Evening star., 1934-01-28
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
TTER the House vote on the
Presidents monetary measure,

II It Is useless for Republicans
"A or Democrats or any one-tt
deny existence of the tide that
Il powerfully under way. Out OF 28s
Democrats voting. only 2 voted nay
Out Of 1913 Republicans, only "a resisted
and twice that number, SO, voted fol
the Presidents bill. The meaning lies
not merely in the completeness OF The
acceptance of the Presidents program
the greater significance lies in the
spirit in which it was done, especially
In the spirit in which the Republicans
went over.
1t has been said that in the whole
House not a dozen men understood
the complex, wide ranging grant Of
powers they voted to the President. "A
dozen" may be an excessively low estl-
mate, but so would be safe. Possibly q
considerable number of votes might OF
explained on the ground that one ele-
ment in the measure is imitation by re-
ducing the gold content of the dollar
that imitation in general way is popu-
lar, and that members did not care te
resist it.
But the mood in which most of the
House voted aye" took no account OF
the meaning or consequences of the
measure. The thinking of most who
supported the measure ran something
like this: This is President Roose.
velts proposal; the President is popu'
lar: shall be running for denomination
in few weeks and for reelection in g
few months, and I do not wish to be
labeled as opposing the Presidents
program.
Spirit Prevails Widely.
That spirit is practically universal
with Democrats. With Republicans il
Is common. The number of members
who. looking forward now to the con-
gressional campaign next Summer
choose to run as outright opponents
Of the President is probably just about
the number who voted nay on the
currency measure just 40 in a total
vote of 400-1 cut of 10.
The Representatives are reelection
eonscious-and in that state of mind
their practical Judgment is that it is
politically dangerous to oppose the Pres
ident The other day a Republican
Representative in a district which has
never had Democratic Representative
since before the Civil War, said pub
licly that "a man who opposes the
President is close to being guilty OF
treason" 1t was not the Representa-
tive's conscience that said that. Most
certainly it was not Republican party
principle that said it. 1t was the Rep
resentative'S estimate Of the mind OF
his electorate-in a district historically
q Republican stronghold.
With Democrats it is the same. only
Of course more so. Many Democrats
are dismayed by what is going on
nevertheless they vote as they did on
the currency measure. 287 ayes" to 2
mays" A Democrat in the very highest
Nf1 inf pGI
Gated and long experienced-and there
fore able to understand the deeper
meaning CT what is taking place-said
in a private conversation: II know well
that the country is being carried to-
ward Fascism or Communism-prob-
ably first Fascism and after period of
that then Communism; and 1 deplore
It, 1t saddens me: but" The Shrug
Of shoulders which completed the sem
tence meant that politics is his career
and that he does not choose to commit
political suicide.
Difference of Degree.
A 10-to-1 vote aye is the meas
ure of the Presidents present strength
in the House. If, in the Senate. the
proportion is slightly less overwhelm-
ing, the reason is not one from which
opponents of the program can hope
much. In the Senate only a third
80 out of 96. come up for reelection
this year In the House, the whole
membership comes UP, except the i'm
material few who may retire volun-
tarilyD Only third. therefore. of the
Senate are Immediately responsive to
the Presidents popularity with the
public.
But support of the Presidents pro-
&ram in the Senate differs only in
degree from that in the House. In
both chambers there are ample majori-
ties for whatever the President is likely
to propose. That is a fair Judgment
about the present session Of Congress
nearly four weeks after it has begun.
There is no faintest sign of formidable
opposition.
Certainly there is none based on the
principles involved in the quiet revolu-
ton that is under way. What oppo-
sition exists has to do with patronage,
and with congressional advocacy of
higher paw for Government servants
and greater compensation for veterans
than the President is willing to give.
The President and Congress.
Such opposition as there is in Con-
gress to the President has expressed
itself in three negligible f1urries. There
was a protest of Democrats about party
patronage. There was and is demand
by both Democrats and Republicans
for abrogation of pay cut which the
President enforced upon Government
employees There was and is a demand
from members of both parties for
restoration of cut which the Presi-
dent made in compensation for vet
erans There is no material opposi-
ton to the President in the House,
and only little in the Senate, based
on principle.
If there is any possibility of Con-
gress differing with the President about
any of the innovations involved in the
great change going on, the new insti-
tutions set up. the possibility lies in
attack by some Senators on N. R. A.
The attack will be made-it is already
under way. But the chance Of success
for it is slight. Senator Borah says he
has received soms 5000 letters of COM
mendation of his charge that N. r. A.
works toward extinction of the small
business man, and toward higher prices
Of goods to all consumers.
As to the second part of the charge,
1t is natural that at the present stage
of the business cycle. with prices ris-
ing, much of the public should become,
so to speak, consumer r-conscious." A
buyers strike" has commonly marked
the second six months or SO of every
business recovery. The time when the
public will have come to take their re-
newed incomes for granted. and will
think mainly In terms of the cost OF
what they must buy, the time when the
public becomes consumer conscious
will be a period Of some risk to the ad--
ministration, though probably not
much.
Little Business Protests.
As to the second part of Senator
Borahs charge, that N. r. A. works TO
the detriment of small units of busi-
ness as against big, there is much as
sertion that this is so, and much outcry
from little business-the mass OF Sen
atr Borah's 5000 letters came from
this class. N. r. A. Administrator Gen.
johnson, in his reply to Senators Boran
cpl N,,o iy,,r,1iol copcri0IISnpSS OF WIDE