The Washington times., 1935-01-30
SENATE REVOLT
ON BIC WORKS
BILL H|NTED
Members Hesitate TO Give
Power of Dispensing
Funds to President
By GEORGE r. HOLMES
international News Service

international News Service
The Senate's rejection of the
League Court by such a decisive
margin left Administration lead
ers today curious and not a
little apprehensive as to how
far this "revolt" may go af.
fecting other legislation pressed
by the White House.
1t was the third major defeat
suffered by President Roosevelt
at the hands of an overwhelm.
ingly Democratic Congress. The
first was the overriding of his
veto on the restoration of vet
erans' compensation cuts; the
second was the Senate'S rejec-
ton Of the st. Lawrence Treaty.
Behind the rejection Of the
League Court lies another piece Of
controversial legislation-the gi-
gantic 4,880-million-dollar work-re-
lief bill. It has passed the House
and in the form insisted upon by
the President, but the Senate is q
different-and more independent
body, as shown by the Court
fight.
Insists On Power
Mr.. Roosevelt insists that Con-
gresS vote him the 1880 million
dollars with no strings attached.
He proposes to use the odd $50
millions to wind up the direct
Federal relief business, and with
the 1000 millions to get started
on the far.reaching program Of in.
ternal improvements recommended
by his National Resources Board.
The House was inclined to balk
at voting such q huge sum with
no strings attached, for the Presi-
dent to spend wholly as he sees
fit, reporting only to Congress
what he has done with the money.
But in the end, and by use Of the
drastic "gag" rule, the House
swallowed it.
There isn't any "gag" rule in
the Senate, and it is beyond queS-
tion that the battle there over the
work-relief bill is going to be
lengthy and controversial.
Dangerous Precedent
Without regard to party, many
Senators, as did many members
of the House, regard such a vast
delegation Of power to the Execu-
tive as a dangerous precedent. It
isn't that they fear that Mr..
Roosevelt will not spend the
money wisely-they simply be-
lieve that no single individual
should be voted four thousand
million dollars to spend without
any restraining instructions as to
where it is to go.
Some constitutionalistS in both
houses also regard such an enor-
nous grant Of power as uncon-
stitutional. They pointed out to-
day that the Supreme Court, in
throwing out the oil section of
the NRA, did so on the ground
that Congress could not delegate
its powers to the Executive with
out laying down some policy or
program to be followed by him.
Senators in Quandary
The power conferred upon the
Executive in the work-relief bill is
far greater than that contained
in the cast-out oil section Of NRA,
many Senators believe. The Su-
preme Courts decision in the oil
case is going to figure largely in
senatorial debate of the relief
measure.
In many respects, Senators are
in a quandary over this work-re-
lief bill. They realize the futility
Of having Congress itself try to
allocate such an enormous sum,
with each member striving to get
what he can for his own district
and State, trading, back-scratch-
ing and log-rolling.
At the same time, they shudder
at giving one man-any man-the
gigantic sum of four thousand
million to do with as he will, with
no congressional strings attached.