The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-01-04
National Topics Interpreted

January date, for the first time In
our modern history.
Congress 1t meets at that
Under Way time pursuant TO the
stitutional amendment that was added
to our Constitution chiefly through
the efforts of Senator George Norris
of Nebraska. Senator Norris popular
lied the idea by calling 1t "lame
duck" amendment. He argued early
and late that a member OF congress
had no right to sit In representation
OF his state or district after he had
been defeated at the polls
Which may or may not be the cor
rect theory. At any rate 1t has hap
pened, and new congress is under
way. Where 1t Is headed as part
of the current phase of the new deal,
time alone can tell. There are GER
tain things, however, that are per-
fectly plain. One OF them Is that
President Roosevelt is following a
course designed to forestall as much
controversy In congress as he Is able
to do. In other words, the President
appears, to have planned program
that will prevent any snowballs from
getting started down hill.
Az the session gets going. one hears
plenty of rumbling. Reasons for dis
satisfaction are numerous and varied.
But they can be concentrated sudden
ly. At least that is the record OF dis
gruntled congresses of other years.
Mr. Roosevelt and his advisers and his
leaders In congress know 1t and. hence,
everything has been done and Is being
done to keep the firing scattered. II
there should be an Issue devised or
arise on which the bulk OF senators
and representatives agree In opposi-
ton to the Chief Executive. there will
be plenty OF trouble for the administers
tion. Republicans. you know. are not
going to pour oil on troubled waters.
They play politics, too.
Looking over some of the possibili-
ties OF trouble, one observes such
questions az taxes, permanent liquor
control laws, extension OF the life OF
the Reconstruction Finance corpora
ton, banking legislation or revision
OF laws we now have. reconsideration
of the law which requires that every
corporation that sells its shares Of
stock shall register them and comply
with laws about It's financial status, re
| lief and recovery legislation In its vari
| GUS phases and others OF no less con
sequence. Washington observers are
saying that each one of these contains
| elements that may lead to a break be
| tween congress and the President. Blu
they also are saying that Mr.. Roose
welt holds the whip hand and thai
there are not many members OF the
senate or house who will take the BIZ
In their teeth.
said moment ago that Mr.. Roose
velts course was aimed to prevent ths
molding of a snow
Silver ball, for 1t Is physI
Ruy;;no cal fact that once {
SNOWFALL starts, Il
| gains both In momentum and size
| This largely explains the action Of thu
President In proclaimlng the Londor
conference treaty on silver buying Ii
| effect just when he did. The plan fo
the American government to consum,
all OF the silver produced In this coun
try will stop some OF the inhatlonists
perhaps fifty OF them. right In theI
tracks. Their states and districts vii
get the benefit of the silver purchases
by the government. 1t means q prof
for them that they have not had Ii
half dozen years. 1t Is quite obvious
that they won't become rabld support
ers of program for initiating the cur
rency, now.
None Of the observers here seem t,
be In position to say that the sIlve
purchasing and coinage order Is out
side of the Presidents recovery pro
gram. They are agreed. however, tina
1t constitutes smart brand OF poll
tics and that II will 90 long wa,
toward sustaining the Presidential pro
gram In congress. And, Ii 1t need b
said, there was no assurance hereto
fore that the present session OF con
gress would not enact stralght-out In
fiation legislation on Its own responsl
bility.
And while the discussion centers OF
congressional possibilities and poten
tialities, 1t seems proper to call al
tention to battle that has started OF
the outside, but directed at congress
! refer to the revival of the long-tIm
opposition to government competition
with business. In this instance, TIL
hue and cry concerns competition b
numerous relief agencies and also b
the Tennessee Valley authority which
to burlesque an old saying, Is dt
signed to make two bulbs for electric
ity grow off@the home and farm wher
one or none grew before.
The T. " A. started out to be an II
teresting experiment and plan [
demonstrate what was possible wit
water power In development of d NOR