The Washington times., 1933-12-27
50 SEEN MOST
MOMENTOUS
FOR j, 8.
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municipalities to encourage them
TO build public works and thus re-
aieve unemployment; compensat-
ang farmers for leaving their acres
idle and thus restrict production
In a hundred different ways the
Federal Government is moving in
new directions. Quite a change
from the beginning of 1888.
With an almost complete alb
Sence of partisan politics, the new
Congress, electeu with Mr.. Roose-
welt, Democratic in both branches.
voted the Executive every power
he requested.
Its first act upon being called in
special session soon after inaugu-
ration was to put the stamp OF
legality upon the Presidents ac-
tion in closing the banks.
A Veritable Gar
Then it proceeded to make him
virtually czar over money and
finance through enactment of a
law empowering him to withdraw
all gold and gold certificates from
circulation whenever in his judg-
ment an emergency existed.
It did more.
Under the So-called Thomas
amendment it authorized him in
his discretion to issue up to three
billion dollars in greenbacks, re-
duce the gold content of the
dollar by so per cent; and to
establish a ratio between gold and
silver.
No single executive in modern
times ever was vested with so
much power over his country's
money.
This was followed by the
passage of the national indus
trial recovery act, the most revo-
lutionary legislative act in Amer
Scan history. Under this act the
President was authorized to re-
quire industries to adopt codes
of fair competition, fix mini
mum wages and maximum hours
of employment, regulate and fix
prices and limit or allocate pro-
duction.
Az oOUAAOAAAC UAAO
to license businesses engaged in
interstate commerce, to suspend
the antitrust laws, to declare en-
bargoes and fix quotas on i'm
ports, and to compel employers
to deal with employees on col
lective bargaining basis.
The Most Powerful
One section of the act set up
the Public Works Administration
under which the Federal Govern
ment has embarked upon a So
100000, 900 program in conjunction
with States, counties and munich
palities, the Federal Government
giving 30 per cent of the cost
and loaning the other 70 per cent
on non-Federal projects.
Almost as revolutionary, if not
equally so, was the agricultural
adjustment act, which followed.
Under it, the Federal Govern
ment was vested with broad and
sweeping powers TO reduce pro-
duction, license professors hand
ling farm products, and re-
finance impoverished agricul-
turiStS.
Altogether, there were some 30
odd specific legislative enactments
affecting recovery in its broadest
sense, and their cumulative ef-
feet was to make Franklin D.
Roosevelt, in the first year of his
presidency the most powerful Ex-
ecutive who ever occupied the
White House.
Through all of this there has
been little partisan politics.
While Congress was on its legis-
1ative spree the minority Repub-
ucans were powerless to wage an
effective fight, even had they
wanted t. do so. AS a matter of
fact, the records show they did
not want to. Most of them
voted for what the Administra-
'.on asked.
Criticism Grows
It is evident now, however, at
the end of the year that the
Democratic honeymoon is over,
and the Administration will find
no such smooth sailing in 1884
ss it enjoyed in 1888. One rea-
son is that a new Congress is to
be elected next November. and
the Republicans are preparing for
a comeback fight.
Another reason is that as con-
ditionS have improved from their
1ow-point last March, people
have begun to get their confidence
back to some extent and to more
critically analyZe the trend of
the Administration, and to ques-
tion the wisdom of its policies.
In the last six weeks, the re-
awakened Republican national
committee has made two public
attacks cn "the New Deal' and
numerous Republican Senators
and Representatives have been
Lreaking into print with criticism
of the Administration and its
cies.
And the sniping is not entirely
confined to the Republicans,
either.
Mr.. Roosevelt finds himself at
the end of the year with a fight
in his own party. His monetary
policies. particularly what is con-
strued to be a trend toward in
flati :, have been roundly chal-
lenged by the conservative ele-
1onT1tS his marty headed nv