Evening star., 1934-01-21

National Capital at this week
end could be said to be: How
strong, really, is the PRESIDENTS
hold on the Congress?
In answer it must be remarked at
the outset, l think, that 1t is a conSld-
erable eXaggeration to intimate tne
President can get anything he wants
from the Congress.
Consider that good old Rip van
Wrinkle of diplomatic legislative en-
deavor the World Court resolution IN
the Senate. 1t has been tarrylng there
more or less in a cave-for many
wears. 1t should now be brought out
and shaved and pushed into active HE
according to the Democratic party
The Democratic party platform OF l95Z
explicitly declared in favor ct adner-
ence to the W-rld Court with penang
reservations" The Court also is IN
the straight line Of the Presidents own
international record of thought ana IN
tention.
noliticallv unattractive. A recent COM
rounication from The Hague to WASH
ington indicated there was not one case
on the Courts calender. In a Worlo
distracted by multitudinous quarrels OF
the very kind that the Court was 10
assuage and adjust, not one OF tneln
had been taken to the Court by the
countries concerned. Such a sltuatloll
was certain to draw upon the Court IN
the Senate a withering crossflre OF riul-
c,,Ie fron, the Courts inveterate sena-
torial skept1cs.
Knows When to Fight.
Thereupon Senator Robinson OF
Arkansas, leader of the Democratic ma
iority, declares on the steps OF the
White House that the World Court
resolution will not at TINS tlme os
pressed. The President is an eXcellenI
general He knows when to ngnI. ne
knows when not to- The TACT remains
that he could be defeated IN the sen.
ate at this moment on the Worlo Goult lt
issue 1t is not true that MS sAsiilee'
wish is congressional law.
Another illustration is to be founo
IN the bill enabling the President TO
appoint a non Hawaiian to be Gov
ernor of the Hawaiian Islands Thls
bill, at the Presidents specific re-
Quest was forced through the House
of Representatives in the last session
under a suspension of the rules II
then encountered a filibuster IN the
Senate. 1t now would encounter even
stronger senatorial opposltlon- Ihere- ere
upon the President withdraws it Tne
Hawaiian Islands, contrary to presl-
dental preference will continue to
have Governor with Hawaiian resi-
Dental qualifications.
Another illustration, though OF
mixed nature. can be seen IN the
senatorial resolution for the ratlhca-
tion of the St. Lawrence waterway
treaty. In this instance the President
chose to fight I should surmise that
few would dispute his political sagaclty
in so doing The St. Lawrence water
way project, with its inherent water
power aspect, is-in the Presidents
own language-his baby" He coulo
a founding. He therefore-with the
full courage of complete wisdom
chose to try to force the Senate into
baptizing it for him into the family
of our established waterway and water
power developments.
Will Have to Use Force.
1t nevertheless instantly followed
that more than 80 Democratic Sena-
tors exhibited a profound dlstaste
godfathers. They in themselves, with
out any help from Republicans, are
numerous enough to defeat the treaty.
The President will have to coerce
them with whips, like Solomon, and
then additionally coerce them with
scorpions, like Rehoboam. He will not
be able to sit back and let his popular
prestige dazzle them into submission.
He will have to summon them and
threaten them with active presidential
dispeasure at the patronage dispen-
saries in Washington and at the polls
back home.
This sort of thing. though it may
in, lNrI cr1 100
treaty to ultimate ratification. is far
indeed from being the easy automatic
dictatorship" which so many critics
have envisaged as dragon devourlng
and even now digesting our fair free
institutions. Those institutions, as enl-
bedded in the Congress- are tougher
than is sometimes supposed. Not even
the most popular President of all known
American political time really could,
even if he would extinguish them just
nov.
Parenthetically. it may be observed
that the best analysis of the Presidents
popularity. and the best tribute to it,
has been offered by Representative Fred
Britten, Republican, OF Illinois. He
says the Presidents popularity is far
beyond being merely political. He says
1t is a sort of folk-worship and he re-
marks:
In my lifetime we have had only
three national heroes. George Dewey,
after the battle CT Manila; Charles
Lindbergh, after he flew the Atlantic,
and Franklin Delano Roosevelt"
Republic Still Survives.
Such Is, in fact, the view taken of
the Presidents national position by
most Congressman. Yet representative
government. though bit dazed, per-
siSts and survives.
ample, has been abundantly resumed
On the roll call in the House of Rep
resentatives the other day, on the
point of the so-called gag rule" for
sustaining the Presidents decision re-
SO,,tb Afr:co HooJ:,