The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-04

anticipated decisive victorit
swing into those where the
The nation IL overwhelmingly
for peace, for keeping aloof
from Europe's boiling caldron Of
war. Also the Supreme Court
ruled in It's decision UNFOLDING
the 1895 neutrality act that under
the constitution the president
has far-reachfng powers in deal
ing with foreign affairs.
80, taking advantage Of favor.
able public sentiment, the courts
announcement and the explosive
Spanish situation, the president
will start the legislative ball roll
ing by pressing for q new neu-
trality law giving him extensive
discretionary powers TO impose
embargoes.
He tried to get such q bill
through In 1885 and again last
year. But congressional hostility,
particularly in the senate, was
too powerful for him.
Fifty-Fifty
The legislators baked at giving
the executive discretionary scope
In 80 dangerous o problem. They
insisted that the ban on ship
ments Of arms and munitions to
belligerents be made mandatory.
And they had their way-despite
strenuous objections from Roose-
welt and furious undercover lob
bying by the state department.
The Spanish conflict and the
recent episode Of the New Jersey
arms dealer securing a license to
export airplane engines have
modified congressional opinion.
There Is now q willingness to
give the president a certain
amount OF discretion over COM
modities. Such as foodstuffs. This
concession is an important gain
for Roosevelt, who will use 1t to
try to get complete discretionary
power.
Relief
Next on his program are the
deficiency relief appropriation
and wage and hour legislation.
These subjects will come up In
separate bills. but they will be
tied together as inter-related
problems. Congress will be told
that there can be no hope Of q
solution Of unemployment as long
as employers are free TO pay
sweat-shop wages and work labor
for sweat-shop hours.
On the surface the president
will appear TO be trying TO hold
down the deficiency grant to
around $500,00O,O00. But he will
not be too insistent on that fig
ure. II the liberals can boost 1t
to the $75O,000, 900 they demand,
he will accept the increase.
Hour and Wage Bill
The bill to establish a minimum
wage and maximum hour law will
be unrelated to plans or proposals
for q new NRA.
Any MIRA legislation may come
later In the session. II 1t does It
will deal solely with business and
trade practices. Labor questions
will not be included In the Ynea-
sure, as they were in the old MIRA
act.
The president has definitely
decided that wage and hour
control should not be offered as
a trading sop 10 industry TO get II
TO agree to bargain collectively
with labor. as was the case In the
MIRA. These questions, he now
holds, are separate and distinct
and must 10 be dealt with.
The wage and hour bill 10 be
offered will be modelled after
the New York state minimum
wage law. This law set up no
rigid standards. Instead IL en-
powered an agency TO fix them
for individual industries. The
act was held uncOnstit utional
last spring by the Supreme
Court, on the ground that IL
contrsvened state powers.
Administrationites admit frank
~ that they do not know whether
a federal law Of this kind would
be held legal. But the president Is
prepared TO raise the issue. Then,
should the court hold the law un-
constitutional he would be in n