Evening star., 1935-02-07
ROOSEVELT BILLS
FACE BIG CHANGES
President Expects Action on
Measures Offered by
SubordinateS.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

ton legislation will be materially
changed before it's final enactment.
And this will happen with the knowl-
edge, consent and approval Of the
President himself on many Of the
changes made.
This is because a rather novel
method of procedure has been adopted
by Mr.. Roosevelt in handling meas
ures vital to his recovery program.
The Democratic majority being so
large and substantial and Mr.. Roose-
velt's leadership over his party being
acknowledged, Congress came back
here with the idea that the initiative
should be taken by the President.
But there is also the fact that
administration officials are by no
means equipped to write bills that
will stand up under adverse criticism
and particularly under the fire that
is aimed at every piece of legislation
which affects business. All legiSla-
ton contains compromises arrived at
after hearings or public comment.
Amendments Expected.
Usually, of course, when bill is
introduced, it attracts more or less
attention, depending upon the i'm
portance of the sponsor, but every
body assumes then that committee
ments. What, therefore, would be
the case if an administration measure
came from the White House or
cabinet officer and then it was sub
ject to rather important changes?
Would it be charged that Congress
was disagreeing with the Chief Ex-
ecutive or that a rebellion" was
developing?
Clearly, the President, who Is aStute
enough to realize that legislation in
matured and final form cannot pos
sibly come out Of the executive de-
partments, hit upon the natural Solu-
ion of the dilemma. He told his asso-
ciates to 60 ahead with their drafts
and send them to Capitol Hill, while
he, himself, withheld personal indorse-
ment. In this way, Mr.. Roosevelt
keeps himself free to advise with the
committees of Congress and accept or
reject changes in measures written by
his own appointees in the executive
branches of the Government.
AS a matter of fact, President un-
der the Constitution is supposed to
recommend legislation and not neces-
Sarily to write it. but members of
Congress themselves ask for the ad-
miniStration ideas in draft form so
as to get starting point.
Depends on Henchmen.
The indications are that the admin
istration does not intend to allow un-
friendly committees to emasculate its
legislation or to put jokers therein, but
will depend on its own henchmen in
Congress to decide how far the adverse
criticism justifies a change in the
wording of particular measure.
Specific examples of this whole pro-
cedure will be found in the banking
legislation and in the proposals to reg
ulate holding companies. In neither
instance has Mr.. Roosevelt approved
the drafts, except in principle. He
feels open minded on points that will
be questioned, and, if the committees
get into deadlock or If there are diff
ferences between the Senate and
House, Mr. Roosevelt will attempt to
guide the compromise that must in
evitably follow revelation Of these
differences.
The holding company bills will be
more drastic on the day their con-
sideration is begun by congressional
committees than on the day they are
reported out and still less destructive
in their effects when finally enacted
into law, if needed the passage Of
holding company legislation at this
session is ultimately decided on at
all. For it must not be forgotten
that national power policy has not
yet been formulated by the Presidents
special commission, and it is difficult
to see why holding companies would
be regulated without regard to what
is done nationally on the whole power
question with its intricate tangles on
rates.
Vital Changes Are Faced.
AS for banking, the drafts sent to
Capitol Hill this week represent the
maximum Of effort toward centraliza-
ton OF governmental power over credit.
The bill will be altered in vital re-
spects before it gets through either
house. But the administration expects
the principal suggestions for change
to come out of the criticism that
will be made by those most affected.
Also there is reason to believe the
administration has encouraged leaders
of the banking and business world
to sit in with the committees in Con-
gress and those representatives of ex-
ecutive departments who go to Capt.
tol Hill to work with the committees
on specific pieces OF legislation. This
is the Roosevelt way Of getting the
maximum that appears to him feasible
or workable. and it probably will
work as long as the President is able
to control his own majority in both
houses of Congress.
tCopyriEht, 1850