Evening star., 1937-12-19
Back to Normalcy.


Defeat of the wages and hours bill in
the House OF Representatives, through the
legislative maneuver of a recommittal,
must be regarded as a breach of the
docile relations between Congress and
the President. Heretofore, with the ex-
ception Of the Supreme Court measure,
the mandate of the administration has
been obeyed on Capitol Hill. There
have been incipient revolts, and at times
the obedience of Congress has been had
only through the application of heavy
pressure, by the medium of emissaties
from the White House who have
swarmed about the Capitol with orders
from 'up the Avenue" The drafting
OF bills has been undertaken by the
White House. and in the main these
measures have been passed with only
minor changes the function of the COM
mittees, which in other times have had
primarily to do with the framing of
proposed laws, being reduced to that of
smoothing out minor items of legisla-
ton and the consolidation of the party
lines to effect prompt passage.
Now has come the revolt which from
time to time has been predicted. The
fact that it comes to effect the defeat
OF one of the most cherished measures
OF the administration, Endorsed if not
demanded by a militant labor group,
gives the result the greater significance.
The special session of Congress was
called to effect the passage of this and
one other measure, known as the farm
control bill. The House passed the latter
measure, but with changes not alto
gether satisfactory to the administration,
and the Senate made further amend
ments. It now goes to conference, but
without assurance of such adjustment
OF these differences as the administra-
ton desires.
In the matter Of the wages and hours
bill there were elements of contention
which inescapably aroused opposition
within the Democratic ranks. The South
ern members Of the House, fearful of dis
examinations that would gravely affect
the industries and trade of that section,
definitely broke with the administration
and, with the aid Of Republican votes,
refused to pass the bill as written and
sent it back to committee, by a margin
OF eighteen votes. The spectacle was
presented of a definite conflict between
the American Federation of Labor and
the Committee for Industrial Organiza-
ton. But of greater significance was
the refusal Of sufficient number of
members Of the House to follow the ad-
ministration's lead which caused the vir-
tual defeat of the measure.
That this signifies a return to nor
malcy" in the legislative procedure, to
the constitutional hypothesis that the
Congress Is the legislative body, initiat-
ing its own measures and submitting
them when adopted to the President for
approval or disapproval, with the power
to override veto by two-thirds vote,
may be possible deduction from this
present manifestation of independence .
Reports have been numerous and in
hstent that this has been the desire of
members Of the Congress ever since the
first days Of the New Deal administra-
ton, when, by a stroke of executive
legerdemain the functions of the Con-
gress were changed from initiative and
enactment to submission and indorse-
ment.
One swallow does not make summer,
nor does single defeat for the admin
istration on Capitol Hill make a revolu-
ton. It does. however, give some hope
to those WHO view the Congress as a
coordinate branch of the American Gov
ernment rather than as mere sub
ordinate mechanism of enactment.
Whatever may be the fate of the wages
and hours bill-which obviously cannot
be passed at this special session and must
go over to plague the Congress at the
regular session, with slender chance Of
passage even then in its present form
the episode Of recommittal is distinctly
edifying and encouraging.