Evening star., 1936-06-15
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

As Congress reassembles after the re-
cess granted on account Of the Repub-
licsn National Convention, and with the
return Of President Roosevelt to Wash
ington following his participation in
historic celebrations in Arkansas, Texas
and Indiana. the spotlight Of national
publicity will swing from Cleveland,
where it was centered last week, back to
the Nations Capital Added interest
will be given to the final deliberations
of Congress as a result of the Cleveland
convention, and q more widespread and
studious analysis made of its closing acts
because of the tremendous reawakening
OF the national political consciousness
produced by last weeks Republican
gathering in the Ohio city. That the
spirit stirred at Cleveland will be felt
in the halls OF Congress is a foregone
conclusion. There will be reverberations
Of that spirit both in speeches on the
floor of the Senate and House and in
committee room discussions. What
tangible effect it may have on action yet
to be taken by Congress is a question
which may have considerable bearing on
the coming election.
-
Debate in the national legislative body
during its closing days will focus largely
on the Republican platform Just adopted
and to an Interpretation of the planks
contained therein. Either directly or in
directly, much that Is said by speakers
on both sides of the aisle will be an
application of those principles to pend
ing problems. Opportunity will be
afforded to use the new platform as a
measuring rod either for or against the
subject under debate at the moment;
and much of the ammunition" which
will be used in the Fall campaign by
the political spellbinders of both sides
will be manufactured" on Capitol Hill
between now and the date when the
second session of the Seventy fourth
Congress adjourns sine die.
Sandwiched in between two political
conventions, the debates in Congress this
week will serve as q sounding board from
which the repercuSsions of the country
to what is said will be carried to the
National Democratic Convention in Phil
adelphia next week. On that account
every effort will be made by Democratic
leaders in the interim to secure acc rate
and widespread reaction from the coun-
try at large to the arguments presented
this week, pro and con. as they bear
on the various planks of the Republican
platform. To some extent this will influ-
ence the framing of the Democratic plat
form. With President Roosevelt in
Washington prior to his departure the
latter part Of the week for New London,
Conn.,, to witness the Yale Harvard boat
races, conferences will be held, it Is ex-
pected, between him and leaders of his
party in which the outstanding pro-
visions to be incorporated in the Demo-
cratic platform will be discussed. It is
the generally accepted opinion that the
President himself will have large hand
in shaping this document and that his
wishes in the matter will prevail. What
ever changes may be made in the decla-
ration of Democratic principles after it
reaches the Resolutions Committee in
Philadelphia will be submitted, 1t Is also
assumed, to the President for his ap-
proval before final adoption by the con-
vention.
Owing to the emphasis which Gov.
Landon, Republican presidential nomi-
nee, placed upon the importance of ex-
tending the merit system, this question
will receive q much greater amount of
consideration during the coming cam
paign than would otherwise have been
the case. BY stating very precisely and
very emphatically just what he thought
ought to be done with this phase Of the
party program, he directed national
attention to the necessity OF not per-
mittinx the established merit system to
lapse into ainnocsious desuetude." On the