Evening star., 1933-03-13
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

message to Congress demanding the
passage Of the economy bill which he
was presently to send to that body Is
the boldest public document in many
year. In 1t he called upon the Congress
to reduce compensation and pensions OF
veterans Of the World War and other
wars to give him the authority to take
thousands from the rolls and to reduce
the pay Of all employees Of the Federal
Government. The bill he sent to Con-
gress and which the House put through
on Saturday without the slightest
amendment is calculated to knock
$400 100000, a year of the Govern
ment's billion-dollar contribution to
Of all kinds. He asked for authority
to prune the rolls of veterans who now
receive benefits from the Government,
and he has declared he intends to
use the pruning knife. Not since the
days of Grover Cleveland has a Chief
Executive undertaken to face the wrath
Of veterans and their organizations on
such scale. It is quite true that many
Of the veterans Of the World War and
other wars have applauded and will
applaud what President Roosevelt is
doing. They have plenty Of patriotism.
But there will also be many who will
object strenuously to the Roosevelt pro-
gram, which Is in opposition to the
policy Of the leaders Of the American
Legion, who have insisted that the
budget should be balanced, not by cur
failing these payments tc the veterans,
but by taking the money from the
wealty Of the country through taxa
wealthy Of the country through taxa
Is a non-political organization, many Of
itc ,tny.c IA &vH
and the effort OF scores OF members OF
Congress-and the Senate-has been to
stand well with the Legion and to sup
port all legislation which 1t favored.
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The marvel Is that President Roose-
welt was able to bring the House to
take his economy plan by vote Of 266
to 1873. True. there was sizable revolt
| within the Democratic caucus Of the
| House, which threatened to upset the
Roosevelt economy plans entirely, just
before the bill was taken up in the
House. Under the leadership Of Rep
resentative Browning of Tennessee,
| himself a veteran, an amendment to
the bill was approved by majority
of the Democratic members to prevent
the removal of any veteran from the
rolls who is now receiving pension or
compensation, and to limit all cuts In
pensions and compensation to rs per
cent. But in the House itself. when
the showdown came, 1877 Democrats
supported the passage of the bill and
only 90 voted against 1t. Furthermore,
the Democrats supporting the Presi-
dent had been heartened during the two
hours of debate in the House by the
news that the Republican members
would cast big vote for the bill.
y y \
When the roll was called. the Demo-
Gratis had to make up their minds
whether they would go along with their
new President or be governed by the
wishes of the veterans. particularly the
| politically minded veterans. It was a
tough spot for many of them. The
| strong appeal made by the President,
! however, that the Congress act for the
| benefit of the whole country in this
matter and his promise that no inJus-
tice be done disabled and deserving
veterans, carried the day. President
| Roosevelt's predecessor Herbert Hoover,
had recommended to the last Congress
that there be cuts made in the money
appropriated for the veterans. but moth
| ing so broad as the Roosevelt proposal.
Mr.. Hoover's recommendations had
been turned down fatty by the Con-
| gress. which was not only hostile to
the President, but on the eve Of ma
tioral election and congressional elec-
! ton.
The new Democratic leadership OF
| the House has won its spurs. It has
put through-with the aid Of the Re-
| publicans, it Is true-a measure which
promised them more trouble probably
| than any other the administration may
present If it tottered for a few mo-
ments, it came back strong. Further
more. Speaker Rainey and Majority
Leader Byrns had the good sense to
make use of the services Of Representa-
tive McDuffie Of Alabama. who had been
Mr.. Rainey's principal opponent for the
Speakership among the Democrats, in
dealing with the economy bill. Mr.
special Economy Committee to handle
this legislation. And Mr.. McDuffle did
an exceedingly capable job both for
the administration and for the Rainey-
Byrns machine In the House In his
handling of the economy bill
The administration meets its next
test-so far as the economy bill Is con-
cerned-in the Senate, where Senator
Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic
leader, must marshal his forces for the
measure. 1t is confidently predicted by
Senate leaders that the measure will
pass that body. too, but there is likely
to be lively fight before it does. The
three Rs" of the present Democratic
administration are Roosevelt, Rainey
and Robinson.
Republicans in the House-and many
| in the Senate will follow suit-have
given their approval to the Presidents s
emergency banking bill and his economy
| bill. The third measure in his emer-
gency program. however. Is likely to be
resisted strongly by many Of the regu-
| lar Republicans-no matter what the
attitude Of so-called Progressives. This
| third measure Is the promised bond issue
| bill, to spend something like $500, ,000, 900
| to set up camps for the unemployed
and to carry on reforestation, food
| control, and other public works. The
Republicans object strenuously to such
| a measure, asserting they see no use
| in looping half a billion dollars of the
Government expenditures for veterans
and Federal employees If the same sum
| IS to be spent on public works. Where
will be the saving to the people, they
| ask.
Is President Roosevelt to hold up
the beer bill for his so-called program
of permanent legislation-as distin-
guished from the emergency program?
| The legalization of the manufacture
and sale of beer would not only set more
men to work, but would also bring reve-
nue. into the Treasury. So the beer
men are asking, why wait?
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Failure Of appreciable numbers of
members of the House to put in appear
ances when the roll is being called on
legislation was the subject Of comment
in the House restaurant Saturday. One
of his colleagues suggested to Repre-
| sentative Loring Black of New York
that perhaps the flu was responsible
| for absences.
TITS a disease that's responsible" re-
piled the ready New Yorker "but not
the flu. It's the Ayes and Noes
| disease"
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