Evening star., 1933-03-20
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

His farm bill promises to provide the
acid test Of President Roosevelts po-
litical leadership Hitherto everything
he has proposed was assured Of ap-
proval practically in advance. He had
but to ask to receive. Emergency bank
ing legislation, economy, beer-all those
things were smooth sailing compared
to the rough seas the administration
will have to pillow through before its
plan for agricultural relief Is safe In
harbor. The opposition clans are
gathering ON Capitol Hill and sharpen
ing their knives. Their voices will be
raised in both House and Senate as soon
as opportunity offers. Eastern big busi-
ness has already signaled its dislike of
measure which so frankly favors the
country element at the expense of the
town element. There will be long and
loud lamentations over the threatened
increase In the cost Of living, especially
food prices, seen to be inevitable when
the professors" of farm produce pass
along to consumers the taxes to be ex-
torted from the professors for financing
the ''socialistic" relief program. Even
President Roosevelt's candid uncertainty
as to its variability and his promise to
report failure, If failure there is, aren't
likely to stem the tide Of congressional
hostility Senator Robinson, Demo-
cratic majority leader, forecasts whole-
sale amendment Of the measure, but
believes it will not be 'emasculated."
All signs indicate that F. D. r. Is on
the threshold Of knockdown and drag
out with the other end Of Pennsylvania
avenue Meantime, Democratic patron
age remains undistributed.
Before long, II not Immediately, q
hind-the-scenes battle royal will be
waged at the White House on the ques-
ton of recognition for Soviet Russia.
Despite circumstantial assurances that
President Roosevelt favors recognition,
nothing publicly said or done warrants
the belief that he is ready to break the
boycott Of the Communist government
at Moscow. which four Presidents before
him have consistently maintained. Ar
rival in Washington Of former Gov. Phil
La Toilette of Wisconsin seems to have
breathed fresh life into the recognition
rumors. Some say La Toilette recently
visited Russia as q Roosevelt eniSsary.
It's probable that one of the Presidents
close advisers on Russia is the member
of his 1882 campaign brain trust.
Prof. Rex G. Tugwell Of Columbia Uni
versity, who was recently appointed As
sistant Secretary of Agriculture. DIR.
titled Soviet Russia in the Second
Decade" published in 1928 by q group
of American economists. The Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture is leading fac
tor in the Roosevelt reforestation plan
Trees, Just Trees" as it's being dubbed.
He Is stalWart youngster of AZ, was
graduated from the Wharton School OF
Finance and Commerce at the Univer-
sity Of Pennsylvania and joined the Co
lumbia faculty in 1922.
Senator Carter Glass has been con-
fined to his hotel residential apartment
for more than a week, but declines to
shut himself of from public business.
To his quarters flows as steady stream
Of official visitors as his doctors will
permit: Secretary OF the Treasury Woe
din, Undersecretary Ballantine, Acting
Controller Of the Currency Await and
House Banking Committee Chairman
Steagall have been among the virginian's
recent callers. The White House Is hope
full that Glass will soon be himself
again. He Is regarded q tower Of ad-
ministration strength in the Senate.
\ 4
This observer awards the seasons blue
ribbon for timely epigrams to Walker S.
Buel, Washington correspondent of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The evidence
of a democracy's ability to function" he
says, "is the celerity with which It ab-
dicates." Mr.. Buel Is one Of the Grid
iron Clubs nbrettist-bards and respon-
sible for some Of its wittiest barbs and
ballads.
\
It was of record at the time-the
wee sma' hours of Inauguration day,
when the banking crisis was just around
the corner-that the Federal Reserve
naard 4, ~, a11-p}0hf e{t<{a0 had Am