Show 0 national topics interpreted by william bruckart Bruc katt washington time after of ter time since resident president roosevelt entered the white house many observe again at ers era have insisted crossroads that he llad had reached a crossroads and that hat on those occasions he ily ly had to choose between the right and the left they contended with considerable sid erable justification that lie he either had to be conservative or radical but somehow the president arron arranged ged to follow both roads at once at least that conclusion has been reached by those nho ho classify themselves as liberals now observers are saying again that the president tins has reached the crossroads and must choose between the right and the left with the convening of congress there tins has come for ward the usual number perhaps I 1 should say more than the usual number of proposals tor for radical or conservative serva tive legislation as the case may be there are dozens almost hundreds of bills advocating nostrums no strums and crackpot ideas which cannot possibly do more than take up time and keep the government printing office busy at the expense of 0 tile the taxpayers in printing the bills themselves theras clies ies there are in nil all of this mess as well many pieces of worthwhile legislation as well vell as the proposals hearing bearing earmarks of drafting under white house guidance an in addition there are close to six els dozen presidential appointments upon which the senate must act some of these names are ot of individuals of known radical tendencies some others are recognized as equally conservative it will be the senates job to pass upon these nominations which some observers insist represent perhaps the widest variation in economic views that has ever been sent to the capitol for confirmation fir of appointment As a corollary tor for this confused state there are the growing differences of opinion based on presidential policy proposals as to whether the government should attempt to provide relief through work as mr air roosevelt desires or should turn to a plain unadulterated dole there Is the demand from the white house for legislation putting the federal government further into competition with business by expansion of publicly owned power facilities and the question of liquidating or continuing to expand such programs as that of loans to home owners and extension of summed up it would appear bially at least that mr air roosevelt Is definitely at the crossroads I 1 am told by legislative leaders IIO however Never that the administration program thus far advanced again does not commit mr roosevelt definitely to follow either the radical or conservative pathways they point out that there Is an unusual admixture of two schools of economic thought represented in legislation bearing presidential approval and their thought seemed to be that mr air roosevelt will avoid being forced into either cither camp at this time 0 0 0 it has been most interesting to observe the fluctuation of temperature among the various more action new dealers prior than rhan results to the last election they were very low in spirit many abany of them were saying in private at least that mr Roose roosebelt Roo cit was getting out of hand as far as they were concerned and was turning certainly toward the consa conservative tive school of thought at the same mine time among conserva conservative tive members of the administration and in congress and to to a considerable sid erable extent among business leaders there was a growing feeling that they had witnessed tile the phenomena of having their own ears pinned back just when they thought they on the upgrade fillou following ing this achl change inge of trends along comes the mass of white house legislation some of which pleases ses the new dealers and some of which pleases the conservatives each finds fault with that portion of tile the program that 1 Is 19 9 reasonably satisfactory to the other this contrariety of opinion extends into the ranks of members of tile the house and senate consequently tile the question to which the observers are now seeking an answer Is whether r majority leader robinson in tile the senate aud and the democratic wheel 11 horses in a tile the house are going to be able to keep their tremendous men clous numbers in line thus far there has been no word from the ma bority leaders leader either cither in the house or the senate indicating any ally doubt on their part that tile the administration vv whip I 1 lip will fall to drie recalcitrant members into the proper alleys unbiased observers are taking tile the position however that time alone will tell and it may be added with willi some emphasis that it if the wild horses break loose from tile the hitching post once th the e current session of congress may 1 provide much more acal action on than results 0 0 present plans of tile the republican lea leadership d it if there are enough republicans soldiers loft it to make their presence felt andl lobby strong tte otte o that tile the demo erotic commanders need not expect t italy any liell help from that quarter in pulling hot chestnuts out of the fire P or r example ample I 1 I 1 understand estand rs tand that h the he soldiers bo bonus nus question will ill be used by th the e republicans as a sort sor of prod with which to disturb it the I 1 C ma bority party it seems definite I 1 that hat the house aud and will nill pass le legislation isolation for immediate payment ot of the bonus it may not be a program for full payment of the sum that Is not due until 1915 1015 but the pressure is so strong that some action will be b e forthcoming if mr air roosevelt sticks to his guns and vetoes any b bonus onus legislation excepting that proposing to care for the destitute ex cs soldiers sailors and marines there Is enough strength in congress to pass the legislation over his bis veto the soldiers lobby Is strong or of that tha there can be no doubt the members bers will be thinking of their political future not mr air Roosevel ts when the question Is put before them then la Is ahen tt hen the republican minority could be of distinct help to the administration but apparently that Is just the thing the republican minority is not going to do the administration is now examining various avenues of a possible compromise on the bonus payments and it Is through this course that a hope exists on the part of administration leaders to avoid tile showdown mentioned above knowing that it cannot count on the republican minority for any help to carry through its plans the administration may make some concessions concesa con cess 0 n 9 I 1 to 0 th the e bo bonus a u 9 a advocates avoca tes these most certainly will be made unless a 1 count of noses by the leadership lealer ship shotts a little later that the supporters of a full bonus payment can be shipped hipped and right now that Is generally considered by observers as being impossible here again the views of radicals and conservatives clash there will be some radicals supporting the bonus payment in order to force the president into a position where ho he must inflate the currency further that group thinks inflation of the currency will boost prices and provide the necessary hypodermic injection to get us out of the depression opposed to these are a considerable number of house and senate members who fear inflation and its results like they tear fear the poison fangs of a rattlesnake so when the bonus question is joined a as s an issue it seems to me we will vill see an interesting exposition of how bow politics makes strange bedfellows bed fellows president roosevelt is about to open up the federal treasury for loans to cities to provide federal funds for construe loans to cities tion of municipal a light and power plants lie ile has announced definitely that he favors this procedure and therefore in effect has invited cities to join the march on washington for more federal loans the newest development in the administration program of loaning money here and there seems to have resulted in repercussions of a more important nature than object objections lons voiced to other types of federal loans here in washington considerable discussion has developed as to the wisdom of this policy and this has been followed by speculation as to the ultimate end of a program of this kind opinion throughout the country apparently has not been definitely crystallized yet set but from all indications it appears we are due to hear much debate on the newest new deal idea objectors to the program of providing loans to cities for construction of municipal light and power plants insist that mr Roo roosebelt has tak taken the longest step toward state socialism thus far to be made a part ot of ills new deal they contend that mr roosevelt has gone beyond his recovery program and has embarked upon a plan representing part and parcel of his scheme for public ownership of all industries dus tries impressed with a public interest through service of a mono monopolistic polls character opponents also argue that the president Is placing privately owned industries under tinder a severe handicap by forcing them to compete with what nhat abou should I 1 al be private industry but what actually Is their own government govern nent in some quarters also I 1 hear bear expressions of a fear that if any substantial number of cities borrow federal money to build their own light and power plants the federal govern government me nt will have expanded to that extent its domination over those cities through loans to banks to agriculture and to many other lines federal influence dally Is being exerted upon tile the private lire life of tile the country until some ob observers s e avers declare states state counties at and 1 I munica are gradually stoking sinking into ob irvion insofar as their own self gov Is concerned on the other hand such advocates of public ownership as senator nor ris of nebraska are elated over mr Roosevel ts decision to proceed along public owned ownership ship lines senator SL norris believes mr air roosevelt has as authority now low under public C works and act provisions recovery to promote publicly owned light and an power plants place lie pleases the nebraska about an any y ator it will be sen spearhead remembered was tile tl e of tile the movement that re suited in creation of the tennessee valley authority and tile the program for or development ot of electrical energy ener axy from froin tile he muscle shoals dams in t tile tn ten bessee river elgh already p corately tely owned od and nil power sections companies 1 in i nn contiguous to to the tenneseea Tennes Rea river to att sell plant their have bee n virtually S for properties to tle the TVA tva 0 western News newspaper union colon |