Evening star., 1938-12-25
Little New Deal Legislation
Expected in New Congress
Defense Program, Reorganization May Bring
Fights, With Republican Opposition
Stronger in Both Houses.
By G. Gould Lincoln.

The Seventy-siXth Congress, chosen as
result of "the most important con-
gressional election in years" will soon
have an opportunity to demonstrate to
the country just how important that
election really was.
Already Democratic leaders are pre-
dieting that the program will contain
no brand-new New Deal legislative
panaceas; that the administration will
be content to rest on what it has done
during the last six years, and even to
permit the Congress to amend and i'm
prove certain of the New Deal laws
now on the books.
No one yet, however, has had a peep at
President Roosevelts message to Con-
gress on the state of the Union or
his budget message, both of which are
TO be delivered Immediately after Con-
gress meets January 3. The President
has given no definite impression as to
what he will propose outside of his plain
implications that he will recommend
building up national defense and his
statement that he hopes the admins
4ration plan for reorganization of the
executive departments and agencies of
the Government will be passed
Problems Before Congress.
Upon the details of these two pro-
posals will depend the course of the
legislation-easy or difficult. The re-
organization bill might easily prove
red rag, infuriating not only majority
of the Congress, but also the country.
The reasons advanced for increased ma
tional defense must be potent to quell
opposition from certain sections of the
country and their representatives.
In addition to the program for ma
tional defense, with its attendant dis
cussion of foreign affairs, including
international commerce, important prob
lens likely to come before Congress are:
/. The farm problem, with plans for
revamping the existing agricultural laws,
among them the Crop-control Act.
2. The old-age pension problem.
3. The National Labor Relations Act
plus the personnel of the National Labor
Relations Board.
. 4. The relief problem, including the
size of appropriations for the needy and
the method of distributing relief.
S. General governmental expenditures
with a drive for greater economy.
6. Proposals to revise the Neutrality
Act.
Z. A new national health program.
Wage-H Criticism.
While the intimation has gone forth
, from administration circles that with the
passage at the last session of the Wage
Hour Act, legislation as it affects business
particularly has come to an end for the
time being, no one knows what will grow
out of the so-called monopoly investiga-
ion now being conducted by a joint
committee of members of Congress and
representatives of the executive This
committee, the Temporary National Eco
nomics Committee, was set up for the
purpose of dealing with matters of great
Importance to business, upon which it
would make legislative recommendations.
Whether it will submit such recon-
mendatlons to the coming session of
Congress remains to be seen.
The Wage-Hour Act has been in OPERA
eion only short time. The decision to
require overtime pay, under the terms of
the maximum hours of labor provision
OF the act, for comparatively highly paid
employees has already brought some
y criticism. There may be demands for
amendment of the law
Wrapped up in the coming session of
Congress lies in all probability the fate
OF the Democratic party-and the Roose-
velt New Deal in 1910. The fight for
control OF the party is under way.
Whether President Roosevelt will under
take to WOO the more conservative
Democrats in the House back into the
Told, or whether he will use a bludgeon
on them remains to be seen. It seems
entirely clear that the President is intent
upon having the New Deal-which he
heads-maintain control of the Demo-
cratic party
Posts to Be Filled.
The President has one cabinet post
to fill, not to mention a vacancy in the
Supreme Court. The resignation of
Attorney General Cummings is re-
spoIlslple LOT tlle CdDlnet vacancy,
and the death of the late Associ-
ate Justice Cardozo for that in the
Supreme Court. The appointments
made by the President, both to the
cabinet and to the Supreme Court, will
be interpreted as showing which way
the wind is blowing-to the right or to
the left.
Already the Chief Executive has placed
Harry l.. Hopkins in the cabinet to sue
ceed Daniel c. Roper as Secretary of
! Commerce The former w. P. A. ad-
ministrator has been a welfare worker
all his life, not businessman. He was
slated for the proposed new Department
of Public Welfare, under the Presidents
reorganization plan. His appointment
to head the Department of Commerce is
regarded as slap at the conservatives.
While the Democratic majorities in
both the House and Senate continue
overwhelming g-particularly in the Sen
ate-the new Congress will have
minority much more inclined to fight
back than at any time during the Roose-
welt administration. Just before the
elections were held in November the G.
o. p. boasted only Is Senators and 90
Representatives. When Congress assem-
,1ee thu co,1pt will he % Repl1hlican