Evening star., 1933-04-16
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
Use Of the word dictator" II

Sc OF the WOrQ dictator" IN con.
nection with the powers being
exercised by President Roosevelt
~ Is utterly wrong. Dictator" as
description Of form of gov
eminent has a definite meaning. 1t Is
properly applied only where the legisla-
tive branch of the government is super
ceded. The term is sufficiently correct
description of Hitler in Germany, Mus
solini in Italy and the heads Of some
South American countries. To ascribe it
to President Roosevelt is fantastic mis-
understanding or unreasonable partisan
ship.
Congress still exists. It retains all Of
its functions. True, Congress has con-
ferred some Of its powers on Mr.. Roose-
veltAbut Congress can take those powers
back tomorrow or next week or next
month or next year. And II the country
does not like the conferring Of extraor-
binary powers on Mr.. Roosevelt-so Tar
the country is apparently we'll pleased
the country can next year elect Con-
gress which will take back its powers.
For everything Mr.. Roosevelt has done
he has had specific authority from Con-
gress True. his first act, the closing OF
all banks, was done before Congress met,
but even for that act Mr.. Roosevelt and
his legal adviser found authority in an
existing statute enacted by Congress; 1t
had been passed some Is years before
to confer wartime powers on President
Woodrow Wilson.
Received o. K. Of Congress.
Moreover, Mr.. Roosevelt, Immediately
upon the assembling Of Congress, asked
for and received the o. K Of Congress
ON what he had done. Thereafter the
oftor n.
gress had given him the power to take
It. He asked for and received from Con-
gress power to reduce veterans COM
pensation, to reduce pay OF Government
employees and to combine or abolish
Government bureaus in the interest Of
economy At the moment this article is
written the farm bill has not yet become
law. It Is true the farm bill, in the
form in which it passed the House, con-
fers very extraordinary powers upon the
President and his Secretary OF Agrlcul-
ture, but they are conferred by Congress.
These are the only extraordinary
powers conferred by Congress on the
President. Aside from these-and In
cluding these-the legislation 30 far has
consisted merely Of requests by MI.
Roosevelt for legislation, and willing
passage by Congress Of the measures MI.
Roosevelt asked for.
What we have Is not . dictatorship
In any faintest sense Of the word. but,
on the contrary, party government
functioning with extraordinary smooth
ness. We have President belonging to
one party and a Congress In which the
same party has an immense majority In
the House and q comfortable majority
In the Senate. Because of the size OF
the majority and also because Of the
unusual conditions. this majority has
done what the President has asked with
a speed and in a quantity never before
exceeded by either party when 1t had
control Of the Government. This state
ment, while very broad, is, I think,
safe. 1t Is certainly safe for the period
since the Civil War. Even during the
Great War President Wilson did not get
from Congress the measures he asked
with such speed or completeness, or
with any such lack Of resistance In
Congress, Is Mr.. Roosevelt has had.
Takes Dictatorial Action.
True, the adjective "dictatorial' has
a slightly weaker meaning than the
word dictator" True, some Of the
powers conferred by Congress on the
President might reasonably be described
dS OCtdCOIldl. llC QOWCIo COA1ACAiCo
by the farm bill Tin the form in which
it passed the House, on the President
and his Secretary of Agriculture, are
very wide In scope, and within that
scope live up to the word "dictatorial"
Also, the Communicating Of gold is die
tatorial
cannot recall any country in which
this was done, even in war time. When
Great Britain went of the gold stand
ard In September, 1881, and when the
British government wanted gold in the
same way that our Government now
wants It, Britain did not try to compel
holders of gold metal and gold certifi-
cate currency to turn them into the
treasury under penalty Of jail and fine.
The British government confined itself
to persuasion and to acquiring the gold
by ordinary processes. Similarly, France,
when it had currency crisis in 1925,
did not try to compel owners of gold to
give it up.
That those powers are justified by
the emergency seems to be the common
popular verdict. In any event they pro-
coed from Congress wholly. If Congress
changes its collective mind it can re-
peal the powers. Or, If Congress feels
the emergency IS less acute, it can. for
tnaI or any Otner reason, cease passing
measures the President asks for. In
any event there Is no dictatorship and
no condition even family approaching
what the word dictator" means.
Results Answer Query.
# 1t be asked whether the difference
now being practiced by Congress toward
the President is good, whether the will
ing enactment Of legislation in the form
asked by him IS useful, the answer Is
to be found in the results.
One result is that Congress con-
ferred on the President, and the Presi-
dent through his subordinates has ex-
ercised power to reduce compensation
to veterans by some $400, ,000, 900. pay
Of Government employees BY some $780,
000, 900, and to lop of Government bu-
reaus and surplus employees amounting
to sum not yet complete but very