Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-05-17
National Topics Interpreted


in Politics in the next congress
on the ground that
the emergency is over and that Presi-
dent Roosevelt and his administration
are continuing on a spending spree
just to afford deserving Democrats
with pie from the government counter.
The tipoff as to the direction from
which the attack will come arose the
other day without attracting a great
deal of attention. 1t came from Rep
resentative Smell Of New York, the Re-
publican leader in the house, who op-
posed one Of the newer brain-trust
creations because he declared, I'M
equivocally. ''the emergency is oyer"
After Mr.. Smell had made the state
ment, l inquired of a number of per-
sons, astute in politics, what they
thought Of this anomaly. Here is
leader Of the opposition party declar-
ing that the emergency is over, and If
that condition exists, the leader of the
opposition, by inference at least, has
admitted that credit for the job must
be given the Roosevelt administration.
find as well that the Democrats can
hardly admit the correctness of the
statement without admitting at the
same time that there should be an end
Immediately to the countless emergen-
cy agencies that the Roosevelt admin
istration has set up. 1t seems to me,
therefore, that we are witnessing one
of the most ridiculous situations that
has ever occurred in politics where
peculiar things are the rule. Sue
cinctly, it amounts to this: each side
actually is contending that the other
is right.
OF course, it should be said, much
water will flow under the bridge be-
fore the votes are counted in Novem-
Der; indeed, many changes will have
come before the congressional cam
paigns in the various states get stirred
up to white heat, but unless the
course of battle now indicated is al
tered, l predict the campaigners will
have to do some fancy high rope walk
ing. 1t surely appears that getting
ones own legs tangled up in those ar
guments is about the easiest thing in
sight.
Curious possibilities are offered by
the situation. For example, are the
Democrats going to go out on the
hastings and say to their mass meet
ings in effect that I'VE have not sue
ceeded; we must keep the AAA and
the NRA" and others? And, at the
same time, are we going to hear
from Republican spellbinders that
"the Democrats have licked the de-
preston and they must now put an
end to their orgy of spending and run
ming up bills which the taxpayers must
meet?
Neither side, Of course, will say it in
those words. But, if the argument
goes ahead as it has started, that will
have to be the substance of their tale
to the voters. Therewillh have to be some
very careful, as well as very quick,
thinking before the campaigns end.
One POLITICAL observer here suggested
that this may turn out to be a most
confusing campaign because of the
anomaly that is now presented by Mr..
SHELLS declaration.
There is considerable discussion
here as to how far-reaching the effect
may be If the Re-
Just publicans stress,
Speculation with sufficient vigor,
the contention that
the Democrats are trying to hold on
to the extra Jobs and that they are
continuing to spend taxpayers money
for repayment Of political debts. There
is always something sinister about
that kind of thing. Whether the
charge is right or wrong, many voters
get suspicious when campaigners per-
sist in talking about raids on the fed
eral treasury. They always think of
it in terms of theft Of money from the
local bank or stores and not in the
terms Of political maneuvering, al
though confess I can see little diff
ference. 1t always has happened that
the political party in power has con-
trolled the flow of public moneys into
the spots where the funds will do the
most good, politically, and when either
side kicks about that, 1t seems to me
1t is exactly like one mule calling an
other "longear."
won't even suggest that can
guess what the ultimate effect of these
strange arguments is going to be.
Anyone who tries to predict the result
at this time is just being silly. The
best judgment can get is that the re-
suits in the various congressional dis
tricts are going to vary. The differ
ence likely will be dependent entire
ly upon how many mistakes-plain
bonehead statements-the various can
didates make in their attempts to fol-
low arguments and analyses laid down
for them by the national political com.
mittees My belief is that there will
be plenty of them and there ought to
be. therefore, a considerable amount
of surprise when the votes are
counted.
1t is quite apparent to the Demo-
cratic leaders. and they say so, that a
number Of house seats, now held by
Democrats, will be turned over to the
Republicans next fall. There are
seats occupied by Democrats who have
No raocaa on oarfh fn ha fn a. La..z.