The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-07-20

not the. PreSlQenL WOIl d NAS|oAJ
over Congress in the second
of the monetary battles remains
to be seen.
After the defeat of the Admin
istratiOa in the all-night session
at the close of the fiscal year,
enough pressure was put upon
Senators and Representatives TO
induce them to enact a new sta
tute renewing the Presidential
powers to devalue the dollar,
maintain a currency stabilizatlon
fund, buy domestic silver at the
fixed price of 70 cents an ounce
and to set the price at which the
Treasury would buy foreign Sill
yer.
In every respect except that OF
fixing the price Of domestic Sill
yer. the new act gives the Pres
ident all the control over money
and currency that he had before
his former authorization expired.
Lawyers Of both parties IN
both houses, however, contend
that the new law will not stand
UP under court scrutiny, If any
body brings up the issue.
At the same time, a strong
movement is forming to take
away the Presidential power to
buy foreign silver at anything
but the world market price. The
United States has been practical
ly supporting the Mexican Gov
eminent by its purchase OF Sill
yer, and that is objected to on
Capitol Hill.
Battle of the Session
The fight over amending the
neutrality law to make it more
acceptable to the President will
be the battle of the session, from
present indications. Thirty-four
Senators are lined up under the
leadership of Senators Borah and
Nye to fight to the last ditch
against repeating the present
law prohibiting the sale of arms
and ammunition by Americans
to nations at war.
The idea behind this is the be-
lief that the United States was
dragged into the World War be-
cause so many Americans had
been making money in huge
sums supplying the Allies with
fighting material and that If we
allowed that sort of thing to go
on we would be dragged into the
next war.
The war alarm had begun to
subside by early July, though
the Governments observers
abroad are reported to have
warned the State Department
against over-optimiSm.
How the provision in the new
w. P. A. law requiring every
worker to put in 100 hours
month for the money he or she
gets will react upon their per-
sonal chances for reelection is
question which is worrying some
members of Congress.
The situation disclosed by w.
P. A. officials and Congressional
investigators, that a large num-
Der CT people on relief were
drawing from $50 to $50 month
for working only fifty or sixty
hours a month was TOO tough
for Congress to swallow.
Shock To Members
The w. P. A. was intended to
provide work at bare subsistence
wages for such as could not find
jobs in private employment. The
discovery that the ''prevalling
rate" of hourly union wages was
being paid in many cities to w.
P. A. workers came as a shock
to many of the members, and the
outlook is that the majority in
Congress will stand pat against
all the political pressure by Ia
Dor organizations and w. P. A.
worker organizations.
The death of the Secretary of
the Navy, Claude Swanson, was
not unexpected. Mr.. Swanson was
n and had been seriously i'll for
more than two years. Fortunate
ly, the Assistant Secretary,
Charles Edison, son of the great
inventor, has recovered from the
illness which kept him inactive
for several months.
The largest naval construction
program in all the nations his
tory is getting we'll under way,
and much of the credit must be
given to Mr.. Swanson, who had
been an advocate of a powerful
and modern navy since his years
of service in the House and the
Senate on the naval affairs COM
mittees. That Mr.. Edison is the
logical successor to his place in
the cabinet is not proof, however,
that he will be chosen by the