Evening star., 1935-08-25
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Soup to Nuts.

to go down in history as the greatest
spending" body that has represented
the American people. Not only did it
pass the largest single peace-time ap-
preparation bill, $4,880, 100000. but it
has enacted other measures which seem
bound to lead to huge expenditures in
the future, among them the so-called
economic security act. Under the lead
ership of President Roosevelt these and
other acts have been put through Con-
gress without the slightest regard for
balanced budget. The President, and
also the legislators, backed away COM
pletely from the enactment of revenue
legislation which might be construed as
an effort to bring about some adequate
relation between Government spending
and Government income. Instead the
Presidents e-the-wealth" tax law
generally considered a political ges-
ture, was placed on the statute books.
This tax law is expected to bring in
not more than $3.50 100000 additional
revenue. This money, it is true, will be
used for governmental expenditures. 1t
is. however, but a drop in the bucket
when the huge outgo is considered. And
furthermore, the basic purpose of the
measure, as explained by the President
in his message to Congress, is to use
the taxing power of the Government to
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reform program-a part, indeed, which
seems to have been intended to Offset
the ballyhoo of Senator Long of Louisi-
ana. The taxing power of the Federal
Government has been used to meet the
necessary expenses of protection of the
people in the past. The "share-the-
wealth" wrinkle of Federal taxation is
something new. And it appears to
have had its big start at the hands Of
the Louisiana Senator.
President Roosevelt submitted to the
Congress a long program of legislation.
In the main the Congress has done
what the President asked, from soup
to nuts, from the s48So, 100000 work
relief appropriation to the Guffey coal
bill. His public utility holding company
bill, with its death sentence" menace
to some of these companies in some
what changed form, was finally written
into law While there have been signs
of restiveness among the members of
House and Senate, and bitter excoria-
ton by some of the Democrats, the we'll
creased administration steam roller has
flattened all opposition.
Although put upon notice by the Su-
preme Court of the United States that
the theory of many of the New Deal
laws is unconstitutional, the President
has persisted in his demand for more
and more such legislation. The Con-
gress has followed him. The outstanding
and astounding performance by the
Chief Executive and the national Legis-
lature dominated by him was the pas
sage Of the Guffey coal bill. The Presi-
dent asked that this bill be passed,
although the members Of Congress might
have reasonable doubts as to it's con-
itutionality-indeed, he said, no matter
how reasonable these doubts might
appear to be. Furthermore, although
there is prospect of court decisions
holding unconstitutional the A. A. A., the
T. v. A. and others of the alphabetical
flock, the Congress at the behest of the
President has put through laws adding
to the powers of the Federal Govern
ment in these instrumentalities. The
homely potato has been added to the
list Of farm crops over which the A.
A. A. Is to have firm control.
A measure of grave Importance, not
on the Roosevelt program, was forced
through at the last moment, the neu-
trality joint resolution barring the ship
ment Of arms and munitions from this
country to warning nations. In fact,
this measure was not in accord with the
Presidents plan, which called for dis
cretionary power to be placed in his
hands. The Congress, however, was in
no mood to be checked when this meas
ure was actually before it. A concession
which the President was able to wiring
from 1t was to limit the mandatory fea-
lures of the resolution as they relate
to arms embargo to period of six
months.
The members of Congress are return
ing to their homes. For the first time
since last January they will have real
opportunity to learn what their con-
stituents are thinking, particularly
about the New Deal. With a national
election in the ofing, ears will be close
to the ground.