The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-01-16

Washington. = President Roosevelt
has told congress that he wants it to
finish its labors ana
EfPecf adjourn in short
Long Session order. He has fig
ured that about three
months ought to give the members suf-
ficient time to null over the problems
that confront them and that they then
should return to their several homes.
But the President is doomed to disap-
pointment If he sincerely believes that
he can get congress out of the Capital
by the end of March. The best guess
right now is that the congress will be
In session at least four months and,
1t Is we'll within the range of posi-
bilities that 1t will remain in session
almost to the time of the national
conventions.
There are a number of factors that
make realization of the Presidents
early adjournment wish impossible of
realization. Probably the most influen-
tial of these is the fact that this is
year. 1NCIy VI
the house and one-third of the senate,
along with Mr. Roosevelt himself, are
affected by the election date and poll
tics must have its turn. Every four
years this same condition obtains and
every four years politicians do about
the same things in furtherance of theit
own political interests. The bulk of
the legislation to be considered has
its political tinge. Politics even creep
into the annual appropriation bills
and usually the result is swelling of
the totals in order that some gears OF
individual political machines may be
oiled just a bit for smooth running in
the campaign.
While the appropriation bills are I'M
portant from political standpoint.
their weight in this session of con-
gress sinks rather below par because
there are such things as the bonus
for the World war veterans, the Town
send old age pension plan, various
New Deal reform measures and such
replacement legislation as may be
hCSCSSoly lHc COuI
kicked over New Deal propositions like
the Agricultural Adjustment act with
its processing taxes and sundry other
schemes. However the Roosevelt lead
ers in congress may desire to act, the
machinery of legislation can be run
only so fast in an election year.
One of the chief reasons why con-
gressional session in an election year
drags on longer than
SeeR usual is because of
Publicity the publicity value
the sessions have for
individual representatives and senators.
Members of congress discovered a hun
dred years ago that the chambers of
the house and senate constituted splen-
did sounding boards for the dissemina-
ton of political views. There has
beeen increasing use of this poten-
TALLY as the years have gone by until
now the older members of the house
and senate have become very adept in
capitaliZing on this factor. 1t takes no
that senator or representative, speak
ing from the floor of his respective
chamber, gets much more publicity
than his opponent back home who talks
only as a private citizen. It is per-
fectly natural, therefore, that those
members seeking reelection want to
take full advantage of the publicity
vehicle available to them in Wash
ington.
The use of this publicity weapon
is available to opponents of the New
Deal as well as to its supporters
While the approaching election may be
expected to knit the house Democrats
more closely into a unified front for
the November election, the same con-
dition is not true in the senate. In
that body, there are a number of old
line Democrats who do not like the
New Deal and who are going to utilize
every available opportunity to make
their record as Democrats as complete
as it is possible to do before they must
speak to the home folks in person. 1t
is obvious that such men as Senator
Carter Glass, of Virginia, cannot de-
sert the Democratic ticket and run fer
reelection independently. So it is to be
expected that men of this type will
establish for themselves a comprehen-
sive outline of their political beliefs
as Democrats while distinguishing
their position from that known as the
New Deal. They must look to the fu-
ture when, according to all indications,
they feel the party machinery will
again be controlled by the Jeffersonian
type of Democrat instead of by the
reform type of Democrat headed by
men and women with the New Deal
outlook.
An additional factor operating in the
senate is the presence of two Repub-
lean Presidential pos
TUo. More sibilities in the per-
Factors sons of Senator Will
liam E. Borah of
Idaho and Arthur II. Vandenberg of
Michigan. Senator Borah is actively
seeking pledged delegates to the Repub-
lican national convention. Senator Van
denberg says he is not candidate, but
the well-known bee is buzzing around
and there are many observers who think
that Senator vandenberg is hoping
that, in case of convention stalemate.
the assembled delegates may riot and
turn to him as the nominee.
Such a condition means, as 1t has
meant before, thai these two men will
desire to see all of the political issues
| aired in congressional debates. II is