Imperial Valley press., 1938-11-24
News Behind
the News
No Major Reforms
One Election Result
Nv RODNEY BUTCHER

Roosevelt has at least partially u-
gasted election returns and 1t IS
safe 10 predict that the admins
tration won't even try to achieve
any new major reforms at the
next session of Congress.
Attention and ballyhoo will be
concentrated or proposals conced-
ed to be generally popular and un-
likely 10 be blocked by coalitions
of Republicans and conservative
Democrats.
This strategy, arising from real
ization that the heyday of New
Deal power is over, aims stimuli
taneously at rebuilding admins
tration popularity and prestige and
al an aggressive program OF activ-
ity calculated to offset attacks on
existing New Deal laws.
Government reorganization, for
which the President had intended
to press before the new Congress
in January, almost certainly will be
dropped from the Roosevelt pro-
gram of 1899.
Rearmament and national de-
tense measures will be the chief
measures on which Roosevelt will
go to bat. Loud cheers are eX-
pected. No large number of con-
greSsmen and senators, regardless
of party affiliation, is expected to
vote against any agenda calling for
billions of dollars for national de
fense" WaShington's most effect
I've lobbyists will be whooping it
up.
Watch out also for big nation
al health program with appro-
priations extending social security
into the field of medical care. Like
national defense, health is popular
New Dealers appear to feel that
if they can't pass any new pet
legislation they at least can keep
laws already on the books from be-
ing repealed. The election back
wash left 262 Democrats in the
House and ITO Republicans. which
suggests that any time the Repub-
licanS can get 48 Democratic votes
there will be an anti-administra-
ton majority. But it will take 100
Democratic votes, added to the full
Republican strength, to override
a presidential veto
administration attacks will
be directed mainly at the Wagner
Labor act, the Social Security act
with its reserve provisions and the
WPA.
Aside from reorganization, ma
tional defense and health. the ad-
ministration before Nov was aim
ing at a new tax program and
anti-monopoly legislation. Plans as
to the latter are up in the air, but
its now certain that anything
proposed will be advanced in ca
boots with Senator Joe Mahoney of
Wyoming, chairman of the joint
legislatlve-executive anti-monopoly
committee.
The election results appear to
have killed the undistributed profits
tax at least for the time being. The
long range outlook now is for q
hot battle over new taxes, probably
resolving itself into a conservative
demand for federal sales taxes as
against new graduated taxes on
incomes.
Nothing is sure as to social Sc
curity except hubbub. Half the new
Republican congressman and six
new Republican senators, as we'll as
two other Republican and five
Democratic senators, We're elected
with Townsendite support. Roose-
velt will counter funny money"
pension plans with proposals to eX-
tend the present federal act and
establish federal health program,
although recommendations to ex-
tend old age insurance to agricul-
tural workers probably will be
killed by Southern Democratic and
farm state Republican congress-
men.
Predictions of Republican, Dem
ocratic coalitions which will lick the
administration on all liberal-con-
serVative issues are met by asser-
tionS of administration leaders that
House Democrats will huddle to-
gether to save themselves and the
party from 1910 defeat This view
may not include enough cognizanee
of the fact that Southern Demo-
cratic members customarily are re-
elected regardless of national po-
litical trends.