The daily independent., 1937-06-02
MAN AAaS

Huge Majority In Congress Now
Liability To FDR As Pork
Grows Scarce; Congressman
Get No Local Credit For Public
Works; Now They're Irked;
Court Fight Brought Rebellion
From South, Fearing Negro Is
sue In It; Roosevelt Gets Hard
Boiled In Efforts to Prevent A
Runaway Congress.
Wash:ngton-A lot of behind
the-SceneS factors are at the root
Of The increasing belligerency OF
Congress toward the President.
Sum total of il all probably means
that Roosevelt is going to have
more and more trouble from
within his own parry.
In the early morning hours fol-
lowing the Roosevelt landSlidge OF
3. when IL became apparent that
the President would have the big
gest majorrS!eS in history in both
houses of Congress, Charley
Nicholson ruefully remarked:
We're going TO regret this.
The day OF regret now has ar
rived. The Democratic majoritieS
in both the House and Senate are
too topheavy. 100 unWleldy, too
disloyal. and. last but not least,
100 lacking in pie. The patronage
was dished out during the first
four years ana now with more
chan 500 Democrats yapp:ng on
Capitol Hill, the cupboard is bare.
No Sugaring
Here are four additional rea-
sons for the congressional fire
works against the Administra-
ton:
|. Poor liaiSon between the
White House and Capitol Hill.
Roosevelt hasn't known what has
been going on n Congress. His
contact men have fallen down on
the job. Charley West. who IS
supposed to do this. SmirkS. smiles
but doesn't produce. Son James
isn't supposed to talk to Con-
gressmen and probably wouldn't
help much if he did.
The White House has been neg
lecting to sugar up the congress-
ional rank and file, and stimuli
taneOuSly the rank and file has
forgotten that it was elected on
Roosevelt S cOat-UailS.
Pork Needed
2. The boys on Capitol Hill need
a Pork Bill. They have always had
it in previous administrations, but
in this one. pork distribution has
gone to Harry Hopkins. They had
nothing to say aboUS it.
Pork is all-important for greaS-
ing political machines. They can
not run without it. Pork is not
necessarily iniquitouS, Though it
can be. Pork consists Of good
roads. inland waterways, harbor
deepening, flood control, post Of
fees, custom houses.
These are what increase a
Congressman political import
ancC at home. Folks point 70 the
new post office and say: Con
gresham Jones brought us that. -
But during the New Deal, the
folks say: Harry Hopkins built
us THAI"
The local Congressman is out
OF luck. That's why Congress
wanted to earmark the Relief ap-
preparation.
Southern Revolt
3. Congress has = caught the
spirit of rebellion from the court
fight. This comes largely from
the South. Southern Congress
men are not saying much about
it. but the Supreme Court reform
bill worries them. Il is beginning
to get mixed up with the Negro
question.
Also. defeat is contagious, and
there is no doubt but chat Roose-
welt has lost the first round in the
Court reform fight. The idea gets
round chat if the President can
be defeated on one thing he can
be defeated on another.
If allowed TO 60 unchecked, this
results in a runaway Congress.
This was one thing that ruined
Hoover.
This also is one reason RooSe-
welt IS working overtime herding
his StraVing COngrcSSmen back