The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-04-21
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Rebuke for Roosevelt
Washington.-By now, the smoke
of battle has cleared away and a
proper appraisal can be made of the
greatest political defeat President
Roosevelt has had since he entered
the White House. Perhaps, indeed
by killing the government reorgani-
cation bill, the house of representa-
tives administered to Mr.. Roose-
welt the most stern rebuke he ever
had had since he entered politics.
That licking has been given now
and we are, or ought to be, concern
ed with its meaning because the
story contains valuable information.
First, I think it ought to be said
that Mr.. Roosevelt was made a VIC
tim of his own brand of politics. It
is quite absurd to say that the bill
to reorganize the federal government
would have given him pictorial
powers. It did ad to his powers, but
he has powers now which would let
him be q dictator If he felt that
he dared to use them. So we can
dismiss that dictatorship phase of
the controversy insofar as its merit
Is concerned. We can not dis
miss 1t, however, as factor, indeed,
the factor, that brought about the
Presidents crushing defeat.
There is no use in hemming and
having about the real issue that
was decided in the house vote,
which was by the narrow margin of
204 to 1856. That issue was the COM
bined fear and dislike of Mr.. Roose-
welt against confidence in and blind |
following of Mr.. Roosevelt. In other !
words, it was the climax of a fight |
that has been going on since Mr..
Roosevelt attempted to force legisla-
ton granting him six additional APP
pointments to the Supreme Court of
the United States, an accumulation
Of undercurrent bitterness.
The real Importance of the reor-
ganization bill, therefore, lay in the
fact that it was q political football,
vehicle. It was being carried by
Mr.. Roosevelt's faction in congress
and eventually was booted off of
the field by those who dislike or
distrust him.
The reason feel so certain about
the real issue in the case is that a
Democratic congress only a few
short years ago almost gave the then
President, Herbert Hoover, the same
powers sought by MIR. Roosevelt now.
Further, an overwhelming Demo-
cratic-New Deal congress did give
Mr.. Roosevelt virtually the same
powers in 1888, and he neglected to
use them. The question, therefore,
strikes me as being clear cut. In
fact, it is made to appear that there
is no question. A majority of con-
gress representatives and sena-
tors-were looking for chance to
show the President they again want
to be congress and not a rubber
stamp.
The strangest thing about this
battle was that a mistake by thei
President provided the basis for
new courage on the part of congress.
said above that it was absurd for
anyone to believe the reorganiza-
ton bill would make Mr.. Roose-
welt dictator. It would have done
some dangerous things which shall
discuss later in this article, but the
dictator phase was rather silly. Yet,
1t was the conviction of hundreds
of thousands of persons that the
legislation would make Mr.. RooSe-
welt dictator that licked the bill. And
paradoxically, Mr.. Roosevelt caused
them to believe that. His own act
was responsible for that conviction.
It will be remembered that Mr..
Roosevelt was in Warm Springs,
Ga, on vacation when the bill was
passed by the senate. It was obvi-
GUS from the close call it had in the
senate, even after certain conces-
sions had been made, that it was
confronted with trouble in the
house. Mr.. Roosevelt told newspa-
per correspondents at Warm Springs
of his qualification that the senate
could not be purchased by misrep-
resentation." That provoked a row
in the senate: Sen. Hiram johnson
of California told the senate he