The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-01-23

~ lhC HlCiIlDtio
OF the other groups mentioned.
What he objects TO is the concen-
trated form OF its administration.
contemplated in the pending legis-
lation to launch the country upon
the course outlined.
The presidential request, he says.
isn't for a mere blank check. It's
4 demand that congress abdicate
vital powers" That IS. according
to the Wisconsin solon, these vital
powers" constitutionally congress
sional, are to be surrendered by
congress to an individual chief
executive.
President Roosevelt explains that
ne doesn't necessarily want the
power for himself personally but
that somebody has to have it, in
the interest of quick action.
Young Bob has a fairly stable
bloc Of followers. who. however.
didn't express the idea he enunci-
ates quite a. promptly and con-
cretely as he did. Ginning in with
aim they argue that delegation Of
the co~ntroverted powers to some
one other than F. D. r. wouldn't
make any material difference; 1t
simply would set up the other chap
as a dictator. who cares who
the dictator is?" the LaFollette
group choruses; they don't want
any dictator whatever. They want
congress to hang onto all its own
constitutional powers.
There's a good bit OF this sentl-
ment on Capitol Hill.
Congress Jealous
Congress always has been jeal-
Gus of its rights and resentful OF
anything its members regarded as
executive encroachments upon
them.
It's a feeling which has been &C.
centuated by virtual extinguish-
meht, in recent years. of legisla-
tive bodies, not only in totalitarian
lands, but in some, such as France,
which previously rated as thor
oughly democratic.
Indeed, American newspaper edi-
torials have freely remarked Of
late that Washington today has
about the only sure-enough parlia-
mentary outfit stin functioning on
earth. Even Britain's lawmaking
set-up has been referred to as
more or less hamstrung.
Comment Of this sort has great
ly impressed our own senators and
representatives-our senators par
ticulary. For some reason they're
decidedly prouder Of their chamber
than the lower house crowd is of
its branch. The representatives
can become extremely snippy when
they think the senate is disposed
to disregard their especial preroga-
tives. as in the matter Of initiating
financial legislation Generally
speaking. though, the senators are
the chaps whose ugly streak mani
tests itself at the first hint that
they're being sighted.
Consequently it's in the senate
that opposition's most conspicuous,
to the presidential help the de-
mocracies" plan
The White House and its m
gressional leaders and leading
spokesman recognized this from
the first That's why they gave
their program its send-off in the
house of representatives. hoping to
get 1t so overwhelmingly Endorsed
as to intimidate the senator's.
They didn't want to get involved
in a mean and possible prolonged
senate fight initially.
1t VIII Pass
And. as | already have had &C.
casion to remark. much the best
guess is that il also will be pretty
briskly adopted by the senate, too.
when the desired legislation arrives
there.
Nevertheless Senator LaFollette
hit on a responsive senatorial
chord, with his implication Of a
dictatorial tendency. The isola-
tionists. appeasers and would-be