Show brouchart Bru Brili chart charts washington digest congress takes bit in teeth to restore national confidence dence vast besoin resources ces of nation to be made available again for all people old line democrats responsible for sudden determination to assume leadership washington WAS HINGTON the dictionary defines the word confidence as menning inclining trust in or reliance upon another n belief in n person or n thing the dictionary might well have added that confidence Is something quite intangible but yet it Is a condition of national or state thought about its governmental poll cles as well as a condition of individual thought it might have added further that confidence can bo be destroyed more easily than it can be maintained or recreated when it once has been destroyed in any event tho the thing about which wo we have heard most in washington lately Is the necessity for establishing tab lishing a feeling of confidence throughout the country the necessity exists it is 18 explained freely because the depression continues tind and millions of persons who we would uld like to work are arc not working in some places where political face saving Is important the movement is called business appeasement but that is a difference between doe and durn dum it remains as an effort to recreate national confidence so that all of the vast resources of the nation can bo be made available again for all of the people all of this Is only a prelude to the declaration that congress has taken the bit in its teeth with a determination that indicates rather a unified effort to restore tho the count rys confidence it apparently is going to guide the policies and work out solutions for the various problems that are arc viewed as destructive of a feeling of assurance among the bulk of the people in other words congress seems to have assumed a leadership in national life that it has not had in recent years and Is moving sincerely to bring back prosperity president hoovers plans wrecked by stock market the course of events that has led up to the latest development a development that has both political and economic significance has been rather a wandering trall trail it had its headwaters back in 1030 1930 and 1031 when herbert hoo hoover ver then president sought to stem the tide of rushing waters of depression by inviting dozens of business leaders to washington tor for lie he was seeking to restore confidence to encourage the country to feet feel sate safe those were days it will be recalled when prosperity was just around the corner mr hoover wanted to bring it out where it could be of some use well mr air hoover r tailed because the stock market crash had so destroyed do the confidence of the country countr y in him and in his policies of government that there was no possibility of recreating it the folks simply would not believe in him nor in any of his works at that time along came the elections of 1032 1932 and mr roosevelt took over the job in 1033 those days need no not t be reviewed except to point out that no man ever had the complete confidence of a people os cis the new president pr esl held geld it dongress congress did as it was told thereafter oi of course there were ups and downs but the scene was dominated by the personality of mr roosevelt a condition that continued through about six years that brings us to the mistakes in politics which mr roosevelt made in 1038 1938 reorganization of tho the government ern ment proposed expanding of the supreme court by appointment of six justices of his own choosing charges that business leaders were attempting to submarine the new deal policies and destroy the roosevelt administration this was the beginning in quick succession i there came important gains gain s tor for the republicans in the 1038 1938 elections fear among many old line democrats that their seats in congress were being jeopardized by mistakes of various new deal agencies and laws and in general a doubt that their party should be allowed to remain under new deal leadership leader ap old line democrats decide to assume leadership and I 1 believe it Is the latter condition of belief among the old line democrats i ts that is chiefly responsible tor for the sudden blossoming bloss oming of congressional determination to take leadership some observers hold the conviction that many members of the house and senate feel they should protect their own hides and that to accomplish this they must assume a national leadership instead of leaving the policies to be theorized and blue blueprinted printed by such as jerome frank thurmond arnold tommy corcoran secretary ickes and others of that type that is only saying numerous house and senate members believe the country has lost confidence in that sort of leadership only recently it may be recalled mr roosevelt voiced an assurance that business auld have no new to burden it lie he spoke confident i bout the future others reflecting ting the presidents position in eluding secretary hopkins and secretary ickes spoke pieces of nn an ns as suring nature this Is the same mr hopkins who used to be head of the relief relict spending what happened the stock market that ruined mr hoovers administration showed its confidence in the now new statements of 1039 1939 with only a I 1 ittle less feeling than it did in tho the years when prosperity was just around the corner the market dipped down only a few days but if the stock market can be regarded as an answer for any question tho the stock market must have said 0 anyway there arose immediately the new and very potent movement in congress for a program of business busino appeasement 0 ono no of tho the first things to happen ien was a declaration by senator harrlson harrison mississippi democrat and one of the really powerful men in the senate tor for a cessation of spending 0 or r specifically senator harrison demanded a our curtailment tail ment of spending a start toward a balancing of tile the national budget budge in the belief ballet that the whole country Is fearful of the gigantic national debt shows days of rubber stamp congress are gone the foreign policies of the adain admin were dragged out onto tho the floor of the senate for examination under a magnifying gloss glass of course the senate dewite did not force any real change in the international relations which mr roosevelt has established from long observation lit in washington I 1 doubt that the senates criticism of these policies was any too sound but it had to engage in debate on the subject to let the country know it was watching everything that was being done it obviously haythe effect of demon demonstrate strat ing ine to the country that the days of the rubber stamp congress ore are gone and it constitutes another bit of evidence of the new nev washington lead leadership or the real demonstration of congressional vitality however came the other day when senator harrison as chairman of the senate finance committee and representative doughton of north carolina as chairman of the house committee on ways and means joined in a letter leiter to secretary requesting a treasury statement on a tax program the two congressional leaders urged a new and sound tax program and an administration reassurance against further heckling of business to the end that business would try to go ahead what they were asking therefore were some signs which could give business great or small a feeling of conn dence that the government at washington would quit pulling hair it was a natural request of the treasury the treasury always has provided the fundamentals of every tax program capitol hill had read mr Roosevel ts pronouncement concerning no new taxes as meaning there would be no changes in the tax structure however and there were a good many legislators who felt revision of some and abolition of other taxes were advisable I 1 c congress wilt will go slow on increasing national debt there are arc numerous signs that congress is not going to be in any hurry at all to pass a low law that will allow an increase in the total national debt present law provides that the treasury may issue notes and bonds up to the rho current total is not so tar far below that figure and secretary has asked congress to boost the limit to congress apparently r Is not so sure that there should be an increase in the debt limit it is a type of confidence rather a lack of confidence that Is plainly visible I 1 believe the debt total will have to be increased because there is no provision made for enough taxes to onset offset the v vast ast spending program for relief and national defense upon which mr roosevelt has launched there is no place pines to get that money therefore except by borrowing so about the only good that can come from congressional barking on this score is to awaken the country as to the dangers of its great national debt from all of these things one is pretty likel likely ly to gt get the s one can hardly help wondering where we are headed but it seems to me that there probably Is need tor for a confidence that thus tar for has not bein been mentioned in this discussion this is a confidence in fundamental ment al americanism the voters of the th country can compel sound government on the part of those who make the policies arid and on the surface it appears now that the voters are t telling elling congress whit what to do 0 western newspaper New paper union |