Evening star., 1939-04-02
Roosevelt Believed
Regoining Initiotive
BIZ O1Den L. Scott

|
The Supreme Court appears now to
have come all the way-or nearly all the
way-around to the Presidents view
point. Latest evidence of this break with
past constitutional precedents is provided
by the court decision permitting State
governments to tax the income of Federal
Government employees and the Federal
| Government to tax the income Of State
| government employees.
Almost no constitutional barrier Of i'm
portance now stands in the way OF a
New Deal more sweeping than any that
Mr.. Roosevelt has projected.
| But just at the time when the Presi-
dent, through the appointing power and
| through a change of judicial attitude.
! received an "all clear" signal on the con-
| stitutional question, he bumped sQuarely
| against congressional leadership deter
mined to block White House rule. This
leadership pretty thoroughly stopped the
| President In 1898 and 1t has had him on
the defensive in the present session OF
| Congress to date.
Congressman scrambled for a chance
| to pose in the role of hero in a stop-the-
| President drive. They took up the cry OF
economy, promised to reform relief start
| ed to take pot shots at prominent New
| Dealers, and set about to give business
| men what they wanted.
Things began to look rather bad for
| Mr.. Roosevelt.
Now, however, signs appear to suggest
that the President has found the formula
that can blast Congress out Of its present
dominant position.
This formula is the simple one of CEN
tering public attention on the leadership
of the Senate and of the House. Con-
gressional leaders have been voluble in
their assertions of what they would do
If they were running the country.
Budget problems were pictured as all Of
the presidents making. So were tax
problems and labor problems and relief
problems and farm problems.
All Congress asked was a chance to
tackle those problems free from execu-
tive interference.
Mr.. Roosevelt is giving Congressman
that chance, with results that the coun-
try will need to observe. The President
has told Congress to go ahead and bal
ance the budget. assuming its own re-
sponsibility for results. Mariner S. Ec-
| cles, Federal Reserve Board chairman,
has added his Endorsement of the same
idea, expressing a desire to see the
budget balanced just as soon as Congress
will do the balancing.
The President too, expressed will
IN ho
laws of the country, just so total reve-
| nues from those laws are not disturbed.
He has expressed willingness to have
Congress solve the farm problem and the
relief problem-assuming responsible
ties for changes that are made after the
Executive has outlined the nature of the
problems.
| And how is Congress exercising this
responsibility?
1t started off by cutting sl50,0000 900
| from an appropriation for relief, but
| directing the President at the same time
| not to reduce relief rolls by more than
| per cent. BY this act Congress showed
desire to save money, but an even strong
er impulse not to withdraw Government
| checks from deserving recipients.
The House of Representatives now has
| voted not to provide s250000,00O parity
| payment to farmers. Mr.. Roosevelt did
| not ask for this payment Its proposal
| came from an economy-minded Congress
| and it's temporary defeat occurred not on
| the basis Of any careful survey of the
| farm problem, but because of fight be-
| tween city and farm Representatives.
congressman from the cities insisted that
| Congressman from rural districts either
restore the $3.50 ,000,000 cut from the re-
| lief appropriation or face the loss of
| $3.50, 900 900 earmarked for their own con-
| stituents.
When it comes to taxes, the bewilder.
ment Of Congress is equally apparent.
Senate leaders started out bravely to
create tax system that would please all
businessmen and yet produce as much
| revenue as the existing system. Those
| leaders today appear to be stopped in
| their tracks. The reason Is that to re-
| move or lower the tax from one corpora
| ton or individual means that a tax must
| be increased on another corporation or
| individual. Most taxes now are paid by
| the large corporations, few OF which
earn the bulk of the corporation income
| OF the Nation Senators are shying at
| the thought of cutting taxes on few
| hundred corporations while they increase
taxes on 100000 corporations.
The result is that interest now is re-
| viving among Senators and Representa-
tives In ideas for using the printing
presses to turn out cash with which to
pay Government bills.
Before Congress gets through this ses-
sion, President Roosevelt expects that
the initiative that he lost in the last two
years will largely be restored to him. The
reason for that expectation Is found in
the inherent difficulty of getting ma
| jority of 531 members of Congress to
| agree on anything unless there is strong
executive leadership. Congress shines
during period when obstruction is
| chiefly to be desired, not when positive
action Is required
If Congress succeeds in demonstrating
to the country that it has no magic
formula, the President apparently would
like to find some way to demonstrate
that the businessmen of the country