The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-12-03
Copyright by the Baltimore Sun and
reprinted in The Republican by
special permission.
Too Big To Be DOcile Long

The more practical observers in
Washington are convinced that, begin
ming January 1 for at least three
months, President Roosevelt will have
an extremely docile Congress with
which to deal. After that they are
not so certain, but they rather ex-
pect blocs and cliques and factions
to develop in the majority.
***
This is the view also of the political
liaison men of the Administration and
of those Democratic leaders in House
and Senate upon whom the President
most relies. During the campaign his
managers privately made no secret of
their feeling that a diminished ma
jority in the House was desirable,
conceded that their last session margin
was too great to be really effective.
Moreover, they were sure, as was
everyone else, that a number of seats
would be lost and the Administration
majority cut down to more manageable
size. Now they are confronted with
increased party membership in both
branches and with the Republicans
not only reduced in numbers but so
devoid of issues, ideas, leadership and
heart as to be clearly negligible. With
the patronage practically all distrib-
uted and Mr.. Roosevelt anxious to
coordinate, consolidate and COM
bine," there will be few jobs this time
with which to keep contented Con-
gressmen hard pressed by constit-
uents. At least, such is the general
idea.
However, so great is the prestige
of the President that no one expects
him to have any trouble at the be-
ginning of the session and it may be
that within the first few months his
command will be such as to enable
him to get through the major part of
his still unrevealed program. But so
divergent are the elements which
united back Of him in the campaign
and are represented in Congress that
no one either in or out Of the Admin
istration believes the session will run
to its end without a split within the
majority ranks on policies and direc-
ton.
This is forecast now by the clashing
views publicly expressed by spokes-
men of the different elements. From
one side the confident prediction is
made that Mr.. Roosevelt will find a
way partially to repeal the capital
gains tax, and at least modify, if not
repeal, the surplus tax on corporations.
1t is also contended that it is the
Presidential view that the emergency
| is over and that he can now be his
really conservative, constitutional self.
Business, it is said, is now anxious
to cooperate and there should be from
now on an absence Of hostility between
the President and industry. Both Mr..
Roosevelt and the Treasury experts
are fully aware of the danger inner
ent in the prospective boom and the
monetary initiation inevitable upon the
great spending program Of the past
four years.
The President is represented as
anxious to curtail expenses, abandon
experimentation, bring the budget into
approximate balance and cease financ-
ing deficits by having the banks create
new money. All of this is soothing to
his conservative-minded friends, but
the reaction among the liberal ele-
ment of his supporters is strong and
articulate. If this, they ask, is to be
all that is done, what was the election
all about anyhow? What becomes of
the mandate" to go ahead along New
Deal lines? What becomes of the
pledge to Ego forward" if these con-
sentative advisers are now going to
slow the New Deal down?
The emergency has not passed, the