Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-05-21
THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
By CONG. JOHN PAUL KVALE

Inc stunning QeIedt VI tuc rAoIASi
Lemke bill in the House this week
played up in all the eastern papers
as the news of the week. has lef
supporters of the bill with mingled
feelings. In addition to disappolnt
ment and diScOuras cement that naturai
ly follows such an event, there is
combined resentment against the tao
tics that were employed and a firm
resolve to conduct an educational
campaign for the revised bill thai
will insure for it a more Intelligent
and favorable consideration in the
next Congress. True, there is some
talk of holding hearings on the amend
ed bill, but from practical stand.
point any such talk seems completely
futile. Adjournment is too near, the
political pressure of the approaching
conventions and primaries is becom-
ing acute, and the issue now seems
definitely side-tracked for this session
1t has seemed a nip-and-tuck fight
up to the time that the Speaker took
the floor on the final day of debate.
That in itself is unusual in House
procedure. But the friends of the
measure were aghast when he pro-
duced and read a letter from Green,
head of the American Federation OF
Labor, stating the positive opposition
of himself and his executive group
then in session-to the bill and ask
ing friends of labor" to vote against
it. That sealed its fate. For, despite
the leaders tactics to beat the meas
ure by driving a wedge between the
rural and city forces, and between
the farmer and labor advocates,
there were a number of labor lead
ers and representatives of large cit
les and metropolitan and industrial
areas who were without any palticu-
lar enthusiasm willing to support the
bill, hoping that some measure would
later be considered that would have
extended like benefits to city jewellers
in mortgaged homes.
When the Green letter was read by
the Speaker himself, and was coupled
with his personal plea, that block of
votes ran pell-mell. Lemke tried
vainly to rescue the measure from
its threatening fate by accepting
modifying amendments that still did
not sacrifice the principle embodied
in it, but to no avail. In some re-
spects the bill was vastly approved
by the amendments that were accept
ed, only to have, the whole bill on
final vote killed by a decisive mar
gin.
The debate of the opposition was
unimpressive. One member would
arise and tell the body that the bill
provided for uncontrolled initiation,
the kind that would endanger our fl
nancial and economic life with the
sort of situation in which Russia and
Germany found themselves after the
World war, with their currency de-
based to the vanishing point. Imme-
diately following would be another
who would stress the three billion
dollar limitation, admitting it to be
safe from the inflationary view, but
stressing the fact that it would dis
criminate against the city home own
er, and also against farmers who al
ready had mortgaged their farms at
higher rates of interest than those
carried in the Frazier bill.
So, the writer has a host of others
who agree with him that RESPONSE
bility for the defeat of the bill lies
with Green, who turned the tide at
the critical time with his letter to
Speaker Byrns. who used it to such
good advantage in the unprecedented
surprise move. Surprise, because pro-
ponents of the bill had good reason
to believe that the Federation, in re-
turn for the support universally given
them on their bills, and because of
the provisions of the Frazier bill,
were friendly to it. In fact, there
was basis for this belief in actual
expressions that had been made to
Lemke and others.
Among Minnesotans who sat in the
House-gallery through every minute
of the scrap and watched proceedings
hopefully up to the minute of the final
roll-call were John Erp, head of the
Minnesota Farmers Union, and State
Senator Nels Peterson of Milan, also
an officer in that organization. Pre-
ceding the actual debate, they had
had some busy days in conference
with those who were trying to pilot
the bill through so that it. might be
sent on to the Senate to take its
chances there. Needless to say, they
left the capital in detected mood, but
still full of fight.
The House also gave another ex-
ample of how gloriously the steam
roller can work when it considered
the conference report on the Treasury
POStOffice deDartmentS anDrOnria AT ion