Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-04-12

>AHe' u. ROSS. the way to be-
coming a dictator. They said the
constitutional system Of checks and
balances was being broken down, if,
indeed, it had not already collapsed.
II there was ever any ground for
these fears. it has certainly been cut
away by the events Of the last two
years.
History repeats itself Notwith.
standing the great changes that have
come about in our social and eco
nomic thinking, the country con-
tinues to run fairly true to political
form. So we find President in the
last two years Of his regime en-
counterlng the customary troubles Of
all Presidents when they are on
their way out.
Pendulum Eventually swings.
However hard this may be on tho
President. however it may tend on
occasion to produce a stalemate
hurtful to the country's progress.
there is certain reinsurance in the
fact. Executive domination, 1t an.
pears, can last just so long in this
country, and no longer. No matter
now benevolent the intentions OF the
Executive, no matter how thoroughly
the country may approve his objec-
tlves, the pendulum is bound to
SWING. Resentments accumulate,
they become reflected in Congress.
and ultimately the legislative branch
reasserts itself.
This is what has happened under
Mr.. Roosevelt. After his great VIC
tory in 1896, 1t looked for a while as
II history was to be reversed and the
president was to advance to greater
and greater heights of power. 1t
seemed there was almost no limit to
the triumphs he might achieve. And
That prognosis might have proved
correct If the President had not
overplayed his hand by bringing in
his bill to enlarge the Supreme
Court. That was the Presidents
great political blunder. From It
stem the greater part of his dificul.
ties with Congress.
Cut Length Of Power.
One must doubt whether. if he had
avoided the blunder, he would ever
have attained-or would ever have
wanted to attain-the full limit Of
the power that seemed to be within
his grasp. Somewhere a halt would
have been called; at some point the
old system Of checks and balances
would have come back into play.
But certainly, if it had not been for
the court fight, he would have pro-
longed the power that he had and
would have got from Congress much
more than he has been able to get.
In any case, the record OF achieve
ment Of the last two years, in COM
parlson with what went before, is
scant indeed, and today there is
not only strengthened minority
party In Congress, but Large sec.
ton Of the Democratic party in
frequent revolt. 1t used to be q
sort OF lese majesty for democratic
Senator or Representative to oppose
the President, and when any did
50 he was likely to cloak his oppo-
sition with praise Of the President
for what he was doing in other
directions. Even the Republican,
most OF them-attacked warily. All
that has been changed. The knives
Of the Presidents enemies flash
openly. He must battle for all that
he gets. His leaders in the House
and the Senate must trade and
compromise.
Nominal Stage Reached.
As the fight over the relief bill
shows, as the growing disposition Of
the Senate to deal harshly with
presidential nominations has al
ready shown Ito say nothing of the
negative evidence furnished by the
Presidents announced intention to
press no new reforms at this ses-
SION, the era Of Mr.. Roosevelt's
domination Of Congress is ended.
We are in the normal stage Of
relations between Congress and the
Executive in the last years Of an
administration.
Congress is doing to Mr.. Roose-
welt what Congress after 1880 did
to Mr.. Hoover. Mr.. Roosevelt ap-
plauded it then, as no doubt Mr..
Hoover applauds it now.
Thus haltingly, clumsily, but DEM
ocratically. the country joys on,
and the talk about an imminent
Fascism in America, or a dictator
chin hneoYene r;dto,,1@,,.