The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1934-03-27

washington, March 81 - The
consumer-chief forgotten man
of the administration-gradually
is coming into his own. Alarmed
at rising prices and the protest
OF housewives, officials are now
giving greater consideration to
consumer protection.
But it was an uphill fight. In
dustry, the big food distributors,
all were against the consumer.
And so powerful was their infiu-
ence that many administration
officials bowed before them.
Not even, Mrs Roosevelt, first
housewife of the land, carried
weight with certain parts of her
husbands administration. For
instance, Mrs Roosevelt, at one
of her press conferences made
the following statement regard
ing consumers protection:
81 think all goods sold to the
public should be labelled as to
their grades and quality. With
out this the consumer cannot
know what he is buying. This is
the only way the consumer can
intelIigcntly have hold on the
market. mean authentic grades
and standards"
But when the consumers
counsel of the AAA picked this
, up for republication in it's bulle-
tin, higher officials in the AAA
objected. They insisted on CEN
soring the presidents wife. So
not until today was her state
ment published.
BROKE
White haired Chairman Jesse
Jones has a sympathetic UNDER
standing these days when bust
ness men come to the RFC with
the old plea: We've got plenty
of assets, but we need cash."
With Mrs Jones, he attended
a bridge party. Mrs Jones is an
expert, but Chairman Jesse
hadn't, played for more than a
year. His cards were terrible. At
the end of the evening he owed
50.
He fumbled through his peck
cts, fumbled harder, turned pink,
may handle millions for Uncle
Sam every day; he may have
one of the largest fortunes in
public life, he may own acres in
Texas. But also he has that hu-
man male failing Of forgetting to
transfer his wallet when chang
ing his pants.
81 I'm sorry" he SIAM
mered. 'I'm afraid Mrs Jones
will have to bail me out"
And Mrs Jones with u diabOl-
ical grin, paid the 81.
REAL TEST
Neither the soldier bonus vote
in the house nor the senate re-
lection of the st Lawrence
waterway treaty was real test
of presidential strength on Cap
itol Hill.
Neither questions in any way
involved the presidents recovery
program, and neither was of his
making. The house, being what
it is, always goes pro-bonus in
election years. The st Lawrence
was the work of President
IlOOfeIy anu lO ldilCN S"ASO SNSh
to bring it to a vote.
But two issues which really
will test Roosevelt's hold on con-
CESS are the Dies silver remone-
tization bill and the revolution
airy tariff making reform mea-
sure. The first, Roosevelt opposes
as being directly counter to his
monetary program. The second
he is sponsoring.
SKIDS CREASED
The tariff bill will be passed,
although in not quite as sweep
ing form as originally proposed
by the president. The house
ways and means committee al
ready has modified 1t slightly,
and before the house as a whole
plus the senate get through with
it. it will be still further limited.
But the essentials of the bill CIV
ing the president tariff making
powers in the negotiation OF re-
ciprocal trade agreements, will
remain, and the bill will become
law.
The outcome ON the silver bill
rests with the fcpuDIlcanS III the
senate. If they play politics
cast aside their private distaste
for such legislation and vote for
it solely to embarrass the admin
istratiOn-then the chances are
strong the measure will get sem
ate approval, although in amend
cd form.
It will then be up to the pres
ident either to veto or accept
the act. If he vetoes it. 1t Is GER
tain he will win in the senate.
The silverites cannot muster q
two-thirds overriding landslide.
WARPATH
Missouri's democratic house
delegation is after the scalp OF
scrappy Ewing Y. Mitchell, as
sistant secretary of commerce.