Evening star., 1937-08-24

through the po- %#
Ntical use of Fed #*$3 ##*=$$3 .~
eral offices and n.v;s r
Federal funds?
Mr.. Guffev sets forth the PROPOSE
ton that a Senator or Representative
elected on the Democratic ticket to
Congress must support 100 per cent
the recommendations of President
Roosevelt and that otherwise the Con-
gresham is an migrate" or dlsloyal
Democrat. This is conception OF
party loyalty which in recent years
has been put into effect in Nazi Ger
many and in Fascist Italy, where the
national legislature have lost their
independence, where all decisions are
made by Hitler or Mussolini and
where the Fascist party is the only
political party allowed to exist
Could Guffey Take It.:
II applied to the United States and
II carried out with respect to Senator
Guffev himself. it might mean, for
instance. that when Secretary Wallace
persuades President Roosevelt that
Europeans ought to buy more agrlcul-
tural products here and to do this
tariffs on steel should be lowered so
Americans would buy steel or more
manufactured products from abroad,
the presidential order for lower tariffs
on Pennsylvania S products would have
to be accepted by Mr. Guffev without
murmur. Heretofore. It has been
assumed that Representative really
represented the people of his district
and that a Senator represented the
people of his State and their economic
interests
But Mr. Gufey's concept of party
LOYALTY. even if not applied to local
interests, is still more revolutionary
when it touches national questions
On these a Senator or Representative,
according to the tenets of Guffeyisn,
is not to vote his own convictions.
but Is to suppress his own views and
follow along with the wishes of the
party leader--the President.
Fate Rule by Coincidence.
Thus if the President wishes to
destroy the effectiveness of one Of
: the three branches of the American
Government a United States Senator
elected in 1882 or 1886 on the Roose-
Welt ticket Is supposed to forfeit all
rights to differ with Mr.. Roosevelt and
to go along in rubber stamp fashion.
Here is exactly how Mr.. Guffey ex-
pressed it in his radio speech last
week:
Il was elected to the United States
Senate in 1884 because I assured the
voters Of PENNSYLVANIA that it was my
intention to support Loyalty and with
out Wavering the program OF the
Chief Executive
This means 100 per cent voting for
all Roosevelt measures even if they
reduce the purchasing power of the
pay envelopes of Pennsylvania workers.
It means that so far as PENNSYLVANIA
Is concerned, there is no need for one
of its United States Senators in Wash
lngton to read bills, attend committee
meetings. or consider legislation on
its merits. All that would be neces-
sarv, as Senator Burke of Nebraska
said In last weeks debate, would be to
telephone Mr.. Farley or the White
House and find out how to vote.
Pennsylvania, said Mr.. Burke,
may want that kind of representation
In the Senate, and if they do, God
bless them. let them have it: but to
me 1t would seem that if the Senate
+ Is to have that kind of representation,
1t might as well have a parrot in
cage in the secretary's office. and
bring 1t in when the Sena tors name is
called and have him say, Yes, Mr.
Roosevelt, count me for that, too
That is not my idea of what a Senator
should do"
La FoIlette's Liberalism.
This Guf1ey view of government Is,
OF course. close to fasclsm. It certainly
Is not liberalism, The truly liberal
point OF view was best expressed bv
the late Senator La Toilette of Wjscon-
sin Progressive, in Senate debate as
follows:
I had supposed until recently that
It was the duty Of Senators and Repre-
sentatives in Congress to vote and act
according to their convictions. Quite
another doctrine has recently been
promulgated and that is the doctrine
OF standing back of the President
without inquiring whether the Presi-
oent Is right or wrong. For myself,
nave never subscribed to that doctrine
and never shall. l shall support the
president in the measures he proposes
when believe them to be right, I
shaiI oppose measures proposed by
the President when I believe them to
be wrong"
Not far different from this was the
eloquent statement of that brilliant
young progressive from Wyoming,
Senator O'Mahoney, who in the SEN
ate last Saturday answered Mr.. Guf-
fey's challenge thus:
Il would rather walk out of the
door Of this chamber. and never re-
turn, than to surrender any honest
conviction have. I say to you, Sem
ators OF the United States. so long as
am In this body I shall raise my
voice and cast my vote as my con-
science dictates, and nobody, whether
he comes from Pennsylvania or from
New York or any other State, can
tell me or the people of my State
what should or should not do"
II the American people want to be
ruled by a political clique which seeks
to apply nationally the undemocratic
and arbitrary methods OF boss dis
ctpline and tyranny which have cor
rupted the governments of our large
cities, where aldermen and council
men get building contracts for their
friends and henchmen precisely as
Senator Guffey gets millions Of dol
lars of Government projects for his
political friends and lieutenants in
Pennsylvania. the voters of the coun-
try may have a chance in the 1898