Evening star., 1937-01-18
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

uenC Oh tne united states TO De 1naug-
| urated-after an election-on January
20. This is due, of course, to the adop-
tion Of the lame duck" amendment to
the Constitution, which fixed the new
date for the beginning of the presidential
term. A great deal of water has run
over the dam since he first took Office on
March 4, 1888. The New Deal has be-
come an accomplished fact, in a great
many respects. Much of the New Deal
legislation and many of the New Deal
agencies and activities are to be made
permanent. II the administration has its
way. Generally speaking, this was to
be expected following the vindication of
the administration at the hands of the
voters on November last.
The Roosevelt second term virtually
began on January when the new Con-
greSs convened and the next day the
President delivered his address on the
state OF the Union. Some of the recon-
mendations made by the President in
that message already have been written
into law or put on their way to speedy
enactment. The neutrality law relating
to the Spanish civil war was put through
IN the tWlnkllng OF an eye. More re-
Gently the Senate has passed the bill
providing for the continuance of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation for
another two and half years. Included
In this authorization was the extension OF
the life of several other Government
agencies which have drawn money from
the r. F. c. These other agencies are
the Commodity Credit Corporation, the
EXport-Import Bank, the r. F. c. Mort
gage Corporation and the Electric Home
and Farm Authority.
The passage at arms over the extern
sion of the so-called emergency agencies
OF the Government arose in the Senate
over the passage of the R. F. c. bill.
Twenty-Five Senator's, under the leader
ship of Senator Byrd of Virginia, sought
in vain to limit the life of the r. F. C.
and the other agencies involved to July
/, 1888. The Byrd amendment however,
was showed under by vote of 50 to 23
1t may have been unfortunate for Byrd
and other Senators who believe that
there should be great curtailment in
Government activities and Government
spending. now that the emergency has
passed. that the first test came on bill
dealing with the r. F.. c. The operation
of that agency. under the direction of
Jesse Jones. has been hailed far and
wide as major success of the admins
tration.
Byrd made no attack upon the r. F.. c.
Rather did he praise its operations But
he insisted that it would be better TO
limit the life of this agency and the
others which draw their money from
it to a year and half, or until the close
of the next fiscal year. The Virginia
Senator quite naturally feared that If
new and extended life were given to this
emergency agency of the Government
similar action might be expected on the
extension of other emergency agencies.
Furthermore, he argued that if there is
to be real reorganization of the eXecu-
tive branch of the Government in an
other, permanent bill, with the reorgan-
ization going into effect perhaps at the
beginning of the next fiscal year, it would
be unwise to grant the extension for two
and half years.
Byrd is ardently in favor Of govern
mental reorganization. He made refer
ence in the Senate debate to the great
expansion of the Federal Government
during the last few years. This expan-
sion, he said. has been as great outside
of washington as it has in the Nations
Capital. Mr.. Byrd is one of those who
believe that there should be great cur
tailment in Government expenditures as
well as a reorganization of the Govern
ment departments and other agencies.
1t is for that he proposes to fight. And
it is in that particular his reorganiza-
ton plans differ considerably from those
Of the President and his special commit
tee on reorganization. The President has
estimated that saving of approximately
$30,000.000 only can be expected from
the proposed reorganization.
Referring to the present rate OF ex-
penditures. Senator Byrd told the Sem
ate: LAS the emergency passes do not
believe that the country will long submit
to Federal expenditures at the rate of
10 per cent of our present national in
come for normal expenses, excluding re-
covery and relief, of the Federal Gov
ernment alone. If the Secretary OF
Commerce is correct when he estimates
the gross income of the country, as he
did the other day, then the Federal
Government is spending 10 per cent of
that income alone for normal expenses.
That does not include taxation imposed
by different municipalities, States and
other taxing units"
Senator Carter Glass of Virginia, who
had charge of the r. F. c. bill in the
Senate, insisted that he did not con-
slider the measure a precedent for the
extension of the life of other govern
mental agencies He intimated that he
might be found standing shoulder to
shoulder with his colleague in fight
to reduce governmental expenditures
and in opposition to the continuance of
some of the other agencies. Nevertheless,
the ease with which the ma ajority of the
Senate ran over Senator Byrd and his
protests seems to augur tough time
ahead for those members of Congress
who desire greatly to curtail Government
expenditures, as well as to bring about
reorganization of the governmental
structure.
The Republicans, in the opinion of
Chairman John Hamilton of the G. o. P.
National Committee, must get into closer
touch with labor and its needs and aspi-
rations. The Republican chairman was
speaking to the Woman's National
Republican Club in New York on the
occasion of its 18th birthday anniversary
when he voiced this opinion. He said
that he believed the Republican party
has '"lost the pulse of the people" and
the confidence of the great mass of the
nV.sa