Evening star., 1940-12-10

bulk of whose members have-quite
mproperly-gone home. Legislative
business, if undertaken at all, is
managed by an obsolute minority
"rump" Congress.
On the recent occasions when the
Walter-Logan bill was passed by the
Senate and the House, respectively,
only bare quorum was present.
This means that this controversial
measure is at the mercy of those
who can drum into town enough
legislators for the surprise vote. For
example. only SO out of the 96 Sen
ators were present when the bill
passed the upper chamber. only a
dozen more than a majority of the
House turned up when the bill came
before the lower chamber.
See WellHeeled Lobby.
The moneyed minority which sup
ports this so-called lawyers de-
light" is in a position, through their
Well-heeled lobbies, to round up the
conservative bloc for the vote on
the veto. The administration holds
no such rubber stamps and check
book mortgage on the attendance Of
the New Deal majority.
There are enough loyal votes in
both houses to uphold a presidential
veto Of this reactionary measure.
but it is doubtful that they can be
brought to Washington for the
showdown.
This is because there has been a
complete breakdown of transmits
sion between the White House and
the New Deal leadership in Congress
and an utter disappearance of the
semblance of effective liaison be-
tween the executive and legislative
branches Of the Government.
For this situation. two factors are
responsible. First and foremost is
the sabotage of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee at the hands Of
Big Jim Farley and his friends.
This situation has been discussed
before in these columns. Suffice it
to say that the famous James A.
Farley Chowder and Marching
Club is still doing business at the
same old stand and is practically
ignoring its traditional job of serv-
ing as link between the adminis-
tration and the party.
Unfortunate for President.
Second in importance is the effort
of the White House secretariat to
protect President Roosevelt from
strains and political demands on
his time. Mr.. Roosevelt was tired
after his campaigning, combined
with his official duties, and needed
the rest which he is now getting
in the Caribbean. Steve Early,
Harry Hopkins and Pa" Watson
stand like wall between the Presi-
dent and the large assemblage Of
political headaches on Capitol Hill.
In this they are unquesttonably do
ing their duty, yet the results are
unfortunate for the Presidents pol
icies in Congress.
Speaker Rayburn of Texas. after
trying to get hint of White House
strategy on the Walter-Logan bill,
packed up and returned to the Lone
Star State for Christmas. Alben
Barkley, administration leader in
the Senate, likewise pulled out of
Washington for couple of weeks
arranging to be absent at the time
the expected veto message would be
delivered to the Capitol. Thus a
situation has arisen in which the
Presidents Leutenants will not be
on deck when the time comes to
combat the conservative efforts to
pass the Walter-Logan bill over
Mr.. Roosevelt'S veto.
Under the constitution two-thirds
OF majority Of all the members of
each chamber must be cast for a
Dill If the veto is to be overcome.
The administration forces are ap-
parently gambling that it will be
impossible to get a quorum of the
House and Senate during the
Christmas holidays and that the
bill will die of legislative anemia,
Ihis seems to the New Dealers to
be very dangerous calculation. in
light of the surprise uuorums"
which the conservatives smuegled
into Washington for the recent
votes on this organized threat to
orderly administration and consti-
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