Evening star., 1938-03-31
Reorganization
Continued From First Page.)

people up in the middle of the night
for" Representative Smell added. He S
said that million times"
Planting Bogies' Charged.
Mr.. Roosevelt's letter was given to
reporters after midnight at Warm
Springs, Ga, and charged organized
opposition to the administrators re-
organization program had planted
bogies under every bed"
The letter was described as "a very
admirable statement" by Majority
Leader Barkley, who said it was one
the sincerity of which will be con-
ceded by everybody who knows the
President"
Before the House met at noon, its
leaders quietly canvassed the member
ship. Speaker Bankhead said the poll
was the usual method of learning
sentiment on major legislation and did
not indicate any uneasiness among
the leadership over the bills chances
Of passage.
A. F. Of L. Active.
Not long after the Capitol learned
of the Presidents letter, it was an
nounced that the American Federation
OF Labor had written all House men,
bers urging them to require congress
sional approval of any bureau changes
the President desired. In other words,
the labor organizati ton would require
special act of Congress before the
Presidents orders would become oper-
ative.
House members also received a let
ter from the National Grange. declar-
ing passage of the bill would be a
blow to the cause of popular govern
ment. would vest the executive with
wholly unwarranted powers, would
reduce Congress to the status of mere
spectator. and would mean abandon
ment of the processes of representa-
tive government and would degrade
the ideals of American democracy"
The Grange letter specifically op-
posed "scrapping Of the civil serv-
ice" and urged Congress to retain
direct control of public funds and
expenditures through the mainte-
nance of "an independent controller
general"
The provisions of the bill revamp-
ing the Civil Service Commission and
the General Accounting Office have
been the particular targets of foes
OF the reorganization program.
Opponents Open Fire.
Opponents of the bill in the Sem
ate, which passed the measure last
Monday, lost no time in blasting the
Presidents letter today.
Senator Burke, Democrat, of Ne
braska said he was "astounded that
the matter has gone to the point
where the President found it neces-
sary to refute the charge that he had
ambitions to become dictator"
Another foe of the bill, Senator
Walsh, Democrat, of Massachusetts,
issued q statement saying:
"No one questions the Presidents
sincerity in disclaiming any desire or
design to make himself a dictator,
but this is not the issue presented
in the reorganization bill.
"The issue between the President
and the Congress relates solely to the
intact of the duties de-
fined in the Constitution to be per-
formed by the three Independent
branches Of our Government The
reorganization bill delegates to the
executive absolute legislative func-
tions without even leaving to the
Congress the power of veto"
1t was Senator Walsh who last
Monday made the motion In the Sem
ate to recommit the bill. It was de-
feated, 48 to 43.
Byrnes Praises Statement.
Senator Byrnes, Democrat, of South
Carolina, who was in charge of the
bill in the Senate. said the statement
should serve to "dispel the fears of
some thoughtless people who were
misled by propaganda"
Senator Byrnes said he agreed with
the Presidents statement in the let
ter that "the campaign against the
reorganization bill was the result OF
organized efforts on the part of po-
litical or special self-interest groups"
Chairman Cochran of the House
Reorganization Committee, which ap-
proved the measure yesterday, COM
mented that ANY one who has any
confidence in the President. If he had