Evening star., 1933-10-15
STORM BREWING FOR BOTH
PARTIES In NEXT CONGRESS
Patronage and Policies Furnish Source
of Contention That Promises Anything
but Bed of Roses for Administration.

rent small expenditures for public works
at this time Of year, right on the edge
of cold weather, when the needs OF
the unemployed are growing in serious
ness.
Wagner Is Dissatisfied.
Senator Robert F. Wagner, who
championed the public works program
in the Senate, does not conceal his dis
satisfaction with the lack of rapid
progress by the Public Works Admins
tration, and he Is far from being alone
in the matter at the Capitol.
The course Of the Treasury Depart
ment in regard to the reopening OF
closed banks is another subject about
which much will be heard when Con-
gress meets. unless there is much more
rapid clearing up of this situation than
is anticipated here. The delays in re-
opening many of these banks are meet
ing with round criticism from both
Democrats and Republicans.
What attitude will be taken in Con-
gress toward the N r. A. and the
A. A. A. will be determined to con-
siderable extent by developments IN the
remainder of this calendar year. The
success or failure of the Buy Now
campaign will have something to do
with 1t. How major industries get
along under the permanent codes they
have adopted will be large factor. It
is evident there will be friction in the
operation of some of these important
codes, The troubles which are devel-
oping under the cotton textile code are
an Indication of this. There is no
longer any doubt that a powerful de-
mand will be heard from many men,
bers of Congress, especially those amen
able to labor. to shorten the hours
under the codes in accordance with
the attitude of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor. A direct drive for the
30-hour week may take on formidable
proportions.
Protect Farmers.
But the most serious possibility for
embarrassment of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration Is to be found in the fact
that members of Congress from the
agricultural States, rejecting the feel
ing of the farmers, are complaining
that industry and labor are benef1tng
more from the N. r. A. than the
farmers are being aided by the A. A. A.
In other words, the complaint Is
vigorous and growing that the farm
ers are finding the prices Of what they
have to buy going upward more rapidly
than the prices Of what they have to
sell.
True, Secretary Wallace is trying to
pacify such compliments by holding
out the hope that it will not be long
until the farmers are getting more
benefits. But unless such hopes are
realized in the next several weeks the
N. r. A. movement is likely to feel the
whitening effects of hot blasts from the
agricultural sections and their Repre-
sentatives in Congress. 1t scarcely need
be added that if the A. A. A. move
ment and the N: r. A. cannot within
q reasonable degree cooperate, 1t will
be unfortunate for the recovery move
ment in general. while it is not easy to
overestimate the amount Of political
dynamite contained in such q develop
ment.
Complaints over the operations Of
the Tennessee Valley Authority are
resounding in Washington. It Is
charged that the attempts Of this au-
thority to make over the social life
and everyday affairs Of the plain peo-
pie of Anglo-Saxon origin in the Ten
nessee Valley are not meeting with full
favor on the part Of the population.
Humphrey Incident Ominous.
President Roosevelt,s course in re-
moving from Office as member Of the
Federal Trade Commission former
Representative William E. Humphrey,
Republican. is likely to have un-
pleasant repercussions when Congress
assemblies. Talk is that Republican
leaders, or some Of them, will make an
issue Of it. The criticism which will
be offered by those who regard the
removal as unjustifled will 60 rather
to the effects of such a policy than to
the legal aspects of the case. although
the legal phases also will be taken into
account.
It will be contended that if Presi-
dent can remove a member Of quasi
judicial commission, with term fixed
by Congress. without charges, then
the White House can dominate the
course of every commission In Wash
ington, such as the Interstate Com
merce Commission and the Power
Commission, and that it is useless for
Congress to try to set up Independent
and bipartisan boards or bodies.
It will be urged that this is matter
far transcending considerations OF
personalities or politics. Democratic
leaders, it is pointed out, are not in
good position to defend such a re-
moval without any charge or cause
being named, for the reason that they
have in the past strongly insisted on
the idea of having bipartisan govern
ment commissions.