The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-29
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Significance Of Progressive Senalors' Chat With Roosevelt Lies Not ln What They Said, but in Fact There Were So Few at the Conferenee.

Washington, Deo. aD-There wers two significant thlngs about that conference Roosevelt had with . group 0k senatorial pFogresslves Al She White House the other night,
 First vas Che fact that thls waBl Q resumption oe an old New Deal custom. Ones upon . time such huadlss were held frequently, The pFOgFenslves would sink daop into comfortable chairs Co talk political ana legislative shop with V, D. R, far Into Che night But this was tho first llm0 in two years that the President had had such . powwow with the senAteh New DealeEB.
 Second was tho fact that when you got them together and isolated there were SO alarmed few genuine progEesslvoa who were considered sufficiently New Deallsh Co be asked in, Unless this writer missed . name or two, tho group included only eight 0f the % members of the Senate - Norris of Nebraska, LA. Toilette Of Wisconsin, eehwellens bach ot Washington, Minton of in' diana, Wagner os New York, Green of Rhode Island, Pepper of FloridA and Brown of New Hampshire. Explains Ills Trouble
 oonsplcuouAly absent was Wheeler of Montana. Mts seud with Roose- volt broke into full ham0 during tho fight over tho court plan after many years ln which you could ha sure Wheeler would be right there when any whole-soulod group Of pFogres- SiveS got together.
 0f oeuFse there are SMany ethers --all Democrats - who vote cona slstently for administration meas. Cres. But, although this eetette of simon pVlre-oP ln some eases nearly simon pure .--llbaFals is more influential than any ether group Of elght--0r perhaps even any couple Oe doxen senators--lts slve indicates strlklngly one Of Che reasons why Roosevelt hes 30 much trouble getting hls program through Congress even though he dlN win such . huge popular ma joslty im NOvemheF's election.
 The House "liberal bloc" is usual. ly figured to number about % ei the 4ob members, but seldom flines tioAs as A compact flying wedge, Hasn't Cult Yet
 Anyway, tho boys gave the presi' dont Q pep talk and ho gave them one rlght back, Roosevelt told tho Senatora hO hadn't qult-"not by Q damn sight"--ln tho liberal course which hO has described as "left oi center" if0 said that ho had Just been giving his opponents c chance to make tools Of themselves, and thereby diScrOdlt themselves with the public.
 ai'm going Co Do myself," the President said, as he promised not Co give up New Deal "galns" in exchange for business mems promises 0 cooperate towaFd TO" ooveFy.
 Iuo pFOUfuDatVS6 WvhtV happy. Shortly thereafter Senator Qeorae Norris, oldest, most beloved and most respected Of the group said that # the forces Of reaction continued to block Roosevelt'a on. frightened aims there would DO . popular demand that no run TOT . thifd term,
 VIII Keep Banging Away
 The regular Democratic leaders of House mad Senate also had c sess sion with the President They were not exactly Nlated when they went away, Reosevelt "gaye them he'll according to one authoritative ae- count, but it appears hia Ire wal directed mostly at speaker johii bankhead Of Alabama.
 Roosevelt asked how Che eo.in. try could help notice that oil but ib sou(heFn0Ts had voted against the Wagesh0vr blll and implied that the south, being li c minor. iiy, Was building up lll will and possible legislative Feprl.Als. IIe pointed out that 70 ehAiFhen of iIauHN committees had v0ted AganIst (he blll and said this 0ba yIoUsly indicated that leadership was ln . bad way.
 one thing both groups Of legls' iatoFg learned from the fFesldenti iIo IA going to keep on banging away for c law which will give the fed' prai government power over mlni.. mum wages, maximum hours and child iabof.
 (oopyrisht, iesT, NpA Service, fnc',