Evening star., 1933-03-15
Fear of the Veterans.

Fear Of the Veterans.
The President. with the country be-
hind him, is fighting fear. And the
inspired forces of confidence, under the
Presidents fine leadership, have al
ready vanquished some Of the forces OF
fear and have them on the run.
The Senate, meanwhile, is in death
struggle with another kind of fear. The
old fear Of the veterans lobby still
lives. It is the sort of fear that makes
ambitious politicians break out in cold
perspiration and tremble as the wind
sighs around the caves in the middle OF
the night and lonely thoughts turn to
the next election.
There are two ways OF hghtlng II.
Senator Ashurst calamity protrayed one
method when he told the Senate that
II was not highly important whether
or not he was reelected. but 1t was
highly important for the Nation to
survive-and it is not going too lar 10
say that the Nation will not survive II
II continues to confess its inability to
balance its budget and avoid bank
ruptcy. Senator Ashursts sentiments
were the same as those voiced by Rep
resentative Mary T. Norton OF New
Jersey, Representative Robert Luce OF
Massachusetts, Senator Pat Harrison OF
Mississippi and Representative Walter
G. Andrews of New York, to mention
only some OF those who have said, In
effect. that if it comes to keeping their
seats in Congress or supporting the best
interests of their country, their seats
can go. These have burned their bridges
behind them.
The other method was demonstrated
4 number of times in the Senate yester-
day, during the long days discussion Of
the economy bill. Senator after Sena-
tor rose, In the spirit of This Is going
to hurt me much more than 1t hurts
you," and proceeded to tell the world
why he did not like the Presidents
economy bill, why he did love the vet
eran, and why, despite these things, ne
felt that, conditions being as they are,
he would have to support the President.
These Senators also gallantly advanced
into the fray-but before doing so wise
" looked to the roads over which they
might later have to pass In orderly re-
treat.
Most Of the Senators, as most Of the
Representatives did, will support the
economy bill, come what may from the
veterans Some Of them are described
- having made up their minds with
the feeling of II, who am about to die
politically, salute you" Grim retribu-
tion from the veterans is anticipated as
. matter of certain fact.
But while the members OF Congress
who support the Presidents veteran
economies may shake in their shoes, it
is even more reasonable to believe that
those who took the easier path and
marched along with the lobbying vet
erans-and all veterans are not lobby
ing veterans-have even more reason
to shake in their shoes. Judging from
the temper OF the country and the sort
Of leadership that President Roosevelt
promises there are others than veterans
who have taken into their hands the
power of retribution. More than one
special group and more than one spe-
cial interest which in its day ruled
supreme has found that overnight this
power Is lost because of a sudden change
in the national state of mind. The
President has demonstrated how quick
ly . national state of mind can be
changed from one of foolish fear to
one of reborn confidence and hope. 1t
is not unreasonable to believe that an
other national state of mind, which
complacently accepts the tradition that
the first duty of congressman is to
hold his seat, is rapidly changing to
state of mind that condones no strad
ding where the interests of the Nation
are at stake. Up to this time it has
been accepted as political suicide to
dare the veterans lobby. There is rea
son to believe that those Who are really
committing political suicide today are
those whose anxiety to retain their
seats in Congress has made them blind
to the significant realities of new pub
lie sentiment.