The daily independent., 1937-07-26
NA MaAA

| Overhead, MOTIVE FOR AdJOurn-
ment; Congressman Want To
Duck Showdown On Big Issues
Still Before Them; Harrison
Crowd Says Senator King
Secretly Changed Vote Beat
Him; Administration See Ms.
.Lehman'S Influence Behind
Blast On Court.
Washington-All the talk about
Washington weather as the mo-
tive for adjournment of Congress
is pure poppycOck. The weather
has been no worse than in 1888,
when Congress sat all summer
in fact, recent weather has been
delightful.
Moreover. Congress has not oV-
ertaXed itself with work.
It is true that Congress has
been in session a long time-7l2
months. But being in session and
actually working are two differ
ent things. During this 7l2 month
period. the Senate has sat only
100 times, and frequently for not
more than an hour. The House
has met 180 times, sometimes al
so for very short periods.
In other words, out of 7l2
months the Senate has been on
the job a little over 3 months and
the House about six.
Actually, the adjournment burr
under the congressional blanket
is not physical exhaustion, but po
litical CoWardiCe.
Real fact is that most of the
| boys don't want to vote on such
| issues as Wage-hour regulation,
farm tenancy relief, housing, tax
alton. government reorganization.
Privately they are against these
measures, but if put on the spot
would not dare vote against them.
So they want to duck a showdown
and go home.
Note:-SenatOrS and Congress
men are paid $4,000 a year no
matter how long or how short a
time they spend in Washington.
ChercheZ La Femme
Behind Governor Lehman'S
blast against the Presidents Su-
preme Court bill was his wife, the
former Edith AltSchul.
Mrs. Lehman is the sister Of
Frank AltSchul, member of Laz-
ard FrereS, international bankers,
and chairman of the listing COM
mittee OF the New York Stock EX-
change. Partly because of the in
fluenCe Of her brother. she al
ways has been cool toward the
New Deal.
Also, Mrs. Lehman tried to per-
Suade her husband not to run for
a third term last year. But under
the vigorous urging of Roosevelt
and Senator Bob Wagner. Lehman
entered the race. The result was
not nearly so good as in previous
years.
In 1882 Lehman'S vote ran a.
head of the Presidents and in
1886, he piled up a record break
ing majority. But in 1884 to every
ones surprise. he trailed 100000
behind Roosevelt.
The Presidents friends say that
Mrs. Lehman very much resented
this poor showing and privately
attributed it to the Washington
regime. Several months ago. they
assert, she urged her husband to
take a stand against the judicial
I legislation and as a result he ac-
tually drafted a statement. but
was persuaded by members Of his
staff to withhold it.
Tall Phcnagling
The Barkley- Harrison tuSSle for
the Senate leadership saw more
underCOver phCnagling than the
Capitol has witnessed in many a
year.
Knowing that the ballot would
be secret. some of the boys were
free and easy with their promises
to support. The Barkley camp had
AZ definite pledges, Harrison 38.
The combined total of these
promises were 80-and there are
only Is Democrats in the Senate.
Barkley was elected by count
Of 38 to 81. That means that at
least four of his pledges did not