The Washington times., 1934-01-02
SENATE SILVER
BLOC VITAL
FACTOR
Budget Expected To Reach
Six Billions; Roosevelt
Urges Short Session
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES
International News Service

- Consolidate and strengthen the
recovery program, approve the
q budget, and then go home.
This, in effect, is the Admin
istration's plan for the final ses-
sion Of the Seventy-third Congress,
which convenes tomorrow.
It was laid before Congressional
leaders last night by President
Roosevelt, and in general they ap-
proved it.
" President Roosevelt cancelled
all appointments for today and
tomorrow and remained in his
study in the White House proper,
finishing up the messages he will
deliver this week-the regular
message, which is expected to go
to Congress tomorrow, and the
budget message, which will follow
on Thursday.
May Visit Capitol
Mr.. Roosevelt has not decided
whether to deliver his message
- in person. He is considering going
up to address the Senate and
House in joint session, but no
final decision has been reached,
and probably will not be until to-
morrow morning.
Six Billions Predicted
Details of the biggest peace-time
budget in the nations history
were not revealed. But that it
will be six billions of dollars-per-
haps more-was freely admitted.
One of the White House con-
ferees told International News
Service today that seven billion
dollar budget would be "a fairly
conservative estimate" Of what
this Congress will appropriate.
The budget for the ordinary ex-
penses of Government operation
has been whitfield down to about
$4,000, 100000, but the extraordi-
nary expenditures involved in the
recovery program will take it
above the six billion mark.
There will be some sharp criti-
cism of these extraordinary
items.
Insofar as the Republicans may
be said to have a program, they
plan to oppose the .outpouring
of hundreds of millions into the
PWA, the CWA, the AAA, and
the various other alphabetical
units that compose the Roosevelt
drive toward lecovery.
Money Is Big Issue
Monetary policy was not dis
cussed at the three-hour confer
ence that the President had with
his legislative lieutenantS, and
this issue looms up as the biggest
question mark on the congress
Sional calendar on the eve OF
assembly
= The most formidable bloc in
Congress is the silver bloc. It
boasts of 27 open and avowed ad-
herents in the Senate, with a
number of others sympathetic to
the movement. Noses have not
been counted in the House, but
the Silverites claim they can COM
5mand a majority for completely
remonetizing silver at a ratio OF
from 16 or 20-to-1.
They claim should be qualified,
however, by adding IF the White
House doesn't put its foot down"
Roosevelt Silent
Thus far the White House
hasn't put it's foot down. Nor has
the White House indicated its ap-
proval of the silverites' program.
The President has maintained an
enigmatic silence on the issue.
which cannot continue far into
the session.
Prior to the White House con-
ference, there was a meeting Of
the Democratic Steering Com
mittee of the Senate. There was
a thorough discussion Of legisla-
tive proposals, in the course Of
which Senator Wheeler (D0 OF
Montana, as leader of the silver
bloc, made an impaSSioned plea
for free coinage.
This presidential mastery may
be broken to some extent as the
session advances into quarrels and
the inevitable conflicts, but for
the moment it is almost complete.
r. The President and the Demo
cratic leaders spoke hopefully Of
adjournment by April, or at latest
by May.
Vice President Garner and
Senator Joseph T. Robinson Of
Arkansas, Senate leader, headed
the delegation at the White House,
along with Speaker of the House
Rainey and House Democratic
Leader Byrnes of Tennessee.