The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-05-11
Tough On The Country

Tough On The Country
Washington, May 6.
AS Congress enters its fifth month
it is clear not only that nothing has
been done to improve general condi-
tions, concededly bad throughout the
country, but unless there is a big
change, nothing will be done. The SEES
sion will end in futility. Little beyond
defense program will have been ac-
complished.
The high hopes of those who
thought that with an independent Con-
gress and a conservative trend, the
more glazing New Deal mistakes
might be corrected and the obvious
steps to free business from hampering
restrictions be taken, are now very
wet, indeed. This is due partly to the
war atmosphere which magnifes the
wrong things and minimizes the right
ones. But there are other reasons. The
chief of these is that President Roose-
welt cannot be brought to admit there
are any mistakes that need correc-
ton. For example, he will not con-
cede that industry is handicapped
either by the character of the taxes
devised by the New Deal economists or
by the operation of New Deal regula-
tory laws and agencies, which have
raised the cost of doing business to a
point where the margin of profit is so
small that the risks of expansion are
prohibitive and the odds against sue
cess for new enterprises heavy, in
| deed.
Unaffected by experience, he still
holds the belief that public spending,
regardless of debt and deficit, must
continue, that there is nothing basic
the matter with the WPA system of
relief, that governmental economy is
a thing to avoid. While in Congress, as
in the country, there is strong sen5i-
ment to the contrary, without White
House leadership nothing really can be
done about it. By itself Congress is
futile, because although a majority Of
it's members differ with the Presiden-
tial attitude, they are not welded to-
gether under a single leader and, eX-
cept infrequently, do not act as mutt.
Without Presidential support, the
power to resist the organized pressure
groups is lacking.
@~~
1t is too much to expect of a Con-
| gross divided between New Dealers,
anti-New Dealers and Republicans to
register effectively against the Demo-
cratic President. Hence, those who arc
realistic in these matters do not now
believe there is much chance of the
following things being done, all of
which most people not tied up some
| way with the New Deal will agree
should be done - first, adequate
amendment of the Wagner Labor Act
SO as to correct its more glazing in
justices; second, revision of the tax
alton system so as to broaden the base
and remove the two most offensive
features Of the present act-to-wlt,
the capital gains and undistributed sur
plus taxes; third, a revamping of the
relief system, putting it's administra-
ton back in the hands of the States
and eliminating not only waste and
inefficiency but the subversive infu-
ence of the Communistic party;
fourth, a cessation of spending and
real drive to get back to national SOL
vency.
For all these things there is an un-
doubted majority in Congress just as
there is an undoubted majority in the
country. But the uncoalesced MAORI
ty in Congress cannot function effec-
lively so long as the White House
weight is against it and is supple
mented by the organized Hobbies Of
the CLIO, the Workers Alliance and
kindred pro-New Deal agencies. 1t IS