The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-09-10
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .


been playing his cards pretty
close to his vest since that time.
His department, however, is
known to have been whipping
the fly all over the pond, casting
for 4 formula on q food program
that would be satisfactory to
Congress. Up to Sept. l, Jones
still had announced no clear
cut program for getting increas-
ed production without having to
increase prices, and he may be
waiting for congressional guild
ance
DEW MUST ASK FAvORS
Presidential reorganization of
the Office of Economic Warfare,
combining the old Board of
Economic Warfare with the for
eisn operations of Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corporation subsi-
diaries means that the new DEW
must come to Congress with its
cap in its hands. outstretched
and asking for money.
The wal manpower situation
Is in such condition that some
form Of congressional steering
may be necessary to clear up the
moot questions of draft of faith
ers, supply Of farm labor for the
fall harvest, supply of labor to
essential war industries and pos
sibly some form of compulsory
service such as the proposed
Austin Wadsworth bill.
Having kicked the National
Resources Planning Board in the
head, il is now incumbent on
Congress 10 set up substitute
postwar planning program of
its own devising. Sen. Walter
r. Georges postwar planning
committee will get that one.
There are indications that
Congress will be given the
chance to pass on the proposal
for an international relief and
rehabilitation program in coun-
tries liberated from the Axis,
Originally. it was intimated that
this set-up would be managed
by executive agreement, by
passing Congress.
The extent to which the Unit
ed States will participate in in
ternational collaboration at the
wars end will also come up for
settlement by Congress. Ordin-
arily, this might be q matter of
foreign policy determination
left TO the State Department and
The President, but the Ball-Bur-
ton Hatch-Hill proposal which
these four senator's have been
beating the bushes for during
the recess, and . half-dozen or
more similar resolutions indicate
the formation by Congress of
some kind of United Nations
machinery to deal with political
and economic problems.
CONGRESS GETS
ITS CHANCE
Now all such situations point
up the fact that this coming ses-
sion gives Congress the biggest
opportunity it has ever had to
be of some constructive use.
The first session of the 18th
Congress was pretty largely de-
structive and negative in its per-
Torrance. II dillydallied with
every war issue and gained the
reputation among many top Of
ficiais in the administrative
agencies Of being the worst Con-
gress the country ever had. Con-
aress gave nearly every one of
the executive administrative
agencies Of the government I'M
shirted condemnation, wiped the
slate clean and then went home
to see what the folks thought
about things.
The second session of the 18th
Congress therefore provides 4
test II isn't just q test of wheth-
er the country gets = good ad-
ministration of its war activities.
There's q bigger test than that.
It's whether the representative
form of government with Off
GERS chosen by the voters can
rise in an emergency to govern
wisely and well. The question
is whether the present Congress
will meet this challenge or muff