Evening star., 1944-02-23

but who see the " D
big impetus Mr.. Roosevelt has given
to antiadministration elements
which are unfriendly both to the
foreign and domestic policies of the
President.
In other words, Mr.. Roosevelt Is
making precisely the same mistake
that Mr.. Wilson did in 1918. Mr..
Wilson disregarded the wishes of his
party leaders at that time and
scorned their advice He didn t
heed the protests of the people on
domestic issues but submerged him.
self in foreign policy and lost touch
with the true trends OF pubic
opinion.
Many Fought Veto.
The best friends and most loyal
supporters Mr.. Roosevelt had on
Capitol Hill advised him not to veto
the tax bill but to let it become
law even without his signature II
necessary and with a message OUT
lining his criticisms. The veto mes
sage is full of inconsistencies and
will not stand objective analysis.
1t is true that there are some pro-
visions in it which benefit the rich
and the selfish. 1t is true that
there are provisions which ought
never to have been put IN the
tax bill. But this can be said OF
almost every major piece OF leglS-
lation that reflects a compromise
and it is the solemn duty oil the
President to register his protests
to his party leaders and make an
issue of the Objectionable things
while the bill is pending IN COM
mittee or before either house or
while 1t is in conference. MIR. Roose-
yelt has seen fit to transmit ms
views on specific items on other bills
before they reached final stages and
he could have done the same with
respect to the tax bill.
The episode shows that Mr..
Roosevelt does not get along even
with his own party on Capitol Hill
and if the veto should be overrldden
it will be proof that he has lost
the confidence of many members OF
Congress. On the other hand, II 1t
is not overridden it will mean that
J a few votes more than one-thlrd
minority can block legislation and
that the majority does not rule
in Congress even on matter OF
levying taxes, which is by the Con-
stitution given to Congress as a
specific power.
Senate Bloc Deplored.
While the presidential veto was
Intended to check Congress it has
never been used to interfere with
the Judgment of Congress on tax
measures. Mr.. Roosevelt may be
a stickler for the literal right to
veto but he will encounter another
form of veto if bad feeling between
the executive and legislative is in
tensifed. It is the veto of a one
third bloc in the Senate which
may refuse to allow treaties to be
ratified. The presence of this third
bloc in the Senate has been deplored
by many observers, including the
writer, but if Mr.. Roosevelt per-
sists in using a one-third minority
of one house to block a tax bill
he will be knocking the props from
the argument that Congress should
surrender it's two-thirds rule on
treaties while the President retains
his insistence on a two-thirds rule
on such matters as tax legislation.
The country cannot readily learn
in the present crisis who Is right
and who is wrong. Under a parlia-
mentary system of government such
as exists in Canada, the executive
or the legislative can be held re-
sponsible. Under our present sys-
tenor rather the abuse of preSi-
Dental power under our system
neither the executive nor the legis-
lative can be held responsible for
the loss of $2,315, 100000 in revenues
and the muddle into which the
whole tax situation has been thrust
overnight. 1t will be said that Mr..
Roosevelt vetoed the bill so the
provision requiring labor unions to
make an accounting to the United
States Treasury would be prevented
from becoming law. 1t seems in
credible that such reason could
influence the President but there
are so few reasons which logically
support Mr.. Roosevelts snub of his
own party leaders and their work
that his opponents will constantly
point to that reason as the real mo-
tive behind the message Mr. Roose-
velt made a big mistake. Congress
could save him from the conse-
quences of his error by overriding
the veto.
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