The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-01-26
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

Dy I MANN T. LII OCI1Eh1-
After each new President is in
Quoted into office there is usually a
period of six months in which the OPP
position party "lays off" so to speak,
and the new executive is given a
chance to work out his policies. This
period is usually called the incoming
chiefs honeymoon" There are in
dications, however, that President
elect Roosevelt's political honeymoon
will not be as extended as many of
those which have gone before. There
is, of course, reason. We are now
in the midst of a great depression,
and depression doesn't make for an
extended honeymoon, either socially
or politically. 49,
The reason is that there are so many
questions requiring immediate atten-
ton and immediate debate that the
battle lines will probably be drawn
rather quickly. A depression is nc
respecter of persons. 1t made the Of
fetal life of President Hoover bur-
den and it is likely to do the same
thing for Mr.. Roosevelt, unless the
clouds lift pretty quickly. Then again
the Democrats, during the campaign.
promised quick relief from the de-
preston. They will be expected to
make good, and if they do not do so
in reasonably short time the honey
moon will be over with avengeance.
A great many people who voted for
Roosevelt and Garner expected the
depression to lift the next day after
the election and were surprised when
there was not at once a tremendous
upsurge in the stock market. Then
they consoled themselves that things
would be all right on March 5. Now
they are beginning to wonder whether
prosperity will be restored overnight
even then.
Of course there was no sensible rea-
son for expecting a business revival
Immediately after the election. The
revival will come sooner or later, but
not because of this recent election or
any other election. 1t will come when
the processes of def1ation are checked
or completed, and when the cost of
government and the tax rate get down
on a level with the cost of labor and
commodities.
The problems confronting the new
administration are almost too numer-
Gus to mention. They are to be found
in both the domestic and the interna-
tional field In the domestic field they
include the balancing of the budget,
the reorganization of the government
in the interests of economy, the adju-'
dication of the liquor question, and
the "rescue" of the farmer. In the
international field we might mention
the question of debt settlements, of
American adherence to the world
court of disarmament, Manchuria and
our relations with Russia.
There is room for the application of
some real craftsmanship, political, and
economic, in these questions. Some
of them are going to be difficult to
solve satisfactorily, especially those
dealing with liquor, with agriculture
and economy. All of them are condu
Give to the termination of political
honeymoons. And in addition, there
will be confronting the new admin
istration the question of patronage.
The Democrats have been out of
power quite awhile, and there are
plenty of hungry office seekers, one
might say scores of office seekers for
each available job. For each man
who is satisfied with position there
will be dozens who are disappointed.
And political disappointment, too, is
conducive to the termination of polit-
zeal honeymoons.
The year 1888, in other words, is
fraught with grave and important is
sues at home and abroad. That Mr..
Roosevelt and his new Congress will
be able to solve them is the heartfelt
wish of every American who has Been
touched by the depression, and that
means SO out of every 100. But if
they are to be solved during the period
of political honeymoon definite pro-
gram will have to be determined on
by Mr. Roosevelt and the Democratic
leaders of the new Congress almost
Immediately. Even then it is going
to be tough job. In the meantime
the Republicans are in the minority.
Being in the minority has its draw
backs and also it's advantages. 1t is