Evening star., 1933-01-23
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

Of the proposal Of Senator George w
Norris Of Nebraska to do away witt
the lame duck" sessions Of Congress
and to place q newly-elected Chic
Executive in the White House in Jan
uary instead Of in March may be given
Thirty-f1ve States, through their Legis
latures, had approved the amendment
up to Saturday night and it requires
only 36. The speed with which thu
twentieth amendment Is being writer
into. the basic law Of the land indicate.
that the Constitution can be amended
and quickly when the object desired
Is popular and has good reason fol
support. It is less than year since
mitted to the States for ratification
by the Congress. The vets are hoping
for similar speed II and when they ge
their prohibition repeal amendment
through both Houses Of Congress ant
before the States.
| Not many men in this country have
their names attached to an amendment
of the Constitution. Senator Norri.
fought for years to put through the
lame duck" amendment. His col.
leagues in the Senate, a decade ago
came to the conclusion that his pro-
posal was sound, and five or six time.
hts resolution passed the Senate before
it could be put through the House
The late Speaker Nicholas Longwortt
strongly opposed the amendment, as die
others of the Republican group which
dominated the House. But in the enc
even that wall was preached. And
surely there never has been a better
or more conclusive object lesson, show
ing the advisability of the projected
change in the Constitution than the
present lame duck" session of the
| Congress, impotent at q time when the
country has demanded new laws and
when 1t has clearly expressed its wish
at the polls. Had the Norris amend
ment been in effect, the new Congress
would have met here on January 8
and the President-elect, Mr.. Roosevelt
would have been inaugurated last
Friday.
The Nebraska Senator Is q sticker
When he sets his teeth in a proposal
they stay set. He Is what a lot of
other "progresGves" in Congress are
not-constructive. 1t begins to look
now as though he would prevail at
long last in his fight to have the Gov
ernment operate the Muscle Shoals
power and fertilizer plants, which he
and President-elect Roosevelt have Just
been visiting Twice Senator Norris
got his Muscle Shoals bill through, but
both times to be checked by refusal of
the Chief Executive to approve 1.-THE
late President Coolidge once and more
recently, President Hoover If Mr..
Roosevelt gives Senator Norris this
piece of legislation, he will have repaid
hn init IN,
candidacy, both for the Democratic
nomination and for the election to the
presidency. The veteran progressive
will be satsf1ed-he will want neither
cabinet job nor high committee as
Signments in the Senate.
X
The President-elect. however. is to
honor the progressive Republicans who
supported him by giving one of their
number a place in his Cabinet. accord
ing to recent reports. The two pro-
gressive Republican Senators whose
names are most frequently mentioned
in this connection are Senator Hiram
johnson of California and Senator
Bronson Cutting of New Mexico Sen
ator Johnson's name has been men
| toned in connection with the Office of
Attorney General and Senator Cutting
has been assigned in the gossip to the
ofiice Of Secretary of the Interior
Senator Cutting, like the President
| elect, Is Harvard man. He entered
that university about a year after
Franklin D. Roosevelt had left it, and
graduated in 1910. He was a Bull
Mooser in 1912, supporting the late
Col Theodore Roosevelt for President
and last year he came to the support
finally of Franklin D., the President
| elect. He has had big following in
New Mexico among the Democratic
voters Of the State
The promptness with which Senator
| Borah, chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. came to the de-
| fense of the President-elect and his
proposal to receive the representatives
of Great Britain to discuss the war
debts and the economic situation in the
world, is worthy of notice senator
Borah has so often opposed the Re-
| publican administration in its foreign
policies that the statement now ap-
proving the Roosevelt plan for ap-
preaching the debt problem Is almost
startling. 1t came. too, soon after SEN
ator Arthur Robinson of Indiana, a
Republican member of the Foreign Re-
AaeAoiio Ildu dtIdChcu lilt
| Roosevelt plan in the Senate on the
ground that it was a plain invitation
to the British to demand a reduction
or cancellation of the debt owed this
| country. The Roosevelt administra-
ton. when it takes command, will
doubtless find itself under fire If it
assumes to bring about a reduction or
cancellation of the foreign debts due
the United States, unless the debtor
nations give something of value to the
| American people in order to have their
| debts cancelled. Senator Borah appar-
emily sees in the Roosevelt move q
chance to do business with the foreign
countries on the question of dissrma-
ment or trade relations. Unless there
Is some quid pro quo, cancellation of
the debts owed this country by Great
Britain, France and other foreign ma
, tlons Is likely to raise q howl in Amer
lea, and Senator Robinson's speech,
whether it be merely an attempt to
embarrass the incoming administra-
ton or not, is only a forerunner of
what may be expected II cancellation
or reduction is brought about.
+ 4 X
The Glass reform bill, sponsored by
the distinguished Senator from Vir-
ginia, q former Secretary of the Treas
ury may yet be passed through the
Senate, despite the f1libuster and con-
tinued threats Of more fllibuster. It
has been amended 50 as to eliminate
the branch banking authorizations ex-
cept in States which specifically per-
init branch banking. The voice of the
people" has been heard-though If the
truth were known 1t is probably the
voice OF selfish interests that care very
little for the people. The Glass bill
contains very many other features Of
value, however, intended to restrict the
kind Of business in which banks of de-
posit may engage. The great trouble
with the banking system In this coun-
try, according to men high In the Gov-
ernment today, lies in the fact that
those banks which accept money for
deposit with the understanding that
the money may be withdrawn by its
owners at any time have been per-
mited to engage in business which re-
rfvna, I<~xr~