The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-28
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES


ID EPUBLICANS in congress are holding
~ series of confidential meetings on the
eve Of the session to determine a program
Representative Smell, the G. o. P. leader in
the house, hopes to get some sort Of agree
ment by the end of this week, and Minority
Leader AIcNary in the senate has an idea that
something may come Of meeting planned
for next Tuesday. But at the moment the
Republicans are wandering about in fog.
Maybe they viii not get out Of it for long
time.
In addition to the permanent division with
in the ranks between the progressives and old
guard, the latter group is split into several
sections.
So far as the old guard is concerned the
division does not seem to be so much on
questions of principle as of strategy. AS po-
litical "outs" they want to be "ins" Normal
ly that would involve an open attack on the
administration. Indeed it was assumed by
many Republican politicians last spring that
after few months in office the administra-
ton would begin digging it's own grave, and
the OLD guard this winter would have the COM
paratively easy task of captalizing on public
discomfort. But it has not worked out that
way.
There was a sag in administration popu-
larity during the autumn, but now appar-
emily the tide is definitely pro-RooSevelt So
Senator Reed of Pennsylvania one of the
shrewdest of the old guard, reports that in
talking with voters he finds the President
personally very popular"
Senator Reed adds that this personal
popularity does not extend to several of the
Roosevelt policies. He concludes that the
Republicans should begin to function as IAN
active, vocal minority party" Quite So But
be active and vocal about what?
The answer to that question implies con-
victions, and courage to carry out convictions
which these leaders have not yet shown. Hth-
erto they could and simply did reflect the
views of conservative business and financial
interests But now business and financial con-
servatives are either bankrupt Of ideas or
divided. So there is nothing for the old guard
to reflect except bankruptcy and division
which precisely is what it does reflect on the
eve of the congressional session.
There is not one major issue on which
Wall Street is agreed Some wish to build up
the Roosevelt new deal as the only barrier to
evolution; others want to knock down the
President. Some want to follow the President
in mild banking reform, in stock market regu-
lation, in securities law enforcement; others
dream of going back to the old ways. And on
the vital issue of initiation Wall Street is split
wide open on the gold dispute on silver. on
managed currency.
Similarly the industrial interests are divided
in their attitude not only toward initiation and
financial problems generally, but also toward
NE2A and the industrial Codes
What is the G. O. P to do? 1t is afraid to
attack the President because of his personal
popularity in the country 1t is afraid to at
tack the Presidents policies because many con-
sentative Republican industrialists and bank
ers prefer those policies to the possible alter
native of collapse.
Apparently there is now no place for q
large tory minority party, but only for a small
and unimportant remnant. There are political
signs that the President has captured and as
sumed leadership OF the middle-ground grouns
IN all parties and all classes. If this is true.
any important opposition group in congress
and the country probably will arise to the left
rather than to the right of the administra
ton. Popular criticism, if and when it comes.
probably will not demand less but more of the
new deal.
In other words, the political prospects of the
Old guard are not exactly bright.