Evening star., 1934-12-06
The political Mill
BY C.. Could Lincoln.

The stage is being set rapidly for the
incoming Congress. President Roose-
welt has held already many important
conferences with his advisers on legis-
lation, at Warm Springs. and will hold
many more now that he is back In
Washington. The Congress and the
country is looking to the Presidents
program. Many individuals in Con-
gress and many groups are favoring
measures OF their own. The program
| of legislation which comes from the
White House. however, with the tre-
mendous influence OF the President
back OF It. is the program which. un-
der all the circumstances, may be
| expected to have the inside track
VIII President Roosevelt reveal the
entire program In his opening message
| to Congress or will he send 1t piece
meal to Congress from time to time.
as he has In the past? He may deal
with the problems which confront the
| Congress and the country In general
| way in this first message. covering the
entire fleld, but not In detail. reserVing
that for later and more specific mes
sages dealing with individual pieces OF
legislation.
Already there H talk OF quick,
comparatively brief session Of Con-
gress, in the interests OF recovery.
The many subjects which are to be
dealt with, and their great i'm
portance, may make 1t impossible TO
rush the session TO a speedy con-
clusion. although the administration
has such large party ma1orities in
both houses that almost anything
could be accomplished in the way
of limiting debate A lot is going
to depend upon how willing the Con-
gress Is going to be to accept the
legislative doses sent 1t without splut-
tering too much. The subjects with
which the Congress will be called
upon TO deal fall into several groups.
There are, Of course. the appro-
priations for the normal activities
Of Government, so-called, and for the
extraordinary activities, such as pub
lie works and relief Of all kinds.
Then there is the legislation to con-
tinue in force and perhaps to modify
or change in some respects the New
Deal legislation as 1t affects industry
and agriculture directly, particularly
the N. r. A. and the A. A. A. Next
comes the so-called social security
legislation, the legislation that is to
provide insurance against the loss of
jobs, loss Of youth and loss Of health.
Whether any legislation will be
sought in connection with the cur
rency is question. Undoubtedly
some of the inflationists in Congress
will demand such legislation. There
may be a drive. on the other hand,
by some who wish the dollar to be
stabilized or the country to return
known, however, the administration
is not planning to ask Congress for
further currency legislation.
The President has made It clear
already that he Is planning to GO
ahead with the acreage control sys-
tenor crop Control-whiCh has been
developed under the A. A. A.. as a
means of boosting the farmers price
and giving him a better chance at
parity with the industrialists dollar
The Department Of Agriculture has
indicated that it may not be necessary
to have as drastic curtailment during
the coming year as during the year
1884. partly because OF the drought
which did a great deal to eliminate
surplus crops this year. Secretary
Henry A. Wallace, however, has come
out for the continuance of the Bank
head cotton control act. which ope-
rates as strict Government control
Of cotton growing. In the early days
Mr.. Wallace was not for this act.
That he Is now for such strict gov
ernmental control Of the production
Of this, one of the country's jor
crops, may or may not be significant
II the administration is backing this
kind Of control for cotton. why should
| 1t not do so for wheat, corn and hogs.
cattle. etc. There will be plenty of
those who believe that such a pro-
gram Is in contemplation. Early pre-
dictions that the Bankhead cotton
act was merely forerunner Of other
more drastic Government control
| lCSASldbAOll AOl lliC 1olA oAl4 NAAd
they produce are recalled.
49,
If the Government moves away
from voluntary action on the part OF
farmers in control Of crops, is there
likelihood that it may move away
from voluntary control by industry OF
factory production? And if there is
| hA Of 70
production, right there private in
dustry's control ends. Perhaps the
idea that private citizens should con-
troll their business is all wrong, any
how. But if that is the theory that
any Of the New Dealers are operating
under. then the people should know
it. 1t may be that the people would
be happier under Government control
of all their activities. That would
end, Of course, all individual freedom,
for which people have striven in the
past centuries. Government control
Of the activities of the people has not
conduced to happiness in the past,
nor has it in the present in other
countries. 1t may be different in
America
1t Is quite true that spokeSmen for
the administration in recent weeks
have indicated q desire that private
business should become more and
more active. There has also been,
seemingly, a greater effort on the part
of business and banking to cooperate
with the administration in its drive
for recovery. Cooperation, to be ef-
fective, has to come from both sides
What is the administration going to do
about the legislation to continue the
operation Of the N R. A.? There will
come q test. If it has been drafted
it has not yet been made public. 1t
Is question that has to be dealt with
promptly, for the national industrial
recovery act dies next June unless
Congress. by Affirmative action, gives
it a new lease on life. Is there to be
more or less control Of business? What
Is going to be done about section Ia.
which has been interpreted many
ways?
The speeches made by Donald r.
| Richberg executive director of the