Evening star., 1939-07-31
Out of Hand

How far out of hand the Seventy
Sixth Congress has become-from
the New Deal administration point
OF view-was demonstrated effec-
lively at the caucus of the House
Democrats Friday night. This cau-
Gus, called for the purpose of lining
up the Democrats solidly behind the
Presidents lend-spend bill and the
housing bill, could get no farther
than a resolution, general in terms,
indorsing the Roosevelt program.
That was bitter disappointment for
the New Deal leaders.
1t was significant that no effort
was made in the caucus, after it as
sembled, to pledge the Democrats to
definite support of these two meas
ureS which are regarded as the heart
of the Presidents 1899 effort to
smash the depression. At least they
have been so advertised Almost i'm
mediately after the caucus convened
it became evident that any effort
to tie the hands of the Democratic
opponents of the spending lending
program would result in knock
down, drag-out fight. In the inter-
ests of harmony" and at the sug-
gestion of economy minded Repre-
sentative Woodrum Of Virginia, the
attempt was abandoned.
Ay,fi-Nouy nno1
the Democrats in Congress is over
Tapped by anti-third term sentiment.
There are Democrats who have sup
ported the President faithfully, in
legislative demands, who are not
willing to go along, or who at least
would be very reluctant to go along,
with denomination of Mr.. Roosevelt.
The feeling, which has been strong
on Capitol Hill, that the President
is receptive, if not an active
candidate, for denomination, has
been responsible for many of the ad-
ministration's troubles during the
present session of Congress
The President himself can ease the
situation, can restore party harmony
to degree that has not existed for
long time, by simply declaring that he
will not be candidate for renomi-
nation next year under any circum-
stances. 1t is generally believed,
however, that he will make no such
declaration-certainly not until after
the adjournment of the Congress
and perhaps not at all this year.
The situation in the Democratic
caucus Friday night was not helped
by the fact that Representative CAV
agan, of a Harlem district in New
York, had just succeeded in obtain
ing a majority petition Of the House
to discharge the Rules Committee
and bring an anti-lynching bill up
for consideration at some future
date. Mr.. Gavagan was a prime
mover for the caucus to weld the
Democrats together again. His en-
thusiasm for the anti-lynching bill,
however, reused the Democrats from
Southern States, violently opposed
to this kind of legislation. He was
asked why he had sought Republican
signatures to his petition to bring
up the anti-lynching bill.
With the Democrats of the North
and West supporting anti-lynching
legislation and those of the South
denouncing it, there arises again an
underlying schism in the party. The
Democrats of the North and West
are doing all they can to WOO the
Negro vote in such pivotal States
as New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Illinois. Their efforts are in direct
line with those OF President Roose-
velt himself. The President, how
ever, has so far not been compelled
to declare himself openly on the
anti-lynching bill. Should he an
nounce himself for the bill, there
would be another point of cleavage
between himself and the anti-New
Deal, anti-third term Democrats in
the South.
Overwhelming Democratic majori-
ties in both the House and Senate
make all the more remarkable the
rebuffs which the President has had
at the hands Of Congress since it met
last January. If the Democratic
margin Of control was narrow, the
attitude of Congress would be more
easy to explain. But in the House
the Democrats have 260 members to
1859 for the Republicans and four