Evening star., 1934-01-07

avn for The Sunday Star by Dewitt Welsh.
of the liquor problem was settled by
repeal. It is still before the country.
But the temperature of the liquor prob
lem has dropped The crisis is passed.
Liquor control will be only one OF a
number of dishes on the Presidents
legislative menu, and not SO hot at
that
It is evident that this program will
take America into a new social and
economic era. If the President has his
way when the new Congress adjourns
he will have American capital con-
trolled so that the sale of stocks and
bonds may be directly under Govern
ment supervision, as, for instance, rail-
road securities, rates and practices have
come under control in the last 80 years.
He also will have currency based upon
a commodity dollar which will be SO
flexible that it will stand the strain OF
hard times and prosperity He VIII
have organized labor quite mdepen-
dent of company control, standing on
its feet with some sort of legal status
in American industry. and industry 1t
self under close Government Supervl-
sion as to costs, profits and prices. He
will have some kind of unemployment
insurance and old-age pensions for
those citizens who have not the acqu1Sl-
tive faculty and are willing to let the
Government protect them against rainy
days and old age He will have the in
come and inheritance taxes operating
as social measures and the liquor busi-
ness under social control. with revenues
only as an incident of that control.
These measures all are unquestionably
upon the doorstep of Congress, with
more or less frank presidential backing.
Now for the political set-up. How
strong Is President Roosevelt with
the Democratic party? How will the
conservative Republicans react toward
this rather radical social program that
will come from the White House?
What unity may the President ex-
pect from his Democratic majoritleS In
the two Houses? Will the conservative
Democrats join with the reactionary
Republicans in conservative bloc
standing on the Constitution and wav-
ing the flag of the fathers denouncing
socialism, or will the lively anticipation
of patronage to come produce poten-
tial Democratic gratitude strong enough
to hold the Democratic caucus behind
the presidential march to the LETT?
Liberals Position in Doubt.
Again we may wonder what will the
progressive Republican leaders in Con-
gress do? Will they support the Presi-
dent in his social revolution or will they
divide into sniping squads and shoot at
the thing that each Of them distruStS
and support only their own pet meas
ures that have presidential support?
In other words will they play ball all
over the lot with the President or will
these Republican congressional radicals
of the type of Norris, Borah and Cut
ting fight as bushwhackers Joining
whichever army is going their way?
Political observers in Washington
seem to agree that the formal leader
ship of the Republican party under,
for instance, McNary, will not make a
public open break with the President
early in the session. So far as McNary
can lead the Senators he will begin
where he left off last Spring. few
Republican Senators - Reed, Dickin-
son. Walcott, Robinson, Hatfield and
their kind-are eager for more critl-
| cal attitude, but will go along with
leadership at first.
The Republican National Committee
scouts who returned last week from
survey of the country report the
President still is strong and that par
tisan opposition for merely partisan
reasons will hurt the Republicans in
the FAN elections more than it will help
them at this juncture. Leader Nc
Nary's strategy will be to let the Demo-
Gratis take full responsibility for the
record of this Congress and turn to the
country next Fall criticizing the record
rather than to fight the Presidents
program now.
Liberals Are Individual.
Last month an effort was made to
reorganize the Republican National
Committee. Back of that effort was
desire among the intransigent Re
publicans to drop a barrage on the ad-
ministration. But this effort repre-
sents only the yearnings of rather
impotent reactionary group. The PreSi-
dents. trouble will not come from a
contest with that group either in his
own party or in the Democratic party.
They cannot easily unite-these two
partisan groups. For that type of par
tisan. whether he be Democrat or Re
publican. dislikes above anything to
cooperate with the opposition party.
Liberals, progressiveS, radicals are not
party minded. They can form blocs
easily across party lines.
The conservatives OF the two parties
only coalesce under strong soncerva-
tive leadership. There is no such
leadership in Congress today. Aldrich,
Penrose or a handy man like Curtis
might effect such a coalition. But not
Fess, not Robinson, and certainly not
a mild-mannered' young Turk like
Dickinson. Moreover the fact that
former President Hoover Is In state
of political coma makes it impossible
for congressional leaders of either fac
ton to rally behind any leader outside
of Congress. For there is none. Wat
son, Wadsworth and Mills are regional
leaders as are Norris, Borah and La
Toilette. Which is by way of saying
that while the conservative Republicans
who might declare war on the President
are weak both numerically and in the
lack Of strong men, the progressives
who number something between twenty
and two dozen, while they have strong
men, are also without leadership be-
cause not one of the two dozen Is a
good follower.
It is odd that the one group in Con-
gress which is leading the country
toward Socialism, is dominated to its