Evening star., 1937-01-08

democracy. HaV- David Tawrence
ing won control
of both the executive and legislative
branches of the Government at the
polls last November, the President di-
rected q lecture to the third branch
of the Government, which he does not
yet control.
But the report on the state Of the
Union which used to be forthcoming
with the annual messages to Congress
could have this time been exceedingly
informative. There were many sub
jects on which the American people
would have appreciated an official re-
port. For instance. answers to these
questions would have made very inter-
esting reading:
/. How many unemployed are there
IN the United States and what meas
ures are being taken to get jobs for
them?
What Of Strikes?
2. What is the status of the labor
controversies which are sweeping the
Nation, and what does the Federal
Government intend to do about them,
especially as the strikes seem to be
threatening the recovery process in
several major industries?
3. What Is the economic condition
OF the various sections Of the country
where it is now proposed to withdraw
or curtail subsidies?
4. What are the conditions of credit
with respect to the banks and the
Government and business generally,
and to what extent Is the expansion
Of credit being controlled so as to
avert another boom and subsequent
depression?
S. How far may the country expect
from the Government more and more
modern industry and how much can
the small business man expect from
protection for the big monopolists in
his Government in the way of free
dom from taxes that favor the bigger
businesses with surpluses and penalize
the little ones?
Roosevelt Could Tell.
These and many other fundamental
questions are directly related to the
oft-heard query as to whether the
present aspect of recovery Is on firm
or . himsy foundation.
The Chief Executive today has
access to every kind Of report and
basic data. He could give to the Ma
tion such an outline of its own condi-
ton as to warrant great hope and
assurance or he could point out the
large unsolved problems that lie ahead
and issue warnings lest the same
errors as led to the 1929 debacle be
repeated.
But while the Presidents message
this week Is an interesting and chal-
lenging document to students Of con-
stitutional law and contains some
veiled threats that can be interpreted
in all sorts of ways as an attack on
the independence Of the judiciary or,
from some viewpoints, as plea for
political control of the judicial branch
Of the Government, still, whatever the
message may have been in this field
in controversy, it clearly was not q
report on the state of the Union.
Mandatory Only Dy custom.
In answer to this comment, it will
logically be said that the Constitution
does not specify when the President
shall give information on the state
Of the Union to Congress but that it
says he shall do so from time to
time" That, however, has been for
many years developed into custom
% that, at the beginning of session
Of Congress, the President outlines the
condition Of the country and recon-
mends specific measures of legislation.
Last year Mr.. Roosevelt took advan-
tage of the extraordinary interest that
attaches to a "state-of-the-U Union"
message at the outset of a congress
sional session to make an attack on his
political opponents and the time for
delivery was fixed for the night hours
20 as to reach the radio audience.
Little Of Concrete Character.
Mr.. Roosevelt plans to send series
Of messages to Congress from time to
time on special subjects. But, at the
opening Of the year 1887, with tre-
mendous majority in both Houses and
unprecedented power to tackle ma
tional problems in a national way,
there was really little offered of a con-
crete character with respect to the ma
for problems of the economic life Of the
country.
The aspiration for better social re-
forms was voiced, to be sure, as it was
in the political campaign, but on the
matter Of labor peace, which Is at the
root of the country's worries today.
nothing was said as to the state of the
Union. Thus has an old constitutional
custom been permitted to languish.
(Copyright, 1879