Evening star., 1937-10-31
INDEPENDENT CONGRESS
HELD DEMOCRACY'S HOPE
Party Leaders, by Stiff Resistance, Could
Unseat Roosevelt Advisers Who
Would Alter Government.

tnls vast personal power, which may
mean economic life or death to the
community, in an entirely haphazard
and unaccountable fashion There
is no official cabinet which really
participates in his decisions. There
are no first-rate men in his admins
tration who can speak their real minds
and still keep their places There
are no Democratic party leaders who
are independent and still in his con-
fluence. And there Is no recognized
and organized opposition.
Court Includes Jester.
with the Executives power greater
than it has ever been in our whole
history, the President lives not under
a Constitution, but as personal
sovereign surrounded by his courtiers.
He seems even to have gotten around
to having a court jester. which In
principle would be excellent, If his
jester did not happen also to think he
was messiah"
The presence of these persons close
to the Presidents ear, their influence
on him and therefore their influence
on the fate Of the country-these are
the plainest of facts. There, in the
passages I have quoted from three
writer's, is a picture of the heart Of the
American Government as it is at this
moment.
The picture, to be complete, should
include an additional feature. The
group close to. the President, their
inf hi H.. 4y,
which they are taking the country, Is
of course, of the highest importance.
Something should be added, however,
about larger group. These are not
close to the President, they have little
direct influence on him. But they
have much influence in the process Of
taking America away from its historic
form of government and society.
| Enemies of System.
Scattered through the Government
departments. in subordinate yet in
| fluential places, are a considerable
number of persons who sincerely be-
lieve in changed form of govern
ment and society for the United
! States. They know the methods by
which such a change can be brought
about. They know that one of the
best methods of bringing about a
new order is to cause the old order to
be unworkable.
1t would be g mild description of
their attitude to say they believe the
capitalist system is doomed and it's no
harm to give it an extra kick on the
downward way. This group, too. could
be described, if there we're space here,
in the words of one who has been on
the inside of the administration. The
book George Peake wrote after he had
served as administrator of A. A. A.
contains many illusions TO them and
their actions and their influence.
What is the remedy? 1t lies IN
| the hands of the Democratic leaders
of Congress. There is a group Of
these leaders who. if they acted in
concert and with Vice President Gar
ner at their head, could successfully
| insist on preserving our traditional
form Of government and society. 1t
is not necessary that they should
displace the unofficial presidential ad-
visers whom Prof. Moley and Gen.
johnson describe. The President has,
a right to have such intimates as he
pleases. But the Democratic party.
charged with management Of the
country, has right to insist. through
its leaders, that the policies of the
country shall come. not from any
unofficial advisers, but from the heads
of the party in Congress.
tCopyright, 1879