The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-09-05
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Build Campaign Battle Lines
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Build Campaign Battle Lines
Washington Politics being in
separabIe from governmental ad
ministration under our system,
becomes pertinent at this time t.
examine what has happened in tn
late session of congress. In nation
where a two-party political struc
ture obtains, politics cannot be seq
regated from the administration II
the larger sense. It is not with .
critical attiture, therefore, that tn
magnifying glass is held over tn
doings of President Roosevelt, hi
cabinent and brain trust adviser
and the congress that has lately adj
journed. t. g.. #. -.
I believe it will be agreed tha
politics has predominated in TIT
management of our national affair!
during the last eight months espec.
tally. The fevor and appeal thai
was held for recovery by all of Us
during the earlier days of the
Roosevelt administration seems tt
have been largely dissipated. That
is not to say that no one wants te
see recovery accomplished. 1t is tc
say, however, that this fevor anc
this appeal has been somewhat sub
ordinated. Thus, it can be sum-
married. in brief sentence: The
administration, looking to the cleo
ton of 1886, has been engaged in
building campaign battle lines and
forging campaign ammunition.
The 1884 congressional elections
presented to the country an issue
based on the performances and flu
ture program of President Roose-
welt. It was accorded proposition
where citizens were voting either
to give the New Deal a future MAN.
date and the President authority to
proceed as he thought best or to
vote a mandate that would call a
halt on those same performances
and policies. The country support
ed Mr.. Roosevelt, some Of his adj
visers since have told me, in man
ner even more substantial than he
had anticipated. He emerged from
that campaign with larger Demo-
cratic majority in the house than he
had before. In addition he was ac-
corded much more than nee
essary two-thirds of the senate. The
picture looked roseate.
Though the congress that has
just ended its session gave the Pres
ident many anxious hours, I think
that on the whole it can be regard
ed as having provided him with a
record of rather arduous and faith
full response to his wishes. He did
not obtain quite all that he wanted
nor did he obtain that portion Of
his program exactly in the form he
desired. But, again, politics in con-
gress is almost a mater of general
compromise anyway, so that the
President can be said to have come
out very well. He can proceed now
to any plans for that session of
congress which convenes next jan
uary and which, in accordance with
nearly all precedents, will adjourn
ahead of the national political con-
ventions next June.
Looking to the Future
Politics being the game that it is,
one must look into the future to
discover the ultimate goal. So,
looking into the future, one dis
Germs several objects or detectives
of decided, as well as important, in
terest to the individual voters.
In the first place, the consensus
surely is that Mr.. Roosevelt has
built a legislative and administra-
tive structure in our government
that presents a concrete and UNI
qualified issue to the American peo-
pie, namely, to proceed along New
Deal lines and make the necessary
changes in the Constitution to per-
init execution of those policies or
to throw the whole thing overheard.
There can be no equivocation.
As the structure stands at this
time and as it will stand until the
next session of congress is under
way, many New Deal propositions
are of doubtful constitutionality. IF
they are SO held by the Supreme
court of the United States, then Mr..
Roosevelt is believed certain to
turn to the country and request
Constitutional revision.
His latest and perhaps his most
definite move in this direction was
in connection with the so-called
Guffey coal bill. 1t will be recalled
that, in placing that piece of legis-
lation on the must" list of meas
ures to be acted on before congress
adjourned, Mr.. Roosevelt advised
house leaders that he wanted it
passed and he did not care particu-