Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-30
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

tached mind to study the Govern
= ment Of the United States as it
has functioned for the past % months
he would find set-up like nothing
that ever existed before. He would
not find party government"-th is
"out" in America, temporarily at
least. He would find. however. diff
ferent thing, party politics" still
functioning as hangover from the
past.
What Is the picture Of the Ameri-
can Government as it exists today?
There Is the President. Around the
President Is group of persons who
belong, most of them, to no party,
who have no status in public life ex-
cept what they acquired through the
accident of their relation to the Presi-
dent. They are not members of the
House, they are not Senators, they are
not Democratic leaders, they are not
Democrats at all. Their ideas have no
relation to American politics, the
ideas come partly out of the new ex-
periments in government that have
been set up in Europe.
have spoken of these persons as a
group. But they are not a group.
Their only common denomination is
their relation to the President. The
ideas of some conflict with the ideas
of others. The ideas of some are re-
lated to Italian faScism. of others to
Russian communism. 1t should be
added that the proposals of some go
no further than to make marked
changes. though not to the extent of
revolution, in the American form of
society and government.
Attempting Too Much.
The various ideas originated by
these persons they pour into the
Presidents mind. OF the President
and ideas, it can be said that, in an
old American phrase, his eyes are
bigger than his stomach. He is at
tracted by more ideas than he can
digest, or the country can digest. The
country, indeed, is suffering from an
Indigestion due to the fact that
gulped bites of faScism disagree with
gulped bites of communism. and both
disagree with the American concep-
ton of government and society. At
this moment the most thoughtful
student Of government and society
cannot tell surely whether America
still remains what is called individu-
alistic or capitalistic, or whether the
country is irrevocably committed TO a
course which can only end in collec-
tivism.
That the President is overdisposed
to swallow new ideas is we'll known Il
his intimates Some of those close tc
him know 1t and try to guard him
against too many and too hasty meals
Some of the radicals, however, take
advantage of the trait and study him
to know when they can find him in q
mood Of enthusiasm for something
novel.
II We follow the mechanism Of gov
eminent as it now operates We find
that the President. having received
the ideas from the intellectuals and
radicals occasionally from some CON-
plete conservatives transmits them tc
Congress. In some cases the ideas ano
the bills in which they are expressed
are actually written out by the authors
of them and are transmitted to Con-
gress without being read by the Presi-
dent To Congress the measures go with
the Presidents backing and authority
That is the only standing the meas
ures have-if they came directly from
the intellectuals and radicals, Con-
greSs would give no thought to them.
Leaders Willingness Is Amazing.
The measures are transmitted tC
Congress through Democratic leaders
in that BODY. The willingness of the
leaders to accept the measures is ex-
traordinary and astonishing. 1t goes
beyond anything that existed ever
during the Great War; at that time
Democratic leaders sometimes refused
to accept, indeed publicly opposed
measures proposed by President Will
son, even measures generally regarded
as desirable in the interest of con-
Quoting tn war competently. The
private disbelief of present Demo
cratic leaders in some of the measure:
they publicly support is so well known
that Washington hardly even goSSips
about 1t any more.
From the leaders the measures art
transmitted to the two chambers o.
Congress. The rank and file of member!
accept the proposals because the lead
ers accept them. Just lately there ha!
been some restless protest of member!
against some of the measures they art
asked to enact, and faint, very faint
disposition of leaders not to accept
without question measures proposed
by the executive branch of the Gov
eminent. One important Democratic
leader has lately told important COM
mittees to read carefully all measure:
coming from members Of the admins
tration.
Now what is the engine, or the fuel
of Government as thus carried on:
Why do Democratic leaders accept
and why does the Democratic majority
in Congress enact, measures which
they would reject if they were exercis-
ing their private judgments and con-
sciences measures which are palpably
contrary to the principles and tradi-
tions of the Democratic party?
Party Solidarity Is Factor.
There are many reasons. One is the
motive of party solidarity. All the
Democrats land Republicans OF
course) in the House come up for re-
nomination and election next year
Except such few as voluntarily retire..
In the Senate one-third come up for
reelection. In the same election the
President will be up for another term.
The Democrats want, naturally, to go
into the campaign as a united party.
Every Democrat in Congress looking
forward to his personal campaign hesi-
tates to be known as one who did not
go along" with the Democratic Presi-
dent excepting a few like Senator
Carter Glass, who will go before the
Virginia electorate next year as the
outstanding critic and opponent of the
New Deal, as one who has furnished
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