Evening star., 1939-01-08
Garner Faces Danger
In Leading Congress
BIZ ODe7. L. Scott

BIZ OaDen L. Scott
The new and still ambitious Congress.
under the expert tutelage Of John Nance
Garner, Vice President, is about to at
tempt to accomplish what Congress
never before has been able to accomplish.
This attempt calls for Congress to try
It's hand at solving some OF the Nations
highly complicated problems without
whip-cracking by a strong executive.
The plan is for Mr. Garner to supply the
leadership that once came from the
White House.
Members Of Congress have come back
to town in very independent frame OF
mind. There is little yet to show that
President Roosevelt's plea for co-opera-
ton In planning for recovery has struck
responsive chord. Each member in
recent months appears to have devel-
oped a number Of decided ideas about
the way to solve the relief problem and
the farm problem and the budget prob
lem and the national defense problem
and the labor problem, among other
problems.
At the same time, each member Of
Congress seems determined to show the
folks back home that he isn't rubber
stamp for any President and that no
White House apron strings lead him
around. So SO Senators and 435 Repre-
sentatives are taking the legislative bit
in their teeth, each one to try to pull in
slightly different direction.
There are signs that President Roose-
velt is quite happy over the present turn
Of events, and will bide his time.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in fact, long has tried
to find solutions for some of the Nations
problems. His success to date has been
quite Indifferent. This looked like
time when the President would be forced
to make one more try on his own initia-
tive. But then Congress decided, on the
advice Of Mr.. Garner, to take matters
into its own hands.
This raises the question: Can Congress
succeed in finding the solution to the
Nations vexing problems, or even In
satisfying the folks In the home dis
tricts, where the President failed? In
other words is Mr.. Garner likely to hnd
greater success in his endeavors than Mr..
Roosevelt found in his?
u \ \
What looks like relatively simple
problem Of deciding on new policy OF
unemployment relief may provide one
cue to the answer. Every one seems
agreed that w. P. A., as now constituted,
is subject to many abuses. The cost is
high, politicians take advantage of
spending for their own purposes, most Of
the money is going to the richest States
where unemployment is highest. Yet
what changes can be expected when
Congress sets about defining formula
for giving away $4,000, 100000 annually?
Representatives from rural areas will
want more Of the swag at the expense of
representatives from city areas. Big
cities will claim the right to more money
on per capita basis than little cities.
Representatives Of low-income regions
will demand that they get more than
representatives Of the richer districts.
What has always been a. headache for
the White House can become a cat-and-
dog fight for Congress. That fight Is
ahead. to be waged to the accompani-
ment OF what can turn out to be rec
ord-breaking volume of oratory.
Or take the case Of farm relief.
A large number of important members
OF Congress have decided that Henry
Wallace and Mr.. Roosevelt have bungled
their effort to protect agricultural in
come. These members report farmer
resentment against restrictions on
planting and against existing prices.
So, as an alternative, Congressmen
blandly are turning to the idea Of price,
fixing Of farm crops going into consump-
ton inside the United States That
sounds like a cure-all of the simplest
sort. But price-fxing, first of all, de-
mands machinery to make sure that the
price is fixed. That machinery not only
involves policing of every farm of a
rigid sort, but it involves policing of every
business enterprise that buys from farm
ers or processes farm products. Today's
farm program is simplicity and mildness
itself compared with the program that
Congress is interested in.
Wnen businessmen wake up to what
Congressman want for agriculture, they
may decide very quickly that President
Roosevelt Is q long-lost friend.
Then there is the matter of old-age
pensions.
Mr.. Roosevelt thinks that existing pen
sions are adequate, after some revisions.
But the Congress that business is vel
coming with open arms shows signs of
wanting pensions much more generous
than any now offered. The mildest of
the new proposals calls for payments of
$50 month to the aged at cost of at
least $4,000, ,000, 900 year. The Townsend
followers have their plan and the gen.
eral welfare advocates have their plan
and each member of Congress appears
to have separate plan of his own in
addition. If ever the talk starts on this
issue, Congress will find time limited for
other discussions.
But then, in addition, there is the
railroad issue and the bank holding COM
pany issue and the national defense is
sue and the neutrality issue and q multi
tude Of other issues to occupy the ma
tional legislators.
In other words, Mr.. Garner has taken
unusual responsibilities on his shoulders
in seeking to demonstrate to the Nation
that Congress can solve major problems