Evening star., 1937-08-30
CONGRESS SESSION
RESULTS DEBATED
Whether President or Su.
preme Court Lost Pres.
tige Questioned.
BY MILO THOMPSON.
Chief OF the Associated Press Washington
Bureau,

today nearly as often on the tongues
OF Washington people who like to
speculate about things political as the
question What is happening to the
Democratic majority in Congress?"
Those who ask it usually are ready
to answer it. But there is no unani-
| nifty in these answers.
Those who look ardently upon the
| Roosevelt administration program sav
it was Congress.
Those who stress the portion Of
that program which failed of adop-
ton or was postponed, including the
| Supreme Court matter, say it was the
President
Those who say they feel the SUI
preme Court was influenced by at
tacks upon it and became something
less of bulwark for the Constitution
(as these commentators interpret it,
say it was the Supreme Court
So also do some who deplore the
things that were said about the Ma
tion's highest court in the heat OF
debate. They feel certain it will take
long time to restore old-time respect
| for that court.
| 1t Is not for a reporter Of news to
say who Is right; it is, however, his
task to report what the waggins DO
lltlcal tongues are saying even though
much of this is quite off the record.
| Two Attitudes Taken.
And the tongues are saying two
| things about Congress II the speak
ers believe that the Roosevelt cause
and the need for action now" was
| something of a holy crusade, thev
condemn Congress for having side
tracked or postponed essential parts Of
| that program, accuse it of dllatorv
tactics, of proecrastination, Of a form
Of "sit down" strike
| But others take a position simlla-
to that voiced by House Major!ty
Leader Rayburn in his farewell speech
to the recent session. He said:
| When anybody, foreign or domestic.
| says that this session of Congress has
been a sit-doWn Congress, that 1t has
| not worked and that it has not enacted
great program of legislation. they
either are ignorant of the facts, or
! they want to distort them"
! Supporters of this position assert
that Congress which appropriated
more than seven and a half billion
! dollars to continue or start actions in
| tended by their sponsors 10 improve
national conditions, was scarcely a
do-nothing Congress. They also assert
| that it is only in comparison with
what the President outlined that Con-
gress failed to produce and that. in
fact. it launched legislative matters of
no little weight. They add. further
| more, that the thing which caused
much delay and postponement OF
measures was itself virtue, desire
to look carefully at both SIDES of each
matter and have done with feverish
| emergency jam-it-through methods.
Congress has not lost face either
in the opinion of those Who, openly
| delighted with certain amount of re-
fusal to follow presidential direction.
| are asserting a rubber stamp period
has ended. The last-named group Will
tell you that Congress has gained i'm
| portance
Question Of Presidential Prestige.
What has happened to presidential
prestige, if anything, is similarly
matter for sharp difference of opinion.
One hears that the failure to obtain
his court reform objective from Con-
gress gave the President a black eye.
Some say it disclosed he is something
less than the brilliant strategist his
supporters acclaimed. There are
many ready to tell any listener that
a President who had to compromise
after he had said he would not COM
promise, who had to take delay after
he had promised more action with
resounding now" and who has been
forced to interrupt the preaching Of
his political gospel TO aim epithets
like Tory" and American Lord
Macauleys" at his opponents is not
so powerful factor in the situation
as he was in his first term.
No less emphatic are those who see
exactly the opposite picture. They say
the President is playing a long-ranee
game and expects to lose few tricks.
They say meeting an emergency with
the aid of a public uncertain which
way to go and willing to join in any
program that promised action and
quick relief was simpler than the pres
ent task-deciding what part of the
emergency program should be made
permanent policy. They say that is
bound to stir up greater opposition,
some of it inside the Presidents own
party. Every step, they go on, must be
won in battle, and therefore the Presi-
dent has shown his bigness and his
strength in driving ahead, notwith-
standing All in all. they assert. he
has made a lot of progress either in
measures enacted or in promises made.
Roosevelt Believed Stronger.
Some of the Roosevelt supporters
insist that, far from losing stature, the
President has become stronger in that
he has kept all eyes on him during
the battles and has learned where his
strength lies, who his friends are and
how to 60 forward from this situation
How the Supreme Court emerged
from the controversy in which it had
| no ACTIVE )dlI lS oUNiUuSly IlOU 81
easy for the volunteer analyzers. Both
friends and foes Of the present court
set-up have been saying it is too
bad branch of the Government,
so austere, so dignifled and so final.
should have become figure In
political squabble.
But the friends are quick to add
that the court has not been seriously
affected. AS they put it. it got
vote of confidence. Furthermore, it
was shorn of none Of its powers.
They also say that people will for
get quickly the things said about in
firmities of age, backward vision and
antique PHILOSOPHERS. The court will
continue its serene way.
The contrary view expressed is that,
much as these things may be 50.
prestige has suffered to an extent
which will hound some Of the JUS