Show Bruc Bru karts charts washington digest genuine strain being placed upon udon administration control of senate presidents appointments to public office upsetting to some followers roper virtually forced out as see sec detary of commerce to make room for hopkins by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press washington D C W washington A Pros president ident roose v followers in the senate of the unit united ed states are finding it increasingly difficult these days to stay oil off of a hot seat indeed if I 1 read the signs sign s rightly they are getting rathor rather restive and there is a genuine strain being placed upon the administration control to in that body of con congress gress whereas it appeared a month ago that the anti tion sena senators tors would break out of 0 control only on major issues it now seems that there Is a real threat of danger to the president on minor as well as major questions the new developments have come and are continuing to come from what some believe to be an unwise course on the presidents part in the matter ot of nominations to public office appointments that must have approval of the senate whether the president is to blame personally perso nolly nUy for placing these distasteful names in the mouths of 0 senators or whether as heretofore the condition results from the activities of the inner circle the effect is the same it is a very real problem for the administration advisors to ponder and it is entirely possible that mr roosevelt will get a slap in the face by senate rejection of some of the nominees nominee tor for judgeships judge ships and other public offices ces it is just possible that tha t some senators will g gag a g at s swallowing wa I 1 several of the names tt lf that happens what will be left mr Roosevel ts mastery of the senate thereafter will be meaningless observers here in washington heard many private remarks of a very uncomplimentary character last fall when mr roosevelt named gov james V allred of texas to a federal judgeship it was so plainly political that some individuals who are very close to mr roosevelt were disgusted they did not speak out then but they are bolder now shortly thereafter mr roosevelt roosevel t named floyd roberts to a federal judgeship in virginia now apparently mr roberts is about as well equipped to be a judge as I 1 would be if we are to believe the public bubli c statements of senators C carter arter glass and harry byrd both democrats and both acquainted wl with h the life and record of judge roberts R erts roper virtually forced out As secretary of commerce subsequently daniel C roper was virtually forced out as secretary of commerce in in order to make room for removal of pr professional reliever harry hopkins to a cabinet job hopkins thereby was taken out of the line of red hot fire about his spending policies homer S cummings quit as attorney general and prank frank murphy lame duck governor was given the post former sen james P pope who was licked in the idaho democratic primaries was named to the directorate ot of the tennessee valley authority from which dr arthur morgan was so unceremoniously dis mis s ed rumor has it that former sen fred H brown lame duck new hampshire democrat is to be given the juicy job of comptroller general of the united states as soon as it is evident that congress will not vote abolition of the general accounting office rep T alan goldsborough of maryland lately has been named a federal judge for the district of columbia it will be recard that it was mr goldsborough who esho invited president roosevelt into maryland last summer in the attempt to purge sen millard miliard tydings from the democratic ranks in fact it was at denton md mr Golds boroughs home town that the president made his most vicious attack on tydings and delivered his eulogy ot of praise tor for david J lewis in in the senatorial primaries there have been other appointments mixed in here and there some important some just run of the mine jobs and they have not met unanimity even the selection of professor felix frankfurter as a justice of the supreme court of the united states did not arouse enthusiasm thusia sm among the senators who voted approval of the nomination 1 I personally heard several senators remark that the frankfurter appointment was so much be better than that of hugo black a year ago that it was refreshing to vote tor him yet they added a qualification fl justice frankfurter has brains a fine mind but he is looked upon tipon as the father of so much of the new deal that his presence on the highest court appeared none to too 0 pleasing nomination of amlie of wisconsin creates fuss but all ot of these appointments appointment ta seem to have been only a build up to a climax they were to be followed by an appointment that caught the senators in the ribs libs it ws was the nomination oft ormer rep thomas F amile wisconsin progressive gres sive and also a lame duck to be p a member ot of the interstate commerce commission that nomination went to the senate without even the great progressive senator lafollette knowing about it and there are those in the senate who believe that senator lafollette olIette would have advised against it had he been consulted there Is avery a very real possibility billt y although not conclusive that the senate will reject the amlie appod appointment n t the pressure against him 1 is quite unusual even the legislature of his home state adopted a resolution demoralizing the senate in opposition to confirmation whatever virtues mr amlie may h have a v e his qualifications to be a member be r of the interstate commerce commission cannot be numbered in that list he knows nothing about transportation por tation he is not an economist and it if his record as a member of 0 the house of representatives here is a proper criterion he is as lacking in judicial characteristics characteristic s well he simply does not have the them m his wc work rk in the house was distan distinguished gu ls hed by the fact that he headed a conglomerate group which was attempting to ordinate coordinate co liberal thought in the nation but apparently a the folks in wisconsin rather doubted his value for they refused to select him as the progressive senatorial candidate who incidentally was doomed for a licking anyway in the november election appointments upsetting to followers of president one never can tell what trades may be made within the great club known as the senate but surely mr amlie will be discussed fully before he is confirmed and as I 1 said above lie he may not be approved at all the appointment may be the straw that breaks the camels back when mr roosevelt began making appointments three or four months ago that were upsetting to some of his followers they had to decide between their loyalty to him and their convictions the bulk of them stood by him he was the head of 0 the democratic party par party ty unity t y was and is essential and they justified the votes in confirmation a in in various ways the hopkins and murphy appointments were confirmed because it always has been the philosophy of senators that cabinet jobs are intimate associations with ith the president ile he is entitled therefore to have whom he desir desires es to sit with him at the cabinet session and to advise him when he seeks advice I 1 think there was an inclination to accept mr murphy too because it was known he wanted to crush the sit down strikes at their inception and was confronted with white house refusal of support there were fewer votes against him for that reason than against secretary hopkins on the other hand senator th the e michigan republican said he voted against the nomination because the issues were the same as ilmi in Michl chi gans election last fall when mr murphy was repudiated when it gets to cases like the allred appointment for texas judge adge and the roberts appointment in virginia there simply is no explanation available unless as I 1 said the inner circle is leading mr roosevelt into a morass senators glass and byrd are going to fight the roberts nomination senators sheppard and connally were not consulted about the judgeship in their state As far as it has leaked out nobody was asked whether the amlie appointment would arouse enthusiasm or hatred congress shows disposition to assert independence the proposition thus settles down to only one possible answer since the last election removed the rubber stamp from the hands of the new dealers and the congress has shown a disposition to assert its independence of the inner circle t they are resorting to a new strategy they can not always control congress but they have access to the appointive power vested in the hands of the president they have this because they have the presidents car and thoy they take pains to see that none of the practical politicians t itic tic ians like vice president garner or sen pat harrison Har or speaker bankhead Gank head wield any influence the strategy may work it may put into numerous governmental posts and judicial positions men who will continue to execute new deal plans that of course is a brilliant move II if it works there Is however more to think about than that th trend toward the middle odthe of the road emphasized in last falls voting can be given greater momentum by we the tactics of forcing u upon pon the country policies against which the ih electorate expressed them themselves selve 3 in that event the democratic party will be the victim ON estein newspaper New union |