Evening star., 1937-01-21
THE POLITICAL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

to shoot at. He laid down a set of ideals
to which it would be difficult to take
exception. At the same time he did not
60 forward with any specific recommen-
dations as to what should be done to
bring about the conditions which he
desires. He did not go into the question,
for example, of amending the ConStitu-
ton SO that Congress may put through
| and make them stick-laws permitting
| the Federal Government to regulate
hours and wages of labor, fair practices
in business and commerce, production in
agriculture. Rather did he say that the
Constitution which came into existence
$50 years ago-in 1787-was such as a
democracy would go forward with, even
| in this day and age. and with the many
changed conditions which a century and
half have brought.
Outside of the extension of several OF
the old New Deal laws and New Deal
agencies of government for another two
and a half years, nothing has yet been
submitted to the Congress beyond the
| Presidents budget message for the fiscal
| year 1888 and the Presidents recommen-
| dations for the reorganization of the
executive departments and agencies. The
| size of the proposed expenditures, as well
| as the uses for which they are intended,
may bring controversy in Congress when
| the appropriation bills are reported from
committee. The reorganization plan will
| be the subject of attack from differ
ent angles and by different groups. The
| Republican leadership in the House and
| Senate has yet to make its position clear
| with reference to reorganization Cen
| orally speaking. however. it may be said
| that the Republicans will not oppose the
| proposed reorganization as whole. They
| will, however, center attacks upon sew
eral specific features of the reorganiza-
ton plan.
| First and foremost. RepublicanS-and
| perhaps a number of the Democrats
will oppose the Presidents recommended
| tionS to place the Interstate Commerce
| Commission, the Federal Trade Commits
| sion and several of the other "inde-
| pendent" agencies of Government under
the direct control of department heads
members of the cabinet. They will
oppose such a change in the status OF
these agencies on the ground that 1t
would at once diminish, If it would
not destroy, the independence OF
these commissions in performing their
| quasi judicial functions. With the
purse strings firmly in the hands of the
! politically minded cabinet officers, the
opponents of this change insist, these
agencies would become also politically
minded-a situation that Congress par
ticularly desired to prevent when it set
them up as independent" commissions
~
A second line of attack upon the re-
| organization plan will be directed at the
abolition of the Office of controller gen.
eral and a substitution of an auditor
general" in his place, with greatly cur
tailed power This the Republicans in
| Congress look upon with distaste. Also
| they will oppose the abolition of the
| Civil Service Commission and the SUBJ
| stitution therefor of civil service
administrator" directly under the Presi-
| dent.
When 1t comes to the creation of two
| new major departments of the Govern
ment, department of public works and
| department of social welfare, making
| IL major departments instead of 10,
another attack may be expected. The
| critics of the proposal to create addi-
| tional cabinet Offices insist, despite the
| arguments of the President, that if the
| plan is carried into effect the result will
| be to further increase Government eX-
| penditures The effect, they contend,
will be to build larger and larger over
head charges in the operation OF Gov
eminent.
The attitude of some of the Republic
an prcgresSives, and some of the pro-
gressives who formerly were members of
the Republican party, toward these pro-
posed changes in the set-up OF the execu-
tive department has not yet been clearly
| defined. The progressives in the past
| have been particularly insistent upon
| holding these Government agencies free
from political influence. This is par
ticularly true in the case of the Federal
Trade Commission, which has been called
upon time and again to make investi-
I cations under Senate and House resolu-
tions sponsored by progreSsiveS in those
bodies, Democratic progreSsiveS as well
as Republican. These progressives in the
last campaign, as in the 1882 campaign,
gave President Roosevelt their support
fully. or at least did not support Gov.
Landon, his Republican opponent.
| What the administration will propose
| in the line of labor legislation has not yet
| been disclosed. Labor itself has not
been slow in announcing its demands for
legislation. That goes for the American
Federation of Labor, headed by William
Green, and also for the Committee on
Industrial Organization, headed by John
| L. Lewis. At present the strike of auto
| mobile workers, backed by the c. I. 0.
and Mr. Lewis is in full swing. Strong
efforts to reach a solution OF this con-
troversy have been made by Gov. Frank
Murphy of Michigan, where the heart Of
the strike lies. The Federal Government
| has been consulted. But so far the
President has taken no steps to inter-
vene. If the strike and its problems are
finally laid on the doorstep OF the White
| House, the President undoubtedly will
| act The controversy is filled with dyna-
mite and some of it is decidedly polit-
| ical-or potentially so. Other adminis-
| trations have been troubled by the strife
between labor and employers. And other
administrations have dealt in various
ways with such controversies, from
Grover Cleveland down the line.
One legislative act, the Adamson eight
hour law, was direct result of great
railroad strike during the administra-
| ton of President Roosevelt. Congress
put through the law, affecting interstate
carriers. Because of the undeniable fact
| n -