Evening star., 1933-02-12
Roosevelt a Common DenOminator?
Or Will He Get Dictatorship Mandate?

sesses precisely that sort Of multici-
plicity Of them. The popular scene is
one Of storm in which the winds veer
the tides change, the currents turn, and
all that the politician can see is noun
famous waves Of mob impulse proceed
ing to all points Of the compass-and
to none.
In the older days of the Republic
the politician might thereupon have
legislated at his own will Today the
politician cannot do so. He has been
trained now to "let the people rule"
He has been trained to expect "man-
date" from the people. Without q
mandate" from the people to put and
hold him straight lie whirls like top.
and II the people are lost, he is lost.
We can then in Washington today
observe the next step of the process
It is that of offering the incoming
President q kingly crown.
What is his will in the matter, for
instance, Of the domestic allotment plan
farm relief bill? Some farm organiza-
ton leaders are supporting the bill
openly, but are opposed to it covertly,
with that mixed mandate from asri-
culture. What shall confused Congress-
men do?
Answer-1t is Mr.. Roosevelt's bill
Let him say what the answer Is. He
will hardly be able to escape saying
The bill Is not q contest between indus
try and agriculture. 1t Is contest
between part of industry and part of
agriculture. Some Of its most ardent
adherents are industrialists and nm
anciers. Some of its most devastating,
self-effacing skeptics and critics are
spokesmen on agricultural groups.
No situation could more clearly dem
onstrate the country's bewilderment.
Neither in agriculture nor In industry
and finance does it know what 1t de-
try and finance and banking and
currency.
The basic question Of currency infla-
ton versus debt liquidation is as tossed
on the waves Of indecision as the ques-
ton Of advancement Of farm prices.
Not at any time during the depression
has the country firmly shown whether
1t wished to liquidate its past excesses
Of debt or wished to try to maintain
their inflated volume with the help Of q
new imitation Of silver certificates and
United States notes. What, then, shall
Congress do?
Answer-Await speech from the
throne after March T.
The congressional remission Of the
problem Of governmental departmental
reorganization to the President -elect Is
only q symptom. It Is not merely Fed
eral reorganization that will be centered
into the White House for solution. 1t
Is also virtually every other funda-
mental problem now confronting their
people which hesitates and the Con-
sress which abdicates. Thus once more
the historic political maximum reasserts
itself. 1t is but step from "let the
people rule" to "let one man rule"
Mr.. Roosevelt may endeavor modestly
to put his fate aside. The undecided
people and their unmandated repre-
sentatives will fix 1t upon him. The
country is tired Of going nowhere with
the mob. 1t wants to 60 somewhere
with a man.
Mr.. Roosevelt has immense political
astuteness. Putting his opportunity
and his character together, this writer
estimates and surmises as follows: The
country and the Congress do not want
Mr.. Roosevelt as President to query
They want him to command. He there
fore WILL
(Copyright, 1933)