The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-01-12
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

NHllUIVAL AFrHlNO
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT
Already there are evidences that
the political peace which descended
upon the country after the election
in November is about to be dispelled.
That it was anything more than an
armed truce, was of course not to have
been expectd. Now that the echoes
of the French debt disagreement have
begun to die away. leaders in Con-
gress are beginning to do a little
arms brandishing on domestic issues
with the evident purpose Of reaping
whatever political advantage there is
to be reaped.
Senator Robinson, of Arkansas,
Democratic leader in the present Sen
ate, opened the attack the other day
by inferring that the Republicans
were already using obstructive tao
tics with the evident purpose of fore
ing an extra session of the new Con-
gress which comes into being with
the new administration on March 4.
The Senator even went so far as to
express the fear that President Hoov-
err himself might veto some of the
legislation to be passed by the pres
ent Congress for the purpose of
forcing an extra session and interfer-
ing with the Rooseveltian program.
Republican leaders were not long
in coming back at the gentleman
from Arkansas. Representative Smell,
the Republican leader in the House,
charged in very unkindly fashion that
the Democrats in the present Congress
have no program and have never had
any except that which was encom-
passed in the slogan "beer by Christ
mas, Congressman Treadway of
Massachusetts, was even more specific
when he said:
"The Democratic party controls the
House and with its coalition vote also
controls the Senate. In what way,
therefore, can it be said that the Re-
publican party is today defeating leg
islation? Since the night Of Novem-
Der it has been known that the next
administration will be Democratic.
Has any announcement come either
through the President-elect or the
Democratic Leaders Of Congress of
any fixed program which that party
has in prospect?
president Hoover has shown his
good offices in endeavoring to coop
crate with President-elect Roosevelt
in the question of international debts
but his efforts toward cooperation
have been declined. The Democratic
leaders of the Senate have announced
that under no circumstances will any
nominations of the present admins
tration be confirmed. This attitude
has cost the government the expert
services of such man as Charles R.
Crisp, of Georgia, on the U. S. Tariff
Commission and undoubtedly other
non-partisan appointments. The
enormous Democratic political appe-
tite for everything possible from ele-
vator boys at the Capitol to interna-
tional arbiters makes for Gripping
the efficiency of the government and
continued delay"
And so it will continue to go from
now on. There will of course be a
decided change in strategy when the
new administration comes in. The
Democrats will then for the first time
in twelve years be on the defensive.
Their unprecedented victory has CIV
en- them entire control of the gov
eminent. The mantle of responsible
ity has been taken from the should
ers of the Republicans and placed
squarely upon the shoulders of the
Democrats.
/
During the past twelve years it has
been the pleasure, if not the duty,
of the Democrats to attack, to plague
the Republican majority in every way
possible. The Republicans with an