the main, they prevailed 10 whatever
strife arose between them and their party
associates 10 Congress-.
The country is always inclined to dive
the President the benefit Of the doubt In
any controversy he has with Congress- and
the Presidents power. II he has the cour-
age % exercise L. Is greater even than
constituency's demand for chance to dip
into the pork barrel In other words, a
President is well nigh omnipotent Govern
mentally when he ls In the right and the
coDsressmcn are in the wrong.
10 any event Il Is strange excuse for
deplorabie treasury situation that Rep
ublican Congresses have so bullied Repub-
iieaa Presidents that a provident White
House has beea powerless before spend
th,iis Capitol.
Of course. this is pure Aonsense. The
Presidents named bowed to the same
influences which moved their political
brothers In Congress to spend lavishly.
Even where they interposed vetoes 1t was
with the minimum Of strenuousness nearly
always when has one Of them failed
to lndosse the eeneraltrend Of a Republican
Congress and to seek it's reelectionS
How much had Congress- to do with the
enactment Of the Farm Relief bill, which
resulted in the waste Of practically half
billion dollars in political gesture Presi.
dent Hoover, hampered by his prediction
commitments. demanded a specific meas
nre and got H. Nobody expected It would
be an adequate remedy for the agricultural
ills. bat the President had pledged himself
to farm legislation and this enormous sum
was tossed away to save the Administra-
tion's face.
The President was warned by every
economist worthy Of that designation that
the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill would shatter
industry and increase unemployment, but
he signed il nevertheless rather than an.
taeonize those who had contributed most
70 his campaign fund The inevitable and
foFeseen consequences was the series Of
fepflsal tariff rates by those countries
against whose products the embargo duties
were aimed which in turn brought about
the exodus Of Americas export business
20 localities under the new protection.
Naturally American factories deprived of
these markets had to shut down or run on
pari time. unemployment increased, and
the echo was diminished incomes and
naturally less revenue, and so the deficit
came about. In the first place the Presi-
dent could have aver,ed the advent Of the
deplorable Grundy scales by mere ex-
pfessIop Of disiaste for them. In the
second place. after missing that easy
opportunity, he could have saved the coun-
trgs business by veto which would have
been sustained by the Democrats. for the
tariff bill was Effected by the narrowest Of
paaFglns Still The Administration dlsclaims
ell responsibility for the Treasury being
I'm the fed. md tries to make the country
believe that il was ell the fault Of waste
fisl, selfish Coneressmen.
Net without significance is the latest
sequel. where Congress dominated BY the
Democrats has cut of $il4, 100000 from
the secent bulge, sent in by the President.
which. with automatic reductions due to
non-fecurrine items. has already decreased
the general appropriations more than
$3.50, 100000.
Yet we may anticipate that when cam
paisn time comes along the Hydes and
HuFleys s-d Jahnckes OF the Administra-
iica rill he npintine to the record as an.
,nsr example Of the Administration
eflnfFg