| Show NATIONAL NA AFFAIRS Reviewed by CARTER FIELD Senator r Harrison 1 arr on divides decides s to tn risk a battle with wit the thc President over revision of taxes ta President still hopes to prevent action Sooner or later congress cou rt s trill in intake take profits out of o f war Opinion in Washington is that thai President could force his own illation but that thai lie he could not be lc re re- elected r cc I d WASHINGTON-President WASHINGTON W Roose Roosevelt velt volt is on the defensive with con conS gross Cress carrying the ball fur fir tax re re- revision revision revision vision that will encourage business Capitol lUll Hill is following Pat Harri Harrl Harrison son chairman of ot the senate finance committee who has hns long favored adjusting taxes In the hope of ot re regaining gaining prosperity and has hns decided to risk a battle with the White House If i necessary The lines are drawn The President dent Is still hoping to prevent action A hasty glance over relent recent ref references to taxation by Dear Al Al- Alben Alben ben Darkley will show the real views of the White House Darkley Barkley consults the White House before salting his soup No congressman thinks Barkley was talking out of turn when he predicted mere con can continuance continuance of the nuisance taxes plus freezing the social security taxes The clash between Harrison and Darkley excites the politically mind minded ed cd which means all of congress because Roosevelt's strength thrown to Barkley Darkley made him Democratic leader of the senate SEna te by a majority of one over Harrison John W. W Hanes Hancs undersecretary of the treasury is applauding Harri Harrison son whenever he thinks Corcoran and Cohen are arc looking the other way Henry approves Harrisons Harrison's course also but his deep loyalty loyally to Roosevelt prevents open enthusiasm The big question mark is whether Roosevelt will risk vetoing a pro pro- business tax bill which will scrap some of ot his dearest brain children especially the remnant remaining of the tax on undistributed earn earn- ings Much is involved including the possibility of a rift between the President and Harry Hany Hopkins Ru Ru- Rumors Rumors mors molS are arc rile rife that Hopkins expressed ex expressed pressed considerable disappoint disappoint- disappointment ment over the early demise of the appeasement program pro am in his recent recen t k the President Justice and e William O. O Douglas Surprise That Harrison Should Become So Militant Hopkins Is just as sore solo as the President over the defiant stand tak take taken taken en by the United States Chamber of Commerce but he does docs not want the President to kick all of big busi busl business ness mess in the face just because neither likes the resolutions adopted by the chamber The chamber Hopkins is said to have urged on the President dent is not really the voice of all business not business not more than a modicum of it as a matter ma Her of fact But Dut Hop Hopkins kins faced an angered and much much- goaded President The wingers left wingers had been working up Mr Roose Roosevelt's Roosevelt's velt's ire with considerable adroit adroitness ness mess using the chambers chamber's unfortunate unfortunate nate language as salt on his wounds and ltd taking advantage of the ab absence sence sense of Dr Hopkins' Hopkins pacifying lin lin- ament Development of the situation carne came as a surprise to most of Washing ton Everyone knew that the President President dent did not want any serious tax revision and knew why he did not want it it The President was eager to retain that penalty on undistributed undistributed corporation earnings He had been advised that there was not a chance of retaining it if it ever reached rached a vote The surprise was that Senator Harrison should become so militant Not because his Ideas about tax re reo revision revision vision to encourage business were secret but because it was thought he had little desire to make a hope hope- hopeless less luss fight against the President Also that he believed the President even even- eventually eventually would be forced to yield In do order to produce sufficiently better business conditions to make Demo Democratic cratic success possible In 1940 19 Sooner or Later Congress Will Take Talc Profit Out of War ilar It is very difficult to run counter to the contention that the profit should be taken out of war For that reason it is very likely that perhaps not at this session of con can congress congress gress but sooner or later congress will pass some such legislation as that proposed by Sen Josh Lee or orby orby orby by Sen Homer T. T Bone The country has been thoroughly sold on the idea that a group of wicked international munitions mak makers makers ers are always stirring up trouble and provoking war in order to make profits There Is just enough proof of the contention to make it H politically cally dangerous to go against it The difficulty as practical army and navy men see it it is that in order to prevent someone from mak making making ing a profit the country may to just that extent curtail its own pow power er to make war To put it another way taking the profit out of war may succeed but the effectiveness of the Country In war may be im lm paired sufficiently by b the restrictions and taxation Involved to so that the war may ma drag on oa for twice as long as It otherwise would This is on the old patriotic assumption as assumption of course that eventually e I the United States Slates would win any an I war scar in which it was engaged It I docs does not contemplate the other pos possibility that that the United States by I this impairment of ot its fighting t ef ct effectiveness I might lose the war It Would Troll Remove a iera rr Potent Patent t Cause for 1 If ar or Actually when war comes come no 11 n ti tiit it it- itter ter whether it Is brought about by people anxious to make a n profit PIllI or orby orby orby by sonic some causes which even rn the thi- thim m n 11 I makers could not nut control there will be bl an overwhelming de dl desire sire to take advantage of every ounce of effectiveness possible It II will be desired de and desired and almost com compulsory that that every man women woman I and child shall do his or her utmost I Ito to help win the war There would be scant consideration given for tor ex example example ample to any proposal to hold down 1 the number of hours men or women omen might work in works it if our army arm or navy were in a life life- death and struggle which might de tie- depend pend pond on an aa adequate supply of am ammunition As were the French for example during the Verdun fight ing The danger of the proposal is Js not what would be the temper of the people after war came but that the I prospect of taxing all the profits which might be made might discourage discourage age adequate preparation for war supplies by private Investors be before fore the war came President lOt Cali Casi lint Win Will i if lies lie's denominated A majority of Democrats in Wash Washington ington according to a canvass made by the astute political expert of the I Washington Star G. G G Gould Lincoln believe that President Roosevelt can I force his own if he chooses but a considerable number believe that he can not be elected if I nominated Those who believe that he can I force his own accord accord- accordIng Ing Jag to Mr Lincoln Include both New Dealers and conservatives But Dut as ns asto asto to whether he can be elected It if nominated the line of cleavage Is clear Those who are New Dealers believe Mr Roosevelt can break the the- third anti term tradition Those who are conservative believe almost uni uni- universally universally universally that he could not be elected In fact many of them still ac cc according cording to Mr tir Lincoln are talking about setting up a third party withold with withold withold old line Democrats as candidates and an old line Democratic plat platform form lorm in the event that Mr Roose Roose- Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt velt does docs force his own tion This writer believes that Mr Lin Lincoln's coln's coins reporting is s excellent that excellent that it gives a perfect picture picture-of of the flea a ait as 8 it it tt is lit et t present present- But Du this writer differs as to the projection of the present situation Actually It seems most unlikely unlikely unless unless there is some change not now visible on the horizon that horizon that Mr Roosevelt will willbe willbe willbe be able to force torce his own lion tion Take the one element clement of the pic pie picture tore ture that practically all of the con con- conservatives believe that Roosevelt would tail fall of election if he did win the nomination And then than th n ponder a moment on the recent activities of the Democrats on Capitol Hill Even more important ponder on the way many of the Democratic senators and representatives are talking Find Many Minty Democrats Would If ouM Prefer Another Candidate The point is that a great many Democratic senators and represent representatives would prefer some other Democrat than Roosevelt for the four tour years beginning In January 1941 In fact they would prefer a Democrat who agreed more nearly with Vice Vicc President John Nance Garner or with Sen Flood Byrd But they would much rather have Roosevelt continued in do the White House than for tor a Republican to take his place This Is positively not true of all of the Democrats on Capitol Hill but It is true of quite a sprinkling Now suppose the conviction spreads among this group that Roosevelt might win the nomina nomination tion but would not be elected if he did The inevitable result would be that every everyone one of this particular cat cat- category category category egory of Democratic leaders would be very anxious to have Mr Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt defeated for the nomination Roosevelt's chief strength at the moment so far tar as getting the nom nom- nomination nomination nomination is concerned is the belief belle of so many Democrats that if he were defeated for the nomination and a conservative Democrat named that the New Dealers would bolt thus throwing the election almost surely to the Republicans But Bitt this fear would be completely offset if the conviction should grow that the nomination of Roosevelt himself would not result in the con con- continuance continuance of the spoils of office In the hands of the Democrats ts The picture would then be that every conservative Democratic lead leader er would be fighting lighting to defeat Roose Roose- Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt velt for with the thought that if the Democrats are going to lose anyway it would be better to leave lea ve control of the organ organization organization in the hands of the conserva conserva- tives But much But much more Important n that is the serious doubt that there would be a third party move movement ment of New Dealers if i a conserva conserva- conservative conservative tive live should be named In fact there is as much bluffing all round the board as though the game ere pot pok- poker er and not politics Syndicate Service |
