Evening star., 1935-08-21
D|SPLEASED VOTE
AWAITS CONGRESS
Many Faces Expected to
Disappear as Result OF
Legislation.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
This is the week Of many death
sentences" that is, for members OF
Congress who expect to come back
here for another term.
The hasty way in which legislation
Is being pushed through at the behest
of the President, without giving due
consideration to the economic effects,
is bound to have repercussions in the
next congressional campaign.
Many Democratic members, OF
course, are betting that the Presidents
political Judgment is without reproach
and that his leadership is going to
carry them through the next election.
They little realize the rapidly-growing
sentiment against Congress that
gave away S4,o00.000. 1000, has been
passing obviously unconstitutional
legislation, and has capped the climax
by jamming through tax bill in a
few days that will raise only enough
reevnue to pay the deficits for less
than a month.
Under the original conception of
the founders of the republic, the
members of the House and the Senate
were to take full responsibility for the
legislation they passed. 1t never was
contemplated that the legislative
branch would be dominated by and
even coerced by the Executive through
the use of political patronage or the
ALLEGATION of public works programs.
But the present Congress believes IN
abdicating its functions, much more
on the order of the European govern
ments, where the executive and legis-
lative branches are combined.
Different In Europe.
In Europe, however, the parliament
itself can be held accountable on spe-
cific issues and a vote of lack Of con-
fidence can result in a change of the
executive personnel, while in America
the tenure of Office Is fixed and issues
at the polls can hardly be separated
and voted on specifically in a ma
tional election.
The action OF the House in passing
the Guffey coal bill, when almost
everybody in the legal profession in
sists that it is unconstitutional, is an
unprecedented surrender by Congress
of its own independent judgment.
The Senate is not as enthusiastic
about the Guffey bill as the House
and there are chances of delay which
may kill the bill for the present ses-
sion. but it would not be surprising
to see the Senate bow to the executive,
too.
Mr.. Roosevelt is having his own
way because he has convinced some of
the doubling members in Congress
that they must stand or fall on his
leadership and that If they expect to
run on the Democratic ticket next
time they had better be on the side
of the man on the top of the ticket
President Not Worried.
Several influential members of Con-
eress have told the President that
they think his administration is slip
ping. but Mr.. Roosevelt brushes aside
all such ideas and tells his callers not
to worry-the people will be with him
In the end.
The difficulty is that Mr.. Roose-
welt cannot 60 into every congress
sional district and make campaign,
and, while he may have enough
strength to carry his own weight in
a particular State, this is not saying
he can pull anybody else through who
has a vigorous opponent or 3 series
of blocs voting against member OF
Congress.
The so-called grievance groups"
are growing in number. They may be
listed as follows;
/. The bonus group-about 1000,
600 or more.
2. The securities holders-about
100000.
3. The small business men ad-
versely affected by N. R. A. and tax
etion-about 100000.
4. Ten million unemployed who are
Still waiting for jobs.
5. Owners of real estate and others
who will have to pay more taxes to
the States because of the Federal
sapping of the State tax revenues and
Federal insistence on more State bor-
rowings for public works.
Many Other Groups.
To the foregoing groups may be
added various small groups who have
a grievance against the adminiStra-
ton for any of a thousand reasons.
Also there is the large group CT voters
whose number cannot be estimated
as yet but who fear for the future OF
the dollar and the cost of living be-
cause of the mounting public debt
and the Roosevelt expenditures.
How will these grievances express
themselves? Probably in resentment
against all members of Congress up
for reelection who voted for most of
the Roosevelt measures. In many an
election one grievance group has been
enough to swing the decision. The
probabilities are that Washington will
see many new faces in Congress in
1897 unless perchance the member
ship reverses itself materially in the
January. 1886, session after a more
minute inspection of public sentiment
at home this Autumn.