The Washington times., 1935-07-03
UTILITY DEFEAT
HARD BLOW To
PRESIDENT
Politicians Liken Situation to
That Following Upset of
Wilson on League
By EARL GOODWIN


President Roosevelt appears to
have suffered defeat in his hold.
ing company death sentence"
plans as spectacular, and perhaps
as far reaching politically, as the
experiences of Woodrow Wilson
with his League Of Nations pro-
gram.
Although the holding company
bill is neither out of the woods
nor through the inevitable con-
ference between both Houses, due
to the striking differences be-
tween the Senate and House bills,
it is easily seen that the violent
explosion in the House yesterday
may continue to roar and rumble
throughout the next campaign
and may seriously imperil the
Presidents political prestige.
Comes at Bad Time
The defeat of the Presidents
program comes at a time when
the opposition to the New Deal is
mounting and unless vigorous
stroke is taken to assure Demo
cratic members of Congress that
Mr.. Roosevelt is still in the sad
die, there may be further defec-
tons.
There is extreme diSsatiSfac.
ton in spots quite close to the
High Command over the way the
holding company legislation was
handled, particularly toward the
end of the fight.
There is feeling, too, that the
thing was timed wrong, that the
President would have been sue.
ceSsful had the legislation been
rushed through several months
ago. earlier in the New Deal. At
that time the country was aghast
at the ruination following the col,
lapse of the insult utility empire,
wreck which has been forgotten
in many sections of the country
today.
Campaign Issue
Senator Wheeler of Montana,
Democrat, said yesterday that he
believed that unless some decent
agreement" came out of the con,
ference between Senate and House,
the holding company issue might
go to the people" This means of
course that it may be a campaign
issue next year.
If the President, or any section
of the liberals, wants to force the
power issue or the utility issue, it
will be found that all is not plain
sailing. There are enough con-
serVatives in both parties to make
it an uncertain matter-juSt as
prohibition was. To make it
campaign issue between the two
major parties as they line up to
day would m AN tn at fight
would have to be made in the Dem
ocratic party to adopt it as plat.
form plank. The President would
have to sell the issue to his own
party and yesterdays vote is
enough proof that he would have
his troubles.
G. o. P. Stand Cited
Liberal Republicans would have
the same trouble with the G. o. P.
That there is a strong Western
feeling favorable to Government
power dams and death sentences
for utility holding companies, is
unquestioned. But there is no
present indication that the Re.
publican party will be anything
but anti-New Deal, which leaves
the death sentence" still looking
for party to sponsor it.
President Roosevelt, however,
has been cunning for the utility
holding companies for a long
time and he is known to be a
RELENTLESS fighter. He fought the
utilities on the st. Lawrence wa
terway matter while he was Gov,
ernor of New York and knows he
has in them a stern political foe.
He is reported as being ready to
fight them again, taking the pres,
ent setback as temporary mat
ter.