Evening star., 1937-08-13
THE POLITICAL.
MILL
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

Cicose VIC membership OF tne supreme
Court. But all the time there have been
other matters in the background Among
them were the demand of the conserva-
tive members OF the Senate and House
Tor economy and the antagonism to the
Presidents plans for tremendously CEN
trallzed power through his bill for the
reorganization Of the executive depart
ments and independent governmental
agencies.
When the session opened last January,
there was not cloud in the sky on
Capitol Hill. The President had been
reelected by tremendous sweep, which
left only two States, Maine and Vermont,
to his Republican opponent, Landon OF
Kansas. In both Houses of Congress, the
Democrats had majorities more over
Whelming than ever. And now look at it!
Harmony parties at Jefferson Island, and
the harmony party this week for the
Democratic members of the Senate,
turned out to be mere surface affairs.
Underneath there had been a deadly row
among the Democrats. The situation was
not helped when the administration un-
dertook-although declaring a hands off
poicy-to dictate the election of new
ASduNl VI Vic oCldIC
great deal Of the Presidents trouble
with Congress is found in the attitude of
Democrats from the South. They have
heSltated to break with him first over the
failure of the administration to take
stand against the sit-doWn strikes last
Winter and then with the administra-
tion's failure to make real strides toward
governmental economy. Then came the
taSt in, u, ,1,
from the West and North joined with
the Southern Democrats to upset the
apple cart. And more recently, the South
ern Democrats attacked vigorously the
wages and hours bill demanded by the
President They believe that it will mill
tate against their section Of the country.
\
Still further under the surface is the
antagonlsm growing in the South against
the manner in which the New Deal DEM
ocratic party has become the party of
the Negro. In no administration. Repub-
lican or otherwise, since reconstruction
days. has the Negro been given the favors
and the prominence he has been given by
the Roosevelt administration The effort
now to put through Federal anti-lynch-
ing BILL supported by many of the New
from the North is bearing fruit The
Southern Democrats in Congress feel
that If such a bill is passed it will be
only a forerunner to attempts by the
administration to compel the States of
the South to permit the Negroes to vote
when and as they will.
1t is abundantly clear that if an anti
lynching bill can be brought to vote in
the Senate. 1t will pass by very large
majority. The Northern Democrats are
thinking of the large number of Negroes
who vote in New York, in Pennsylvania
in Illinois and in a great many other
States Of the North and West. They
want the support of these colored voters
next year in the congressional elections
1t is equally clear that II these Northern
and Western Democrats in Congress go
through with it. they may be able to
enact laws which will make it a crime
to prevent Negroes from voting in South
ern States. The Southerners do not in
tend to see the Negroes dominate polit-
ically in their own States If they can
help it.
The President was warned months ago
that if he persisted in his demand for the
court bill and the packing of the Su-
preme Court. he would have a difficult
time with the rest OF his program The
President and his aides, however ignored
the warnings. They believed that Con-
gress could still be made to Jump through
any hoop the President held aloft They
were wrong in this particular case.
Now the President has undertaken to
put pressure on the Democrats in Con-
gress by threatening not to allow crop
loans, loans to the cotton. wheat and
other producers, unless he is given right
away his crop control legislation. The
Democrats caught their second wind,
however. and they are threatening to tie
up the whole legislative program, includ-
ing the hours and wages bill. There are
so many conflicting interests that the
outcome OF the fight is difficult to foresee
with any degree of clarity.
X
The President sent to Congress. even
before his bill for reorganization OF the
courts, drastic proposal for the reorgan-
lzation OF the executive departments. The
plan left to the discretion Of the Presi-
dent the decision as to what should be
done in the way of consolidating, elm
mating or establishing Government agen-
cies. 1t was not intended as an economy
measure, it was explained, although some
economies might materialize. The re-
organization bill would of itself have
raised considerable row in Congress-par-
ticularly as it does away with the Office
OF the controller general. But it was
almost Immediately dwarfed in public
interest by the plan for adding new JUS
tices to the Supreme Court.
It appears now that Congress is not
going to do anything about the reorgan-
ization of executive departments until
next session of Congress. That is, unless
the present session runs right through
the Summer and into the Fall The re-
organization bill has almost as many foes
on Capitol Hill as had the court bill
Among the most active is Senator Harry
Flood Byrd of Virginia. There are two
reasons why the Virginia Senator does
not like the bill In the first place, he
believes that any bill for the reorganiza-
ton OF the Government should be written
with the distinct purpose of saving
money, cutting down the number OF Gov
ernment agencies. In the second place,
he is convinced that the measure as pro-
posed by the administration would place
undreamed of powers in the hands of
the President.
X X X
In the House, bill has passed already
giving to the President the six executive
assistants for which he asked-at $40, 900
year each. There is talk of passing still
another bill following out some of the
recommendations of the President for