Western news and the Libby times., 1933-05-11

and hustle of getting things done In
this crisis. 1t seems
ReDersoI of to me that one OF
D.. the greatest trans
formations of all
time has taken place. | refer to the
reversal of powers that are exercfsed
bv congress and the Chief Executive.
Actually, In the period of little over
two months. or since Franklin u.
Roosevelt became President congress
has abdicated much power in favor or
the President and the President, ID
-turn,. has given to congress a veto
power which 1t never has had before.
1t will be recalled that the Constr
tuition prescribes the limits of author
ity of the legislative. executive ana
judicial branches OF our government.
Congress was supposed to be the check
on the executive powers just as the
President, through the exercise OF
veto on legislation, was to be the
check on acts of the national iegisia-
ture. The courts, or the Supreme
court of the United States, were given
q whip hand over both.
The circumstances of 1t all are SO I'M
portant and the procedure SO unique
that a review of the period probably
is necessary to set out the picture.
Further. there Is no doubt In the
minds OF many authorities and many
students OF government that the things
which have happened are going to az
feet the future Of this nation vitally
and I'm ways OF which we do not
dream. From the perspective OF the
present, 1t is made to appear that
they could not have happened except
for the crisis through which the ma
tion. and the world, has passed. Yet 1t
remains as fact that congress has
turned over to President Roosevelt
authority which 1t may recall to itself
only with the greatest difficulty.
Chronologically. events have trans
pired something In this order:
The President took office as the
banking structure of the nation was
crumbling. He act
Epochal ed@Without delay,
r.. and then asked con-
gress to support his
hand with the legislation that was nee
essary. Congress had no choice. II
voted the emergency banking bill
through in record time. That leglsla-
tion would have taken years otherwise
to have been enacted But congress
was scared
Next came the authority for reor-
ganizatlon of the government. 1t was
put through quickly because every
body In congress wanted to save
money and balance the budget. Also,
most members Of congress saw nice
sideroad which they could travel and
avoid meeting face to face with the
question OF reducing the payment to
veterans. They did not fancy cutting
government salaries, either So they
thought 1t was fine to "let Franklin do
It," He acted promptly and with neat
ness, saving probably more than four
hundred millions year In what he
believed to be unwarranted payments
to veterans and 4one-fourth as much
more In other ways.
1t was In this legislation as well as
In the banking act that congress be-
gan to give away Its control. The
statement can fairly be made that the
bulk of house and senate members had
no comprehension OF what was done
by the banking act, but the same can
not be said of the reorganization act.
That was simple legislation. 1t said
In plain language that the President
could make about any changes In the
structure of the government which he
deemed advisable. He was to do 1t by
executive order and II congress had
not acted affirmatively In prescribed
time, the executive order stood as law.
TO those unacquainted with the pro-
cedure, the. reversal of practice may
not be so apparent. But after con-
gress had delegated that authority to
the President, 1t can stop his action
only by a two-thirds vote. That Is
difficult to obtain except In an emer-
gency.
Assume, for an illustration, that
congress Is dissatisfied with some
move made by the
Veto P0Uer President in connec-
of Congress ton with reorgani-
cation and 1t passes
resolution setting aside that par
ticular executive order. Mere passage
of the resolution does not make 1t the
law of the land, for there is yet the
signature of the President to be OBJ
tanned. II the President chose to veto
the resolution, the congress then to
make its will effective must repass
that resolution by majority Of two
thirds. 1t thus exercises veto power,
something hitherto unknown.
Now, as to the banking act the Pres
ident was given broad discretionary
power to reconstruct the banking sys-
tenn. True, 1t was an emergency, a
crisis. But that legislation went so
far as to permit the Chief Executive
$o takn over and onnrafn fha fadarol