The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-02-28


It was Garner who surprised the
politicians Of congress, to say moth
ing of the nation as a whole, by de-
handing that the Democratic house
on the first day of its present ses-
sion fulfill the platform pledge. He
made a good case for repeal but he
didn't actually put the screws on
the boys"
There were some timid threats
against recalcitrant dry Democrats,
threats Of loss of patronage and
prime committee jobs, bat they were
ineffective
Credit Goes to Garner
The repeater lost by a small mar
gin.
1t appears nav that it was a great
moral victory which prompted the
senate to act and caused the house
to concur on the second vote. The
credit for that first moral victory
which resulted in the actual triumph
on Feb. 20 is Speaker Gamers.
The blustery, red-faced, white
haired Texan read the rubrics of the
speakerShip under old Uncle Joe"
Cannon twenty years ago and en-
deavored from the first to be boss
of the house, but in a strictly parlia-
mentary sense.
He scOrned a steering committee,
broke only the house parliamentary
ian knows how many presidents,
gave orders to committees and COM
mittee chairmen, did not cooperate
to any marked degree with party
leaders in the senate-and as a re-
suit his speakership has been some
thing less than the smooth, swift,
sure regime Of his Republican
friend, the late Nick Longworth,
whom he succeeded.
Weak and Shaky Majority
The Democratic party has had
weak and shaky majority in the
house; so small that groups like the
Republican Progressives actually
have held the balance of power.
The house was Democracy's show
window these last two years of the
Hoover Republican administration,
and everybody there felt like gold
fish in bowl. The Democrats had
no definite program.
The change in Garner and in his
operation of the house since the
November elections has been obvi-
GUS
The depreSsicn's effect has been
of
has offered program, and failure
of part of il has not detracted from
the fact; he has not been concerned
about personal political ambitions;
and the pOiSe acCruing from over
whelming party strength has quoted
WrangleS in the house and between
it and the White House.
Summing Up Record
Now that the speaker IS about TO
become Vice President, the leading
items of the legislative record of the
house during his two-year regime
can be totaled up about as follows:
On the credit side, passage Of the
prohibition repeal resolution comes
first; then modification of the Vol
stead act; the Philippine independ-
ence bill, the anti-injunction bill,
the lame duck amendment, passage
of the bills giving federal farm
board cotton and wheat to the Red
Cross for free distribution to the
needy, and liberalization of the
house rules.
On the debit side may be listed
the failure of the house to provide
unemployment relief as proposed
in the CoStigan-La Toilette bills. the
failure to meet adequately the farm
mortgage distress; and the failure
to pass the Glass bill for banking
reform. Speaker Garner also per-
mitted the house ways and means
committee to report out the sales
tax last session
Other High Points
Other high points of the house
legislative program included pas
sage of the moratorium resolution
the Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration and the Glass Steagan acts
all of which originated with the
Republican administration.
1t also passed bill for prepay
ment of the bonus, which died in
the senate; it rewrote the leader
ships bill for federal economy:
passed a bill for pensions for wild
owS and orphans of the World war.
Finally. the house originated and
the senate passed a bill intended to
result in world economic conferences
to readjust tariffs. but this was
vetoed by Mr.. Hoover.