Evening star., 1934-01-08
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

President Roosevelt's appeal to the
Congress, contained in his annual mes
sage, for greater cooperation and for
closer union between the executive and
legislative branches Of the Government
looks to some OF the Republican critics
OF the administration like a move to
make the executive the dominating
force In the Government As such,
they resent 1t. Furthermore, they re-
gard the proposal as Just another step
in the transfer of power from the
Capitol to the White House. Senator
David A. Reed Of Pennsylvania declares
1t Is time to call q halt on the ab-
sorption Of power by the executive
branch Of the Government. The Con-
gress already has turned over to the
President power unheard of and un-
dreamed Of by the writer's of the Con-
stitution, power to control monetary
situation. power to control business,
power to fix taxes-the so-called proc
essing taxes which the Department Of
Agriculture. through the A. A. A.,
dictates.
at must be born in mind" says the
Pennsylvania Republican, that I have
not In any way passed on the program
which has been devised by the Roose-
welt administration and in which Con-
gress has so far acquiesced. This pro-
gram was not suggested in any sense
at the time of the general elections in
1882. All these experiments in gov
eminent have been worked out by the
professors since the election. We have
no justification for the belief that the
carefully thought system Of constitu-
tional government, under which the
Nation has grown great, is ready for
the scrap heap. I do not believe that
thoughtful people in this Nation are
ready to reject our Constitution In
exchange for lot Of untried theories
admittedly experimental"
II Il
And turning for a moment to the
Presidents budget message, Senator
Reed adds, Certainly in reading the
budget message every one must realize
that the forgotten man is the Ameri-
can taxpayer"
And now comes along Senator Borah
Of Idaho. Republican Progressive, but a
great stickler for the Constitution and
also a defender of the powers and
rights Of the Congress. he has sent a
telegram to Gov. Lehman Of New York
congratulating the Governor on his
letter to Mayor La Guardia Of New
York turning down the mayors pro-
posal for a virtual dictatorship by the
executive of New York City. The mayor
has promptly dubbed the Borah mes
sage of congratulation an attack upon
President Roosevelt-for, says the
mayor, he is only trying to give the
city Of New York the kind Of new
deal" which the President has given
the country and the National Govern
ment.
One of the most ticklish things which
the President Is expected to try out in
the present session of Congress is the
proposal that the Chief Executive be
given full authority to make reciprocal
tariff and trade agreements with other
nations. Such agreements will not call
for ratification by the Congress or by
the Senate, it is understood, but may
become effective as soon as the Presi-
dent has negotiated them. If Congress
Is to leave Washir ston somewhere
around May to Is this year, and not
come back until January Of next
year, the legislators will have very
little to say about the reciprocal tariff
agreements, provided they are made, for
a long time.
The reciprocal tariff agreements,
whereby the United States agrees with
another nation to receive imports with
extremely low or no duties in exchange
for similar concessions by the other
nation, may be an excellent means OF
reviving international trade. That they
will cause grief to some Of the producers
in this country is the fear of members
OF Congress. Furthermore, the Con-
gress has reserved to itself the right to
levy all tariff duties, and the farthest
it has ever gone was when the flexible
provisions of the present tarih were
adopted, granting the right to reduce
or increase by so per cent the duties
on imports after a thorough inquiry
by the United States Tariff Commission.
But here, say the opponents OF the
new proposal, 1t Is planned to give the
Executive free hand in raising or
reducing or wiping out tariffs, to f1x
quotas" and do all the other things
which a reciprocal tariff agreement
may call for.
If the President follows the advice of
some of his advisers on Capitol Hill ne
will hold back the reciprocal tariff
agreement legislation until after most
of his program for the present session
has been disposed of. To throw this
right at the start Of the session might
mean long delay for other measures
which can be put through quickly.
The monetary policy of the Rooee-
welt administration, which has caused
so much talk here and abroad, is still
waiting its day on the floors OF Con-
gress. The adjournment Of the Senate
over the week end may be responsible
for this delay. Anyway, when the
nomination of the Secretary Of the
Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, jr., comes
before the Upper House today for con-
firmation, it may be made the vehicle
for talk. If the Republican critics of
the Presidents gold and silver policy
launch an attack, the Democrats are
ready to back Mr.. Roosevelt. Among
these Democrats is Senator Tom Con-
nally of Texas. a pioneer among MEM
bers of Congress favoring the devalua-
ton of the dollar. The Roosevelt
program seems to be veering closely to-
ward the proposals made In the Senate
by the Texan q year ago. During the
short session of the last Congress SEN
ator Connally discussed at length the
devaluation of the dollar, and when the
present Congress met in special session
last March he Immediately offered his
bill providing for the devaluation of
the dollar by the reduction of its gold
content and for the fixation of its (the
dollar's) value in the future by the
commodity dollar" plan.y Under the
proposal of Senator Connally gold would
be held in the Treasury as bullion. and
not used for coinage purposes. He in
sists that his plan would go far to raise
commodity prices and to give relief to
mortgage ridden farmers; that it is the
effective way Of dealing with the de-
preston.
II X
President Roosevelt's budget message
may have painted the financial situa-
tion of the Government in darker hues
than Is warranted, and with increasing
business and revenues, the deficit and
the public debt may not go as high as
the President has said. But taking
the figures given by the President, 1t
is clear that the country Is going to