Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-12-21
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Senate yesterday. Senator Bailey, Dem
ocrat, of North Carolina; Senator VAN
denberg, Republican, Of Michigan and
others who have been at work for sew
eral weeks on plans for a combination
in the Senate dedicated to putting an
end to the present business recession
told the Senate and the world just what
they were aiming at They believe that
the time has come for Democrats and
Republicans to get together in an effort
to reassure business and industry in this
country. If this means coalition
against some of the administration IRE
FORMS" as undoubtedly it does, 1t can be
regarded as forerunner of fierce bat
ties to come.
How far the coalition movement will
60 it is impossible to say with certainty.
1t assuredly has possibilities The pub
LEGATION few days ago of plans for the
proposed coalition seemed to take the
starch out of the movement for the
time being. The Republican leader of
the Senate, Senator McNary of Oregon,
frowned quickly upon the movement
saying that those who joined would be
regarded as merely new set Of Liberty
Leaguers." After the matter had been
aired in the Senate yesterday, however,
it took on q different complexion
Senator Vandenberg, who is fire.
quently mentioned as the next Repub-
lican presidential nominee, started talk
ing coalition months ago. declaring he
was ready to join with Democrats who
stood willing to put an end to the steady
growth Of bureaucracy and the concen-
tration OF powers in the hands of the
President. 1t was not at all strange,
therefore, to find him one of the prime
movers in this Democratic Republican
coalition in the Senate. 1t is frankly
his opinion that alliance of the anti
New Deal forces is as certain by 1910 as
death and taxes.
Whether the coalitionists obtain
large number of signatures to their plan
or not is immaterial if they can get the
votes In the Senate. One of the biggest
fights in the coming regular session OF
Congress will be over the appropriation
bills-over how much money is to be
appropriated and how it is to be han
died after it is appropriated. Many
members Of Congress are aroused over
the manner in which appropriations
have been handled by some of the ex-
ecutive agencies. Big lump-sum appro-
priations, for whatever cause, will be
resisted vigorously. There will also be
| determined effort to cut down the size
OF the appropriations for many of these
newly created Government agencies, as
| we'll as for the older departments and
bureaus. While the budget has not yet
been made public, most of it has been
laid before the Appropriations Commit
tee of the House so that it could begin
work, through subcommittee on the an
| nual supply bills.
1t IS reported that the appropriations
for many Of the Government agencies,
in the budget, have been increased in
stead of decreased. This is not in line
at all with the desires of many of the
anti-New Deal Democrats or even with
those who have gone along happily with
the administration. The storm clouds
are growing darker and darker. With a
congressional election coming on, the ad-
ministration leaders are talking glibly
about getting all the appropriation bills
through Congress and such other legis-
lation as is necessary and adjourning in
April or by May l. They are due for a
rude awakening. however, if the contests
over the money bills develop as they now
threaten to do.
There are many Democrats in the Sen
ate and House who have taken their
stand against the President, either on
the old court bill, the wages and hours
bill, or some other measures. They have
heard from Senator Guffey of Pennsyl-
vania and from other administration
followers that they should be cut down
and slaughtered politically. These gen.
tlemen will not look with particular
favor on large appropriations of money
to be used by the administration as it
sees Mt in their States and congressional
districts. That is the kind of appro-
priation that might be used to ham
string each and every one of them.
The special session, now about to wind
up. has been productive only of dis
sensions. Instead of bringing the Demo-
Gratis more strongly together, back of
the President, it has been the means OF
new entering wedges. The President has
not obtained his wages and hours bill.
The crop control bill cannot be put
through. if it is ever put through, until
some time in the regular session which
opens next month. Nothing has been
done about his bill for the reorganization
of the executive agencies of the Govern
ment, nor about the regional T. v. AS,
which he has proposed for the various
sections of the country. The defeat of the
wages and hours bill in the House, while
1t may be attributed to a strange coali-
ton of members who dislike this legisla-
ton and others who believe, with the
American Federation of Labor, that it
does not go far enough, was neverthe-
less major reverse for the White
House. 1t is almost in class with the
defeat which the President met at the
hands of the Senate during the last ses-
sion, when his court reform bill was
recommitted.
Administration leaders are saying that
the special session was beneficial in that
1t really gave Congress a chance to get
lot of debate out of the way, so that the
regular session, opening January 3,
can 60 ahead. But can it go ahead?
That is just the point. The discussion in
the Senate yesterday by the would-be
coalitionists indicates that the admins
tration is in for hard shedding unless it
is willing to 60 ahead along lines dis
tinctly designed to aid business, rather
than reforming it. The speed with
which the House and Senate have dealt
with the Presidents recommendations
for housing legislation, intended to aid
industry is indicative of the spirit Of
Congress today-just as the action of
the House when it turned down the
wages and hours bill and sent it back to
committee is indicative that many mem
bers are fed up with Government domi-
nation of the ordinary affairs of the citi-
ZenS.