Evening star., 1937-06-15

Garner sought
and obtained the boss permission"
as he familiarly refers to the Presi-
dent, but this does not explain his
willingness to leave just as the Su-
preme Court bill is ready for debate
and consideration.
Under the rules the Vice President
cannot participate in Senate debate,
20 if he has any views to express he
cannot do so as would any Senator.
John Garner feels that he is soldier
In the ranks. He said as much in
his speech of acceptance a year ago
when he was renominated for the vice
presidency.
When reports are published that
he has broken with the President, it
would not be surprising even to see
the Vice President endeavor to en-
phasize the importance of his taking
. rest at this time rather than the
reasons being suggested here in Wash
ington. AS soldier, he obeys, but
nevertheless it is no longer a matter
Of concealment here that the Vice
President does not agree with the lat
est proposals from the White House.
Mr. Garner sits at the cabinet table,
but it is doubtful whether even in
the presence of the 10 members of
the cabinet he would speak his mind
In frank criticism of administration
policies
Reliable reports have it that Mr..
Garner has been having a series OF
personal interviews with President
Roosevelt, in which he has attempted
to tell him how deep-seated, for in
stance, is the opposition of Demo-
cratic Senators to the Supreme Court
plan. He has discussed other legisla-
ton and has suggested, it is said that
Congress finish up few appropria-
tion bills and adjourn forthwith.
The President is reported to have
agreed that at least the Vice Presi-
dent needed a rest. 1t will be re-
called that Mr.. Roosevelt went on a
fishing trip to the Texas shores of
the Gulf of Mexico and came back
with tales of how he had been talk
Ing with various persons and they all
seemed to think the Supreme Court
needed to be enlarged by six justices
. Now Mr.. Garner goes to the self
same State Of Texas and maybe Mr..
Roosevelt thinks the Vice President
will get different perspective when
he gets down to Uvalde, Tex, than
he has had heretofore. John Garner
m cl,
views on pending questions have from
time to time been communicated to
his colleagues in the Senate, so they
know he has had fundamental diff
ferences with the administration, but
when it came to cracking the whip
and lining up the votes on such things
as the death sentence" for the utili-
ties, the Vice President did yeoman
service for the administration.
Just why the chief liaison officer
that the White House has for the
Upper House on Capitol Hill should
leave when he might be most needed
Is difficult to explain but it does not
seem reasonable to accept at face
value that the purpose is merely to
get rest. Certainly when there's q
tie vote the Vice President is an i'm
portant factor in administration pol
Icy. There have often been occasions
when a tie vote had to be broken by
the Vice President. The departure of
Mr. Garner means, therefore, the loss
Of one vote for the administration.
Entirely apart from this is the effect
on the morale of Democratic Sena-
tors.
In the las few weeks I have talked
with a number of Senators on the
democratic side. Most of them tell
me that the Supreme Court bill has
hung like a cloud over the work of
the whole session, that the friends of
the President are disappointed at his
, unw1llingness to work in harness as
member Of team and that his de-
clslon to play lone hand and insist
arbitrarily on his own will has caused
no end OF embarrassment on Capitol
Hill. Lacking in enthusiasm for the
party program, tired, unhappy and
distressed beyond public expression
at the failure of the President to act
declsively when the "sit-doWn" strike
crisis occurred. the situation for al
most half the Democratic membership
OF the Senate is about as unhealthy
rs 1t could be from the standpoint of
party solidarity.
Maybe Mr.. Garner thought that the
best way to persuade Mr.. Roosevelt
about the seriousness of the situation
Was to go away for TX weeks and let
the President and the country ponder
the significance of the differences of
opinion between the two men who led
the Democratic party at the polls less
than . year ago
Copyright, 1879