Show SEN SENn SENA n A and tl tl e e NATIONAL NATION CAPITAL Carter CarterField Field Washington A A real battle between between between be be- tween President Roosevelt and the New Dealers on the one one hand band and the conservative Democrats plus the regular Republicans on the other other oth oth- I er er seems certain despite the flood of exaggerated reports about the Presidents President's conceding the error of his ways and turning kindly toward business He lie hasn't changed any IUs Ills talks talk I with Wendell L. L Winkle president of the Commonwealth and Southern Power company and with Floyd L. L Carlisle chairman of the Niagara and Hudson Power company company company com com- pany details of which are now known prove this giving quite a different different dif ferent picture from that obtained merely from the news newl that he be had called them in and from their own statements just after their White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House visits Actually the President conceded nothing On the contrary he be gained a great deal for th the New Deal ob From Wilkie he obtained concessions concession as to the rate making base which are going to cause the utilities a great deal of trouble More important Its publicity effect is to put Roosevelt in the right and the utilities in the wrong as to the battle so far tar From Carlisle he obtained a promise promise again again accompanied by a alot alot alot lot of publicity publicity to to spend a great deal of money Which reinforced Roosevelt's contention that the utilities utilities ties have been holding back their spending and thus helping importantly importantly to bring about the present recession recession recession re re- cession in order to have an effect on legislation specifically legislation specifically to force modification of the holding company death sentence Roosevelt met every point made by either executive with an argument argument ment or silence He lIe disputed every ev eVe ery cry figure cited and denied or merely smiled at every contention On taxation the President is still fighting tooth and nail to restrict modification exclusively to the small corporations Even the house committee committee com com- ways and means has gone further than the President wanted wanted- further than he had the Treasury officials of urge Sets Seta Battle Stage In the senate of course there is even more sentiment to modify taxes with an eye single to improvIng improving improving ing business encouraging business encouraging investment investment invest invest- ment and hence employment Senators Sena tors and many house members are not concerned whether such modification modification cation happens to play hob with planned economy war against bigness bigness big big- ness or any of the other New Deal objectives This temper on the part of the White House and congress sets the stage for a battle batUe which has been becoming more certain since the early arrivals of congressmen for forthe forthe forthe the extra session But Dut every passIng passIng pass pass- Ing tag day has actually drawn the line of conflict more sharply One piece of this White House propaganda has been correct The President is concerned about the re reo cession But Dut he believes it due to the attitude of the economic royal royal- There are three chief reasons for forthe forthe forthe the recession in the mind of the President They are I 1 Too high prices containing too large profits in many commodities ties with steel No 1 on the list and concrete a close second Lower prices the President believes would have made greater sales hence more employment in the industries mentioned and other similar offenders offenders offenders of of- fenders and in the industries that buy from them 2 off Hold in expansion and replacement replacement re reo re- re placement by the utilities amounting amount ing ng according to figures given him by S. S E. E C. C to a billion dollars a year for the last three years Incidentally Incidentally Inci Inci- dentally Willkie put this figure somewhat lower in his talk with the President and was argued Into silence because he wanted to keep the President In a good humor Tills This utility thing the President regards regards re reo re- re gards as even more damnable than steel and concrete prices The last are due he thinks to greed selfish and unenlightened But Dut the utility holdback hold is just a conspiracy to stymie Roosevelt on his objectives 3 Failure of railroads to make necessary Improvements This Is the only one of the three which the President regards regard as having no ulterior motive lie He would like to help the railroads but does not know how bow Nor apparently does any anyone one else One grain of salt must be Injected Inject ed into all aU this discussion The President President Pres Pres- ident just may decide the battle is unnecessary He lie may decide that there is II too much risk Involved and that it would be better to bend before before be be- fore the storm dorm to avoid conse conse- Would Revive N R. R A. A A proposal to revive revl all the BOO odd codes code as a substitute for the wages waites and hours regulation regulation regu regu- lation laUon bill now pending before congress congress con con- gress has bas been made to President Roosevelt b by to s group of southern senators Only In this tills way the southern senators told the President President dent could the legislation be saved They Thel predicted that otherwise this to the so much bill which means progressives and Is so Integral a apart apart apart part of the administration program would be sidetracked again as it was last session Not in the same manner necessarily but perhaps by some other device This proposal was made to the President after the blast of William Green president of the American Federation of Labor against the pending bill This attack by Green for was regarded as devastating several reasons One is that the A. A F F. F of L. L has a great many friends friendson on Capitol Hill 1111 not only senators and representatives who believe Inthe in inthe inthe the old organization as against the C. C I. I O. O on principle or economic theor theory but personal friends of long longstanding longstanding longstanding standing with A A. F F. of L. L leaders More Important is the difficulty of meeting Greens Green's objections Elimination Elimination Elim of any type of governmental board to supervise enforcement of the law would seem simple It would seem as though the law could be enacted just as any other federal fed fed- eral statute leaving prosecution for violations upon the federal governments governments government's governments government's govern govern- ments ment's legal department local department local federal fed eral district attorneys etc Theres There's a Problem That would be simple were it not for the differential question It Is next to impossible to get any law passed fixing minimum wages and maximum hours without providing some arrangement whereby the South will continue to have the present present pres pres- ent differential under which it may continue to pay slightly less wages and work Its labor slightly longer hours than the competing industries in the North and West But how to fix such an arrangement arrangement arrange arrange- ment without a board which would have discretionary authority is a problem Complicating the situation is the remainder of the program Already Al AI ready the senate has shown what It Itcan Itcan itcan can do In to the way of time Discussion of the lynching anti bill dragged on and on until the farm bill was reported Every Everyone one knows that the report on the farm bill would not have been made yet by bythe bythe bythe the senate agricultural committee were it not for tor pressure on Chairman E. E D. D Smith to rush this measure out so as to head off the lynch anti ing lag bill Otherwise Senator Smith was informed he would be blamed for not doing his part in to battling the lynching anti bill But whether any time was really saved by this pressure on the senate agricultural committee is something else again As Senator Smith said under the pressure he would bring I the bill out if U it were a blank piece of paper and leave the working details details de de- de- de tails taUs to the floor of the senate Means Mean a Struggle The administration will be forced to fight with all its strength to preserve preserve pre pre- serve as much as possible of the social and economic reform objectives tives of the New Deal while the offensive offensive of of- caring nothing about the New Deal ideals or Brain Drain Trust theories will wilt be considering only how to ease the strain on business sufficiently to produce prosperity and employment Roosevelt and his senate and house leaders will face a new I lem tem For five years the White WhiteHouse Whitehouse I House has fought an offensive war reaching its high tide and its first serious reverse on the Supreme court enlargement bill Now however however however how how- ever with the business recession plus the demonstration in to the court battle that the President could be beaten plus the fact that the politicians politicians clans on Capitol lull Hill are now convinced convinced con con- vinced that the folks out in to the country country country coun coun- try strong as they may be for the President are not excited by specific ic to votes against his recommendation tion the picture is different Determined Deter mined to aid business congress is ison ison ison on the offensive and the Presidents President's forces are driven to a new type of strategy strategy-a a type which the history his tory of the relations of Presidents with congress shows is frequently unsuccessful Unexpected fireworks may the situation as the President tries to change the battleground A master master mas mas- ter political strategist he realizes keenly the difficulties of a defensive battle So he may be depended upon up on to Inject new proposals make new appeals to the country over the head bead of an obviously recalcitrant recalcitrant trant congress In short he may be expected to make every effort to resume the offensive and attempt to whip congress back Into obedi obedi- ence Chief Problem But the Presidents President's chief problem is that he Is facing opposition on so 10 many fronts He lie is fighting his farm control hattie battle now The wages and hours battle has taken on a amore amore amore more serious tinge In to the last few weeks especially since William Green denounced the national la bor relations board and after a group of southern senators warned him that the bill would be sidetracked side side- tracked again unless he consented to reviving all aU the odd co codes el elas as a substitute te Then will come the tax bill on which the President and congress are absolutely at loggerheads and seem destined to stay there The difficulty of a compromise lies in to the fact tact that the fundamentals of the two positions clash One alms purely at business recovery reco The other alms purely at social and eco- eco economic reform through the tax route p C sell Bell Service |