Evening star., 1942-09-08
At the Crossrood

J
Mr.. Roosevelt has told the Congress
| that unless it modifieS existing farm
price legislation by the first of next
month he will override the law by
executive action. That, should it
come to pass, would be an act OF
dictatorship pure and simple. There
is no use blinking this fact, nor is
there any reason to suppose that
this single instance would mark both
the beginning and the end of the
Presidents assumption Of powers
normally exercised by the Congress.
On the contrary, if it would be
proper for Mr.. Roosevelt to take the
action which he threatens in this
case, it would be both proper and
logical for him to take similar action
in any case when, in his judgment,
an act of Congress, or the failure of
Congress to act, promised to inter-
fere with the prosecution of the war.
He has indicated that this is pre-
cisely what he intends to do and he
does not attempt to soften its i'm
plicationS.
This attitude on the Presidents
part can be justified only on the
ground of absolute wartime neces-
sity. If the war cannot be won
without abrogating the function of
Congress, then the people will &C
cept, even welcome, the assumption
of dictatorial role by the President.
But the case for necessity ought to
be clear and convincing. Our
English speaking Allies - England,
Canada and Australia - have not
found such drastic action necessary
after three years of war, What are
the real facts in our own case? Is it
actually necessary to dispense with
Congress, or to threaten such action,
in order to solve our economic prob
lens, or is the mess that we are in
the result of mishandling by both
Congress and the President? The
question can best be answered by
LOOKING az Ine record.
Mr.. Roosevelt has demanded that
Congress, by the first Of October,
enact legislation making it possible
to hold farm prices 'at parity, or at
levels of a recent date, whichever is
higher" The President adds that If
Congress should fail to act, and act
adequately, / shall accept the re-
sponsibility, and l will act" In
other words, Congress has been
directed to toe the Presidents mark
or else. And this within the short
span of three weeks.
The President seeks to justify the
imposition of this arbitrary time
limit on the ground that prices cam
not be kept in hand after october
first without further action. But if
this is the case, why has he waited
so long to call upon Congress to act?
1t has been nearly five months since
the President first called for the
stabilization of farm prices at parity,
Congress, meanwhile, has done
nothing. Why was it necessary for
the President to wait until this
eleventh hour to renew his request
for action?
Why, also, does the President still
refrain from submitting the question
of wage control to Congress? The
failure to stabilize wages has been
hardly less conspicuous than the
failure to stabilize farm prices. Last
April the President told the workers
of the country that they would have
to forgo higher wages for the dura-
ton of the war. But the fact is that
wages have been rising steadily since
then, presumably with the Presi-
dents approval, and he has not yet
said definitely how he proposes to
halt this advance. This is the Presi-
dents failure, and in this respect he
shares responsibility with Congress
for the increase in living costs.
In these circumstances, the ques-
ton before the country does not
concern the end which the PreSi-
dent seeks but the method by which
he proposes to attain it. He is en-
tirely right in his inSiStence that the
cost of living, including the prices
of farm products, must be controlled
at a reasonable level. The issue is
whether this should be done by
overriding Congress or in conjunc-
ton with Congress as free agent.
There is reason to believe that Con-
gresS will not be found wanting if
the President handles his end of the
! price control job with the same
high sense of responsibility which
he demands from the legislators.
Certainly, it is to be hoped that this
| proves to be the case, for otherwise
| the country may be forced to choose
! between retaining its traditional
/ democracy at the expense of the
military effort, and wartime form
| of government in which the power of
the President is supreme. We may
regret having reached this cross
road. but that is where we stand.
|
| kA,e;c Ior E;nhtspn Eor~oe