The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-01-17

tons by avid New Dealers That Mr.
Roosevelt's second budget recon-
mendations would provide clear
picture of his general fiscal poll
cies. If their statements remain
true, they resulted in setting up
one of the most paradoxical condi-
tions in the history Of this nation.
Looking back over the whole
Roosevelt period, the thing which
observers have never been able adj
equately to explain is who or what
effected the change in the Presi-
dents views on fundamental fam
cial questions. 1t is too obvious to
precipitate an argument that the
Presidents views have changed.
When one goes back to his first
message to congress or beyond that
to his campaign speeches and to
the platform upon which he made
the race for presidency, it is futile
to try to reconcile those utterances
with the subsequent spending and
borrowing program in which his
administration has INDUCED. 1t will
be recalled that Mr.. Roosevelt de-
clared in his inaugural speech an
intention to balance the budget and
wipe out the deficit left on his lap
by the Hoover administration. He
went on to say that if congress in
its generosity voted sums that
placed the budget out of balance
it was under the necessity at the
same time to provide taxes to raise
the excess expenditures.
Since there can be no dispute
that Mr.. Roosevelt's views have
changed and he has acted in ac-
cordanace with his new found prin-
ciples, the interesting thing is who
brought about the revision of views
on the part Of the President. Some
of the Presidents virulent critics
have asserted in the opening days
of congress that Mr.. Roosevelt was
wholly uniformed as to the needs
with which The was confronted when
he was making his campaign
speeches. They say he found his
original promise to be all wet and
he took the only alternative to
stave off a bitter row in his own
party, offering much money for
congress to spend.
Among the Presidents friends, /
have heard private expressions that
Mr.. Roosevelt had been misled by
some of the group who held his ear
at the start of the administration.
These men referred to a number of
the so-called Progressive Repubi-
cans like the LaFollette, Norris,
Hiram johnson of California and
Bronson Cutting of New Mexico.
Several of these were so well liked
by the President that they were
invited to enter his cabinet. Con-
sequently, there are those who be-
lieve that Mr.. Roosevelt followed
the advice of the Progressive Re-
publican group much more closely
than leaders among the old-time
Democrats. Most Of the Progress
i've Republicans are spenders at
heart, according to the general
view here. And they are also men
who regard a balanced budget as
not very important. So, while no
one can say definitely what influ-
ences altered the Presidents stand
it certainly is regarded among OBJ
servers here as being a situation
in which the wind makes the straws
point toward the so called pro-
gressives as having joined hands
with the President in initiating
what has come to be the greatest
outpouring Of taxpayers money,
except in war time, since our gov
eminent was established.
"South in the Saddle"
Organization of the new congress
has resulted in a new cry, in real
ity very old cry, but it is new,
since we have not heard it in fiji
teen years. The cry we are hear
ing now from Republicans and
from northern Democrats is the
wall that "the South is in the sad
dle.s
While there certainly can be
criminal about the South
being in the saddle, it provides a
grand political issue both within
the Democratic rangs and between
the Democratic party and what is
left of the Republicans in con-
gress. It also touches a question
that has been discussed many
times, namely, the wisdom of the
seniority rule in congress. The
seniority rule provides that the
oldest members in the point of ser
vice shall inherit committee
chairmanships and shall have 9TH
er positions of honor in the house
and senate.
Out of the SO Democratic sena-
tors only "a come from what is
known as the solid South. Of the
BIT Democratic members of the
house, only about 100 are thorough
ly acquainted with the yell of the
Confederacy. Yet in the face of
this tremendous growth of Demo-
cratic membership coming out of
the North and the West, the South
is in the saddle more solidly than
ever.
The speakership Of the house