Evening star., 1933-04-13
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

Democratic insurgency in the Senate
and in the House has raised its head.
The Roosevelt leadership has been chal-
lenged Senator Smith of South Caro-
lima, chairman OF the Committee on
Agriculture, started the ball rolling in
the Upper House. and Senator Huey
Long of Louisiana pushed 1t along So
far this insurgent spirit has not been
yocalized by other Democrats on the
floor of the Senate, although a number
Of the Democratic Senators laughed
and chuckled as Senator Long ridi-
culed the reforestation act which he
called the sapling bill. There have
been rumblings. however. and an indi-
cation that several other Democratic
Senators were becoming restive Over
on the House side Of the Capitol yester-
day a new member from California
who was elected in the Democratic
landslide last November, John H. Hoep-
pei, castigated the whole Roosevelt
legislative program that has come be-
fore the House up to date, saying that
| there has not been one constructive
measure, except perhaps the beer bill,
which has been put through this ses-
sion of Congress" He continued even
more bitterly: THE New Deal in my
opinion, is taking on the character of a
raw deal, the most peculiar deal which
has ever been handed to the American
people" Like Senator Long, Mr. Hoop
pei took the view that Wall Street was
istration's program.
Sporadic cases of Insurgency IN any
party in control of the Government may
be expected And SO far the Democratic
insurgency has been just that. The
President still mas practically absolute
control and the party leaders on Capitol
Hill are following his lead. Should the
Democratic party in Congress become
really divided and unwilling to go along
with the administration, the situation
would be indeed chaotic. During the
last two years of the Hoover admins
tration, and even before that, the Re-
publican insurgency in the Senate
caused delay and defeat of the proposals
of the administration. Delay and defeat
of President Roosevelt's program is not
what the people are looking for today.
They want something done. Their hope
IS centered, not in Democratic insur-
gents, but in the White House. In
surgents, whether they are actuated by
principle or by politics, will make no
particular hit with the American people
in this emergency.
4 X
A lot has been said and written about
the failure of the Democrats in Con-
gress to receive their share of patron
age-of Federal pap, appointments for
their friends and supporters to Federal
office It has been said that the Presi-
dent Is deliberately Withholding this
patronage until he has been able to get
the measures he desires enacted by the
Congress. Probably no President who
has come into the White House in re-
cent years has ever been so pressed by
problems Of huge public interest as
President Roosevelt. Other Presidents
hands at the very outset Of their ad-
ministrations. They have had time to
give to the consideration of filling offices
and more offices. President Roosevelt
has had no time to do anything but
work on the problems which have con-
fronted him. II the appointments to
public office have Jagged, there Is good
reason for 1t even beyond the supposed
reason that the President was holding
big stick over the Senators and Rep
| leSentatives.
There is a bigger stick than patronage
which the President holds TO-DAY. That
is the favorable sentiment OF the Amerl-
can people. II he can retain that favor
he does not have to worry about jobs
4 Congress must pay attention to public
opinion. indeed, 1t is one of the things
that they pay most attention to. FIRE.
uuently they mistake the demandS-
mainly selfish-of minority groups for
public opinion. The President has trod
on the Toes Of some of these minority
groups already since he came into ofhce,
while members of Congress have gasped
at his temerity. They have done all they
could to let him take the blame for
these acts, and to avoid responsibility
themselves. It Is quite true that mem
bers OF the these minority groups are
resentful and that they will do all in
their power to influence those members
of Congress-whom they have controlled
In the past-to attack the President and
his program.
Just because the President proposes
o piece Of legislation does not OF itself
| make that piece Of legislation either
wise or advants geous to the people.
However, the President has been elected
Chief Executive by the people with the
idea In the minds Of the people that he
is TO take the leadership in meeting the
grave problems of the day-economic
ship. He has the advice ot men in
whom he has confidence Up to the
present time his program has been
largely defiationsry. In an effort to
reduce the expenses OF the Government.
from the present time forward, MS
program must look to putting men and
women back to work. This cannot all
be done by the Government. The great
trouble with the world today Is not
too much production. but tco little c1n-
sumption. The efforts to contract pro-
duction have led to less and less power
of consumption ON the part OF the
people. If plan could be devised t.
brinY about mass consumption" the
problem Of mass production would no
longer exist. 1t is tough nut to crack.
But 1t certainly looks as though there
must be In some way greater dlstri-
button of the profits of production or
of the production itself to the workers
1t is idle. for example. to say that there
are millions who have not whole pair
of shoes to their feet. The difiiculty
lies in the distribution.
The President has cut Government
expenditures, or will soon do SO, by
about a billion dollars. one-Quarter or
more of the entire outlay. This means
reduced buying power and thousands
more people out of work. There must
be a swing to the other side. Some
thing must be done to increase the
buying power and increased employ
ment. Yesterday the President sent
telegrams to the Governors Of 13 in
dustrial States urging that they give
attention to the minimum wage law
recently enacted in New York State
and suggesting that similar laws In the
other States would be advisable, so as
to check unsound reductions In wages.
This is q ne wtrack. For hitherto the
administration has cut pay Of the
Covernmeot workerS RIGHT and left If