Evening star., 1934-02-25
BY JOHN SNURE.

1 / experimentation with many
phases Of the new deal, and it
will find Congress almost as much at
sea as 1t was when the administration
last March set out on its momentous
course and the two houses were called
in extra session.
Developments of the last week have
tended to becloud the legislative pro-
gram and to surround with unCer-
taipty both the question of what is
sues are yet to be disposed of before
the session ends and when it will be
possible TO end 1t.
The air over the National Capital
is befogged with many things. These
include the cancellation of the air.
mail contracts, the taking over of the
service by the Army, the utter uncer-
tainty as to the future course of the
Government respecting airmail, and
the appearance of Walter F. Brown,
who was Postmaster General in the
Hoover cabinet, before the Black Spe-
Cial Committee Of the Senate to in
vestigate airmail and ocean mail con-
tracts.
BONUS ana war Oraft.
Other issues are the inquiry into
alleged graft in the War Department.
the sudden rising of the tide of bonus
sentiment in the House despite the
frantic efforts of administration lead
ers to halt 1t, the anti-lynching bin
hearing. the beginning of the dis
mantling of the army of employees of
the C. w. A.
Increasing impetus given to the
movement to cut down the length of
the work week under the N. r. A.
codes is accompanied by growing crit
icism Of the N r. A. workings from
small business men and agriculture
as expressed by such Senators as Ger
aid p Nye of North Dakota and Will
liam E. Borah of Idaho Besides the
administration is vexed by the tan
gled controversy over proposed stock
regulation and security leg;s-
lation and by the struggle over pro-
posed compulsory control of agricul-
tural production by the Government
and various other matters
The tax bill, passed by the House,
still impends in the Senate, and the
st. Lawrence treaty is still dragging
along. awaiting vote on ratification.
Descent on Congress of some of
these problems was not clearly fore
seen when the session opened. Some
of them are interfering materially
with the original plan of the ad
to confine the session to
a limited list Of chosen propositions
and hurry it through to an end early
in May.
Cut and Dried Course Impossible.
Senator Joseph T. Robinson, Demo-
cratic leader Of the Senate, has not
yet given up hope that the session will
end May l and IS, but the manner
in which the congressional sky has
been overcast with the unanticipated
In the last week or so shows the
difficulty of attempting to fix a cut
and.dried course for the House and
Senate in such times as these.
Although the welter of developments
in legislative and investigative way
and in regard to affairs of the new
deal has in one sense tended to sub
merge politics, on the other hand,
there is an increasing disposition as
the campaign approaches to inject
politics into the consideration of
questions.
This has been illustrated by the
developments before the Black COM
mittee and in the controversy over
cancellation of the airmail contracts.
1t became apparent at the hearing of
Mr.. Brown that Senator Hugo L.
Black was not at all unmindful of
the political phases of the airmail
and ocean mail investigation. An
attempt was made to link Herbert
Hoover up with the alleged favoritism
in the letting of the contract for the
central transcontinental airmail route
Attempt to Link Hoover.
This attempt was combatted by Mr..
Brown, who insisted that while he
talked the situation over with the
former President, the latter had told
him to take personal charge of it and
settle 1t on his own responsibility.
A purpose was evident in the Demo-
cratic element of the committee to
try to reach to Mr.. Hoover and con-
meet him with the airrnail and ocean
mail programs. The political imph-
cations in the grilling of Mr.. Brown
could not escape notice.
II Is true that Senator Black has
declared his purpose to treat Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike in the
investigation, If any charge of wrong
doing or wrong policies are made, and
there is no indication that he has any
intention of shielding Democrats.
Nevertheless, Republican leaders are
not overlooking the fact that the cli-
max of the committees investigation
has been reached just when the con-
gressional campaign is getting under
way.
Moreover, they have every reason to
believe that the Democratic campaign
managers will make the utmost use
possible of the allegations of "spoils"
and of favoritism in behalf of GER
tain powerful aviation and financial
interests and of such supporting evi-
dence as is adduced before the COM
mittee. Nobody expects the Demo-
cratic campaigners to lose sight of
the case of William, P. MacCracken,
jr., held in contempt of the Senate
for alleged removal and destruction
of papers subpoenaed by the Black
committee, or to fail to emphasize that
he was a member of the Hoover little
cabinet"
In short no question is entertained
either by the Republican leaders that.
whatever the merits of the airmail
and ocean mail inquiry, and the sud-
den and abrupt cancellation Of the
airmail contracts, there is back of it,
in part, a purpose to make a grand
assault on the whole policy Of subsi-
dies for airnail and ocean mail un-
der Republican administrations, to
make it appear to the country that the
Republican administrations were over
friendly with great financial and busi-
ness interests. The expected purpose
will be to seek to convince the voters
that the new administration, the new
deal and its Democratic directors have
embarked on policies charted by one
consideration, that of the public in
terest alone.
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