Evening star., 1935-03-18
ThePOlitical Mill
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

Inc senate ugnt over the Work-re-
lief bill has demonstrated q revival
Of spirit Of independence on Capitol
Hill, If it has done nothing else. The
willingness Of Congress to accept any
legislation, or proposals for legisla-
ton, transmitted from the White
House-which was so manifest dur
ing the Seventy-third Congress-has
subsidized. Senators on the Demo-
at all dissatisfied by this apparent
change Of sentiment. They have been
restive for some time over what they
call dictation from the White House
This does not mean that they have
abandoned President Roosevelt. But
it means that they have desired to
be given more consideration by the
White House and that they have be-
come fed up with the idea that they
were, after all, merely rubber stamps.
From now on it looks as though the
Senate, If not the House, would take
q real hand in the framing of all
legislative proposals that come up for
consideration and action.
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Two Senators, both Democrats and
members of the Senate Committee
on Appropriations, will have their
names indissolubly linked with the
consideration of the Presidents S4,-
$50, ,000, 900 work-relief bill. They are
McCarran Of Nevada and Adams Of
Colorado. The first sponsored the
0Nravo i1ipo MO ooD apoapdr,ant +o tI,o
bill and the second the amendment
to cut the total appropriation almost
in half. The McCarran amendment
was as vigorously opposed by the ad-
ministration as the Adams amend
ment. Victory finally went to the
President in the fight over the pre-
vailing wage, although the admin
istration was compelled to exert its
whole influence finally to avoid de-
feat. The Adams amendment, lop-
ping $2,000,000,000 of the appro-
priation for relief, is still to be acted
upon. The administration forces are
expected to win here, again. But the
victory will not be accomplished with
out a thorough demonstration that
there is a growing sentiment against
the huge Government expenditures
to which the administration has been
and still is committed.
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Neither Senator McCarran nor
Senator Adams come up for re-elec-
ton until 1888. There will be no re-
taliation possible, therefore, by the ad-
ministration in next years general
election against these two recalcitrant
Democrats, even if the administration
desired to retaliate. Doubtless they
will be found actively campaigning
for President Roosevelt in 1885. But
the administration may feel for the
moment that it has no great cause for
love of these two Senators.
Labor took a licking in the fight
for the prevailing wage and against
the Presidents security wage" plan
1t is true that labor has been well
treated by the Roosevelt administra-
ton. But labor does not relish de-
feat, and particularly this defeat
which labor fears may react unfavor-
ably on the wage scales in private en-
ployment.
1t looks now as though the work
relief bill would hand to the President
nearly five billions of dollars to use
pretty much as he sees fit, and, further
more, that this big sum would be in
use during the months Of the 1886
presidential campaign. Senator Long
Of Louisiana, during the debate on the
bill, called attention to the political
implications Of the appropriation. Less
than q year ago the country had a
demonstration Of the powerful inf1u-
ence of Government money in politi-
cal campaign. Millions were on re-
lief rolls during the 1884 congressional
campaign. They were taught to be-
Ieve that only through Democratic
victory would the relief be continued
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The work.relief bill is the first OF
the important measures which the
President has proposed to Congress.
1t has still to become law, although
Congress has been In session for two
months and a half. The Presidents
victory in the prevailing wage fight
is being interpreted as meaning that
the rest Of the program will go
through as the President desires. 1t
may, and then again it may not. In
cluded in the rest Of the list are the
economic security bill, the N. r. A.
bill, which has yet to be written;
public utility bill, dealing particu-
larly with holding companies, and
the ship subsidy bill. There are
tough fights facing all these meas
/ T11ora ic vri1linn-
ness on the part of Congress to fight
the New Dealers, the economic plan
ners. One reason for this is found
in the anxiety which is growing over
the fiscal situation Of the Govern
ment, which is tending to make Con-
gress more conservative in its atti-
tude. A second reason is found in
the fact that the millions of unem-
ployed are still unemployed and the
millions on relief are still waiting
with hands stretched out for. relief.
y
The showdown in the House over
the soldiers bonus is expected this
week. Legislation affecting the war
veterans has been a thorn in the side
of the administration for the last two
and-a-half years. The President has
declared against the present cash pay
ment of the soldiers bonus. But the
administration leaders in the House
have been powerless to stem the tide
of sentiment in favor of the bonus
bill. otherwise they would have bot
tied up the measure. In the Senate
the bonus bill will command ma
jority. too. although it is expected
that the President will get more sup
port for his attitude in the Upper
House than in the Lower. Had the
administration been compelled to
take a licking in the Senate on the
prevailing wage amendment. just
prior to the action of the House on
the bonus bill, the psychological ef-
feet would have been not so good for
the administration.
The lowly Republicans have quite
naturally taken heart because of the
rift between the President and the
Congress. They are not making
claims yet of victory in 1886. But
| {I,axy rooJ Il into tIo rpynlt AGAINST the