Evening star., 1934-04-16
The Political Mill
By G.. Could Lincoln.

that he wishes his legislative program
put through before adjournment OF
that body. The President is prepared
to fight it out along these lines II 1t
takes all Summer. 1t looks very much
as though there would be a rough
time ahead for some Of these meas
ures. However, that does not ap-
parently disturb the President. He
believes he has the country with him
and that in the end the Congress will
have to yield most Of the things for
which he asks, If not all. The program
is extensive. 1t includes the reciproc-
ity tariff bill, the stock exchange reg
ulation bill. the municipal bankruptcy
bill, the revenue bill, and some none
tary legislation. There are other
measures also, but these are said to
be regarded by the Chief Executive as
essential before an adjournment is
taken.
The House already has passed the
reciprocity tariff bill, but the measure
Is still before the Senate Finance
Committee and there Is promise of
real fight over this measure when 1t
reaches the floor. The very first con-
test which the President seemingly
faces with the Congress is over the
revenue bill. He is reported to be
strongly opposed to the tariff imposed
on coconut oil and other vegetable
and fish oils, holding that 1t violates
the Philippine independence act, re-
Gently put through. The revenue bill
has passed both houses and would Or
dinarily be sent to conference prompt
ly. However, II the President is to
have his way in this matter of the
tariff on vegetable oils the clause pro-
viding for this tax will have to be
taken out before the bill leaves the
Senate, which still has charge of the
measure, for the House has tariff of
5 cents and the Senate a tariff of 3
cents pound on these oils. Either
rate could be agreed to in conference.
or compromise might be adopted.
But the conference could not under
the rules remove the tariff entirely
from the bill, since both houses have
inserted 1t.
The vote by which the revenue bill
passed the Senate Friday may have
to be reconsidered to bring about the
change desired. Barring that, the
House might send the bill to the
Ways and Means Committee when it
returns from the Senate and have a
new measure brought out. This might
Lead to a long delay. The first show
down between the President and the
Congress is likely to come over this
tariff duty. The President, of course.
could veto the bill. and 1t does not
seem probable at all that it could be
passed over such a veto.
A great deal of interest centers in
the report that some monetary legis-
lation is to be placed on the program.
In some quarters it has been said this
has to do with silver, but that it will
not go nearly as far as the measures
which the silver blocs in both houses
are demanding. The great difficulty
these blocs have had has been to
center on a measure which all the
members of the blocs were willing to
fight for. The silver question has
bobbed up in the present session of
Congress ever since Congress met last
January. 1t looks as though it will
not rest until adjournment is had or
bill is acted upon.
The stock exchange regulation bill,
which the Senate Banking and Cur
rency Committee has amended In
important particulars, is also full
of controversy. The President had
already asked for the passage of
the measure when he went away
for his vacation, and for the pass
age of the bill as 1t then stood.
principally. Senator Glass of Vir-
ginia forced through the committee,
over the opposition of Senator
amendments which changed the bill
considerably, one of them being the
amendment to create a new commits
sion of three members to regulate the
exchanges. The Federal Trade Com
mission was to have this job origin
ally, with the Federal Reserve Board
taking hand
r
Administration leaders still talk
about an early adjournment of Con-
gress but If they are unable to line
up their Democratic followers behind
the President in support Of this legis-
lative program, it looks as though the
Congress will be here well into the
Summer. With primaries coming on,
and already under way in some States,
and the need of getting ready for the
campaign for the general election,
this will not please many of the men,
bers of Congress. However, If the
President sticks to his point, as he
seems entirely likely to do, either the
Democrats will have to yield to the
President in large numbers or the
fight will 60 on.
One of the most unusual and re-
markable performances yet staged in
Washington was the parade Of mem
bers of the House to welcome the
President back to the Capital last Fri
day. The Senators, about one-third
Of the total membership, assembled
more quietly to greet the Chief Execu-
tive. Just why the reception was
staged, unless it was an effort to show
the country that the Congress is still
standing with the President despite
its passage of the independent offices
bill over his veto, has not been clearly
disclosed. 1t was, Of course, a gracious
gesture on the part of the legislators
of the Presidents party, and Is de-
clared to have been that, and that
alone. A very few Republicans Joined
in. Some of the members Of Con-
greSs have been wondering since just
where 1t left the legislative body in
the eyes of the country. They are the
sticklers for the belief that the Gov
ernment is composed of three indie
pendent branches, the legislative,
judicial and executive branches. ANY,
way, the reception gave the President
a chance to make few remarks about
the Congress which set the country
laughing, particularly his suggestion
that the legislators had been running