Evening Star Newspaper, March 7, 1933, Page 6

ROBINSON PREDICTS 'WARTINE POWERS| Sees ‘Dictatorship of Com- mon Sense and Courage’ in Crisis. There is small dcubt that Congress | will give to President Roosevelt the | “war-time powers.” if necessary, to wage | war against the forces of fear and de- in mecting_the present ¢ sph T. Robinson of Ar | ic leader of the Senate. | night in the National | . utranged by The Star and broadcast o.er a coasi-10-oast net- work of the National Broadcasting Co. Hailing the new President’s inaugural speech as the answer to the prayer of the American citizen for leadership, Senator Robinson declared: “Now if we on Capitol Hill fail to put into effect the requisite measures to overcome the unparalleled unemploy- ment, to bring back our financial sys- tem to order and efficiency, to bring the Government revenue necessary to bolance the budget, and to so reduce 1 _ costs of Government that they can be met by the taxe: people can pav, I feel gress will meet ihe P and give him war-time lieve this because it to ask the President to co t must be done and at the same time deny him authority for doing them. | Has No Idea of Dictatorship. | “I, for one, have no idea of this re- ‘ sulting in dictatorship, other than the dictatorship of hard, common_sense, | courage and concern for the whole peo- ple. Yet, I suppose, we frequently hear | the term applied in its despotic sense by partisans without a plan of their own, and who are perhaps fearful that the interests with which they are par- | ticularly concerned may have to share in the sacrifice that will have to be made in the interest of all. I am think- Ing. particularly, of those who had reason to shiver when the President said Saturday: ““Finally, in eur progress toward a re- sumption of work, we require two safe- guards against & return of the old order; there must be strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; | there must be an end to speculati with other people’s money and there must be provision for an adequate but | sound curerncy.’” Robinson Counsels Patience. l The text of Senator Robinson's ad- | dress follows: | Our country has been looking to| Washington for a leadership that would | conduct it out of the plight in which | it finds itself. That is why the inau- | guration of a new Presicent last Sat- | urday was such a bright and hopeful happening. Nobody expected, of course, that the coming of Mr. Roosevelt to the White House would result in an over- | night translation of the panic into a | boom. A depression that has been | yeers in developing is not to be ended | forthwith by the mere substitution of one set of officials for another. It is| going to take careful legislation, and administration to start this country on | the upgrade after so long a coast from hectic prosperity to the situation that compelled a suspension of business by | almost every bank in the country. Many, | many factors have contributed to the | depression: these must be taken one by | one in detail, which is no short process The difference between today and last Friday is the change in public psychol- | ogy. Hopefulness has succeeded de- | spair. The country sees that positive action is to succeed inaction; that there | will be no more drifting with the down | current which gained momentum until | all sense of relative values had disap- peared and people were scrambling to buttress against the next shock. That is why the hoarding of money reached | such proportions as to make it impos- | sible for the banks to stand the strain of withdrawals. Now we may look for a steady, if not rapid, return of confi- | dence. The confidence that we have at the head of the Government a man who knows that no paper dam can | check tho River of Doubt, and proposes | to do whatever is necessary to accom- ish the imperative necessity, will| gegel the confidence that means the | return of funds from hiding; the re- sumption of investments and industrial | activity, the realization that there is | a better use of money than to keep it | hidden under the mattress or in a safe | deposit vault. So, gradually, the ghosts | will be laid, and people will be able to | walk abroad in their busincsses un- | vexed by the fear that every venture is perilous and that civilization is on the verge of collapse. [ I have listened to many inaugural addr which have varied only in the difference of expression of generali- ties; which have not bzen meant to do much more than to satisfy a precedent. Saturday’s address was one of the few that attempted to outline to the peo- ple the course a President meant to take, and actually to convey what a President had in mind. President ALL ABOARD FOR THE | varying local interests, ijfi A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE NAR.13 ... S.S.DE GRASSE NATOR ROBINSO! \ Roosevelt told you that this was a war |the sternest measures are required to | ss because the enemy | bring the budget into balance, and thus forces were the battalions of fear in- | remove the key-log from the industrial stead of a tangible foe in arms against | and fiscal jam, and the perhaps equally period, no us. He revealed that he would ask the authority given to the Chief Executive in such an emergency. There are not | many men who would unhesitatingly seek such responsibility, but if we are to make progress, only such a man can accomplish the restoration of in- | dustrial and financial order. He must | have not only the vision to see whl!‘ Is required to straighten out a system | now all awry, but the courage to apply the remedy, no matter how drastic. } Time Vital Element. Nor do I ldok for any reluctance on the part of Congress to grant him the powers requisite. Congress, t0o, is look- ing for leadership. The process of get- | ting a majority of 96 Senators and 435 Representatives to agree on a particu- | lar course is usually difficult, and in such a labyrinth of possible paths as | are possible in such a situation as that | we face, must be long drawn out. There is no abdication of congressional au- thority in delegating the President to | act, any more than there was when we clothed another President with war It is not a case of “passing| k'—to use one expressive col- | Congressmen with their biased by the point of view—or what they think is the point of view of their constituencies— are reluctant to yield to the opiniops of other Congressmen whose minds sug- gest a different idea than their own. Perhaps it could all be threshed out debate, but think of the time that would be consumed in the process! Time is a vital element in the existing emergency. With every bank in the country practically under suspension— not because these banks are not sol- vent, but because the psychology of an alarmed population makes it impossible | for them to convert their assets into | cash swiftly enough to enable them to | meet the demands—we cannot wait until the varying views of hundreds of independent minds can be brought into harmony. The business paralysis must be treated promptly lest it be- come chronic. I do not feel called the b loquia jupon to apologize for Congress. The session that just terminated operated under certain fixed rules, perfectly ade- quate for ordinary times perhaps, but not entirely suited to a period when GAS HEAT IS Clean, Economical and Most Satisfactory We can install gas heat in your home on the same price and ‘fgures on way to heat your home. Phone for Stacy NOW R ) CRACK-SHOT £245% stringent legislation necessary for the other phases of restoration. repeatedly heads of the great Govern- ment departments at the Capitol lobby- ing against cuts in their own establish- ments when Congress was seeking to carry out the suggestions of the then President who was their chief. It is unnecessary to ascribe to these high of- ficials either lack of patriotism or con- sclous insubordination. To every man interested in his department the status quo of that department seems of more consequence than anything else. He is perfectly willing there should be econo- mies, but he wants the cuts to come in ‘We saw | to the I unequal to the task of resisting the | pressure, there is another reason that the President should be given tempo- rary but extraordinary powers, Perhaps all this discussion is unnec ‘essal perhaps there will be no occ: sion for the exercise of executive super- power, and that Congress ‘will do its part with sufficient celerity to relieve the President of some of is so galantly willing to assume. The existence of & real party majority in b both Houses promotes this thought. last, where neither y had & work- Ing majority and the membership of which was complicated by the pres- ence of scores of legislators who had lost their seats in the election and were “hus Jess subject to party or adminis- rtation discipline than their fellows. Necessary Disadvantages, ‘The disadvantages indicated are in- separable from representative govern- | g, ment, even though the value of the system compensates a thousand times for its drawbacks. These are homely detalls in the complications of action by large representative bodies, but they illustrate some of the reasons why it is necessary to repose authority in some- body who can disregard individual in- terests for the sake of the greater good of helping the whole country. It does not matter whether the contention of the hypothetical Congressman is called | selfishness or self-interest or loyalty to his home folks, somewhere must the power be given for an unbiased judg- | ment, and there is no place to put that power but in the hands of the Presi- dent of the United States. A variation of this theme is the case of blocs of voters determined on special legislation of one sort or another. The ! ‘There is real potency in party spirit. Many legislators have bowed to a cau- cus decision in preference to continuing on their own course. The outlook is for a harmonious Democratic majority eager to carry out the wishes of its President. Mr. Roosevelt himself ex- pressed this hope in his inaugural ad- dress when he said he would recom- mend to Congress the measures he be- lieved were required, and he said at the same time that such measures as Con- gress might itself offer along similar lines he would seek to bring ty speedy gtlnn. ‘Then he added: jut in the event that Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall the Con- for the one remaining instrument meet the crisis—broad executive power to wage & war against the emer- gency. as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact in- vaded by a foreign foe.” Leadership Recognized. I think every American citizen who heard or read those words felt the thrill of them. They were the answer to his prayer for leadership, for they told him that there had come to the head of the The Hub Furniture Co. the burden he | jje p of the period o meet them but to conquer them. Now, if we on Capitol Hill fail to put into effect the requisite measures to overcome the unparalleled unemploy- ment, to bring back our financial system to order and efficiency, to bring the Government the revenue necessary to balance the budget, and to so reduce the costs of Government that they can be met by the taxes an impoverished people can pay, I feel sure that Con- gress will meet the President’s desire and give him war-time powers. I be- ve this because it is manifestly absurd to ask the President to do the things that must be done and at the same time to deny him the authority for do- ing them. I, for one, have no idea of this re- sulting in dictatorship, other than the dictatorship of hard common sense, courage and concern for the whole peo- ple. Yet I suppose we frequently hear the term applied in its despotic sense by partisans without a plan of their own, and who are perhaps fearful that the interests with which they are par- ticularly concerned may have to share in the sacrifices that will have to be made in the interest of all. I am thinking particularly of those who had Teason to shiver when President Roos: velt sald on Saturday: “Finally in our progress toward a re- sumption of work, we require two safe- guards against a return of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and invest- ments; there must be an end to specu- lation’ with other people’s money, and there must be provision for an ade- quate but sound currency.” Nobody who has followed. even cur- sorily, the testimony adduced before the Senate Committee on Banking and | Currency can have any coubt of the necessity for the safeguards the Presi- | dent invoked. There it was disclosed | that men we had been aecustomed to | regard as the highest type of citizens took advantage of the 1pommlzy of their possession of their depositors’ kg them for their own uml cure the duplication of services and e stock market; capif public securities that they knew were precarious worth, and have since | zen; he has no project | nocent people in jail; he does not con- | template martial Jaw. He does not pro- | pose usurpation of the functions of the It is nothing new to grant the Presi- | courts or interference with their de- turned out to be practically valueless. Certainly the old order that made these things possible must be changed, 1 dent wide powers beyond those he ex- ercises ordinarily. It has been done in every war in which we have engaged So far as my reading of history e lightens me, the broader powers have never been abused. Nor has there ever been a President who showed any re- luctance to yield his super-authority once the emergency had passed. On ad to ‘The President is not anything except as applies to balanc! the budget, making changes that wil EASIER You'll find Squibb Aspirin tablets particularly easy to take. This is because, being firmly compressed, they reach you in whole and perfect con- dition and so do not crumble on the tongue nor leave that bitter after-taste. Yet they dis- integrate readily when dropped in water or when whole. Say SQUIBB Look for the name before you buy ir own standing to market to the | Government and such matters. therefore cutting down the expense of He {sn't * seeking the power to oppress any citi- for putting in- cisions. All he has in mind, as I un- derstand, is that he be permitted to make a machine efficient again, that is laboring badly, and that might bring a wreck if repairing is not done promptly. And he wishes to do this without the hampering certainty of having an un- limited debate every time he substi- tutes a sound bolt for a flawed one or attaches a brace to a part that has demonstrated its weakness, It isn't lust of power that moves him; it is a desire to get things accom- plished before *he machine collapses. ASPIRIN Please” ‘The Hub Furniture Co. The HUB Says: As Usual—We Are Offering Money- Saving Values and Liberal Notice! For the past 7-Piece Genuine thirty-three years The Hub has built up a tre- mendous business through the ex- tension of Liberal Credit To the homemakers of Washing- ton and vicinity, we continue to extend that liberal credit service to our friends and customers de- spite the present banking emer- gency. Walnut Veneer Dinette Suite °59 Here is a suite that will ““dress up” vour dining room most at- tractivelv—a new mode style that home lovers will find most satis- factory. Sturdy. vet stylish, econ- omy priced, vet not cheap. sketched, a buffet, extension table, combination As server-china cabinet and four slip-seat chairs to match. wood. The Hub TWo-Piece Bed- Davenport Suite 99y Genuine walnut veneer on gum- Double Studio Couch Twin or Double Bed Size the small home. tive cretonne. lows included. An ideal combination for apartment or Covered in attrac- Three pil- $179 50c a week Woalnut-Finished Cedar Chest Upholstered and covered Credit Terms to All! Two-Piece Tapestry Covered Living Room Suite 39 in homespun tapestry. Two pieces—a full size combina- tion davenport and bed and a lounge chair. 36 DAYS ar oy 3369 vp ay fare to any pert-of-call beyond Vige, $160 up This inexpensive group of +wo pieces consists of a sofa and armchair to match. Covered in homespun tap- estry. Loose spring-filled seat cushions. $5 Down—The Hub Cedar lined, walnut - fin- ished rior. O~ 15th the exte- De Grasse leaves for MarcH VIGO CASABLANCA GIBRALTAR MAJORCA ALGIERS NAPLES AJACCIO MONTE CARLO MARSEILLES andhome, viaany French Line Cabin Steamer salling from Le Havre. $5.00 Down—The Hub her second cruise to palmy, fascinating Mediterranean sun spots. For almost $10-a-day French Line comfort. Her cooking is you can enjoy her 36 days of world-famous . . . her stewards speak English . . most attractive. . . . And her itinerary . her cabins and salons are includes the very places you want most to visit. If you wish, you can leave the cruise at Naples in time to reach Rome for the commencement of Holy Year.... Shore trips arranged Enamel fin- ished in col- ors. Spring included. Chest of Drawers $4.%5 Ask vour local travel agent for details. ! Trench (ne Three - drawer Stges s At ingten, D.