Evening star., 1934-06-20
Gamers Estimate of Congress.

Garner S Estimate OF congress.
Vice President John N. Garner
broke his silence of more than a year
to comment last night upon the Con-
gress Just closed. In his opinion the
session which ended Monday night
was one of the "calmest, most con-
Structive and least bitter" In more than
thirty years. He gave as the reason
for this attitude on the part of Con-
preSS the desire OF members OF the
House and Senate to play ball with
the President in bringing about re-
covery in the United States.
"Of course there has been some
politics" Mr.. Garner admitted and
he continued Under our system of
two great political parties the lookout
men of both organizations are bound
to study the future. No man in Con-
gress can be totally oblivious of his
own prospects"
The Vice President is quite correct
In his analysis of the attitude of Con-
gress and Congressman during the
past session. The session was un-
usually calm. A tremendous amount
OF important legislation was put
through and there was comparatively
little bitterneSs-and comparatively
little politics If by that is meant at
tacks by the minority party, the Re-
publican party, upon the Democratic
administration and its policies. Para
doxically, the scarcity OF attacks by
the Republicans was due also to poll
tics. Some of the shrewdest Repub-
lican politicians in Congress came to
the conclusion that 1t was no time to
assail the President, who appeared to
be at the zenith of his popularity
throughout the States. To attack the
President and his recovery plans, they
figured, was merely to invite criticism
OF themselves by the voters. While it
is popular to say that Congress CO.
operated with the President whole
hesrtedly because its individual men,
bers realized that the country was
facing a crisis, there can be little
doubt that if the members of Con-
eress had not been impressed with the
idea that President Roosevelt held
the Imagination of the voters, their
attacks upon the Chief Executive and
what he was doing and asking of
Congress would have reached the tor
nado stage.
Mr.. Garner expressed the idea that
President Roosevelt dominates the
situation quite clearly when he said
individuals may carp and grumble
and conjure up phantoms Of dicta-
torship, but the country at large has
felt the fine influence of the Execu-
tive's direction of affairs and today
has even greater faith in the patriot
ism. efficiency and unselfish sincerity
of the President than it had on the
day it elected him so enthusiastically. /"
Probably in this last statement the
Vice President also is correct. De-
spite the huge vote rolled up in 1882
for President Roosevelt, his victory
was largely due. not to any great love
or admiration for himself, but to a
thorough distaste with the conditions
which gripped the country, desire
for some kind OF change that might
bring the country back to more pros
porous days. And after having elect
ed the new President the country was
anxious to see him take hold and aid
in recovery. No persons in the coun-
try were more strongly cognizant of
that fact than members of Congress.
II they have given the President tre-
mendous powers-which he has asked
of them-it was because they believed
that the voters of the country and
public opinion generally backed the
President.
The Democrats are about TO enter
\ congressional campaign. They will
stand upon the record made by the
Roosevelt administration; they will
acclaim that administration. They
will ask the people to stand by them
and so stand by the President. And
whether the people so stand or not
will be determined largely by the way
the new deal has affected them indi-
vidually. OF such is the essence OF
politics.