Evening Star Newspaper, January 13, 1937, Page 11

President Can Force Bureau Changes Has Power to Block Champions of Spoils System. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. IKE a breath of fresh air in a musty room comes President Roosevelt's message indorsing the report of a special com- | mittee which recommends an exten- | sive overhauling and modernizing of | the entire executive structure of the | Federal Govern- ment. One may dis- agree here or there with certain details. but the broad outline is so sensible and so imperative, if we are to make our 3 Government ef- fective and effi- cient, that the only dark cloud on the horizon is the possibility that the cham- pions of the spoils system on Capitol Hill and the arch- deacons of “political pull” in Govern- ment may succeed in blocking this re- organization plan as they have other plans of similar nature under past David Lawrence, The idea of reorganizing the execu- tive branch of the Government and its numerous commissions and bureaus is not new, having been suggested by Republican as well as Democratic Presidents, but it remained for Presi- dent Roosevelt to take a bold initiative in projecting & plan that really re- | organizes. One is almost tempted to be thank- ful that Mr. Roosevelt won by his own influence such a huge majority in Con- | gress in the last election if the con- crete result flowing therefrom now is the actual adoption by an enlightened Congress of fhe plan that has just | itted y Proposal Far-Reaching. The proposal is far-reaching and e most compre- have ever been to the admini e Federal Governmer not that it concen- the Chief Executive, ative tasks this is e does not provide ion of the Federal function fr should be left cities Committee which e reorganization plan ¥ confessed in its report that it icymaking for the Congress to handle. ong run Government ex- rease instead of dimin- ere is some committee or h with the President’s lling to go into the sub- Ject of the Federal function and mark out con: ional as well as financial limits. Step in Right Direction. The new plan as a whole, however, s a step in the right direction and hen Senator Byrd of Virginia and his committee finish looking into the matter from the congressional aspect which is also desirabie it is certain that the country will get a real oppor- tunity to know something about the reorganization of the Federal ma- ch - Much of the new plan is necessarily | thearetical, if not politically imprac- n the sense that it must run the of hard-boiled congressional us the effects of an exercise by bureaucracy of its usual capacity for legislative pressure among its friends on Capitol Hill. This has' blocked previous legislation on govern- mental reorganization and may steril- ize some of the fine proposals now ' being made. | Everything will deperd on Mr. | Roosevelt's own enthusiasm for the | plan. He can content himself with | the present message and recommenda- tions and feel that he has done his part. He can, in effect, show that it is | ot he but Congress that maintains | the spoils system and prevents merit | from being introduced in the choice of personnel. But if he wants really to | put the full influence of his position | and prestige behind the whole plan | and get Congress to adopt the princi- | ples in some form of law that gives Mr. Roosevelt specific power to carry out the details, he can probably at | this stage of his career force the meas- | ure through. Delay would be fatal to | the plan for if too much time elapses, the whole report will be sniped at and here and there concessions will be made to pressure and the subject may | be forced gradually into the future when other items of controversy on the congressional scene may cause such cleavages as actually to prevent a majority from being mustered for the | plan in Congress. | Amplification Needed. | There will be many points in the re organization plan that will require am plification and discussion. Thus it is not clear why the controller general’s | office should be abolished and its fune- tions given in part to the Department | of Justice and in part to the Treasury. This means that normally the handling | of the expenditures is turned over to political officers. Much better would be a plan which made the controller | general's office & part of a regular ex- | ecutive bureau or agency, but with an independent status like the Bureau of Internal Revenue, so that the mini- ) mum of interference shall be possible with respect to the judicial decisions | of such an auditing bureau. Likewise, the Budget Bureau needs more specific limitations and direct responsibilities, so it will conform to congressional desire. | Finally, the new plan by no means | requires Congress to give up its consti- | tutional duty and power to direct the executive what to do, but merely in- | sists that the instructions shall be suf- | ficiently broad and intelligently stated | in laws, so that an executive bureau can with common-sense discretion carry them out. What the plan really calls for is an end of hamstringing by means of the customary appropriation bills, yet with responsibility and obli- gation for expenditures fully defined and subject to full public disclosure to the legislative branch of Government —an ideal long sought by all of us who have for years been urging and pleading for a modernization of the Federal structure to meet the needs of @ growing population and tke com- plexities of our present-day economic 8 gaunt scruti | (Copyright, 1937.) THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON Néws Behind the News White House Hears Two May Qu-it Supreme Court Bench—Liberals Discuss Strategy. BY PAUL MALLON. HE White House has big ears. It hears more than it speaks. One interesting thing it has heard lately, of which it has not spoken, is that one or two Supreme Court justices expect to retire at the end of the present court session. The wholly unofficial tip is supposed to have come roundabout through personal sources. It is, of course, very indefinite. Some near-insiders, however, attribute President Roosevelt's recently announced confidence that settlement of the issue will not be “delayed” to this particular information. The best authorities doubt it. In the first place, they do not believe any Supreme Court justice, and particularly the two mentioned, will retire from the bench until carried out. Likewise, they recognize behind the President’s message certain symptoms of typical Roosevelt promotional technique. His vague confidence, they say., was purposeful. He de- clined to espouse a constitutional amendment or new legislation because his lawyers have been unable to draft any that would be satisfactory. He left the door open in order to stim- ulate agitation, invite proposals, await developments. The liberal crowd near him ac- cepted the latter interpretation not without private advice. They are already acting accordingly. 2 ,/7 An agitation luncheon was held 4 — at their Cosmos Club a few days R Twe after Mr. Roosevelt spoke. It was e reported only briefly in the press. Big and little shots attending included John Lewis, Senator Norris, Morris Ernst, Jerome Frank, Chairman Mad- den of the Labor Relations Board and numerous left-wing New Deal officials. All they decided was that Norris should get the congressional liberals together behind a formula. The talk was much breezier than customarily used outside. For erample, some of Lawyer Ernst's listeners were astounded when they understood him to say that the labor-leading Mr. Lewis should argue the Wagner case before the court and inform the court that, if labor disputes could not be settled peacefully, they would be settied by machine guns and bullets. Apparently, Mr. Ernst is not in favor of domestic application of the neutrality act. X ok k%, Steel-organizing John Lewis confessed the President apparently opposes a constitutional amendment: also that the average man believes the court will hold the Wagner labor act unconstitutional. What Lewis wanted was action. Norris wanted legislation depriving inferior courts of constitutional jurisdiction, but agreed this would probably be held unconstitutional, so he proposed a paraliel constitutional amendment to go along with it. Ernst wanted congressional vetoes on Supréme Court decisions by two- thirds vote, and vetoes of both the President and the court by three- fourths vote. Others wanted other things. While there was no crystalized opinion as to method, the gusty nature of the gathering indicates that a stiff wind is about to spring up from a new quarter. Note—A gang of Senators was called into a similar pep rally the night before at the same place. The only two whose names are being mentioned in responsible quar- ters as possible court appointees are Prof. Felix Frankfurter and Senator Wagner, both strong labor liberals. The Justice Department, however, is known to have an exten= sive dossier on judges of the circuit courts and other Federal benches. These are in such shape that Mr. Roosevelt could name an entirely new court of mine judges within 15 minutes, if death, disaster or legislation should suddenly clear the bench. There is a good chance, therefore, that the next nominee may be one whose name has not yet been mentioned. \LE:DER ) : ‘/dzu(./a.,‘ 5 SEET ‘The number of bills introduced in Congress so far is about 1,000 less than at the same time last year. Legislative experts say they cannot understand it in view of the large number of new members, who should be frothing with new idea- laws. The probable explanation is that Congressmen realize the futility of preparing unauthorized legislation. Also, this is not a campaign year. There is no need for them to propose home-town appropriations which will not be seriously considered. SPRINGS NAL. ETC bk Labor Secretary Perkins seems to be having press troubles again. She has been calling off her press conferences during the last two weeks despite the importance of the labor situation. Some say she does mot relish banter and embarrassing questions. Consequently, the press must deal with her publicity man. Chairman Buchanan of the House Appropriations Committee has the smallest foot in Congress, but he can use it, especially against spending advocates. Representative Patton of Texas is said to have the largest head, ‘wearing upwards of a siz 8 hat, or thereabouts. He also can use it. (Copyright, 1937.) - YOU INCREASED STUDEBAKER SALES 6% IN 1936 ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPH HY were we able to show an increase of 76% in American passenger car sales in 1936? = Because of value—sheer intrinsic value! Studebaker offered more for the money in 1936 than ever before during the 84 years that we've been in business. How can Studebaker offer better value than other great automobile manufacturers? Because Studebaker has less overhead, a sound, thrifty financial structure, low fixed charges, better workmen! The great new 1937 Studebakers : : . the superb Dictator Six—the magnificent Presi- dent Eight . ; . are unquestionably the best other cars have wor; Come in and drive spotlight car in bea D. C, q'Hl opinions of the writers on this page are their own, not necessarily The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The Star’s effort to give all sides of questions of interest to its readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among built cars at or near their prices in America! They've got materials and workmanship in them that put many a boastful car to shame! They’re built to stand up and stand out for years and for thousands of miles after Studebaker always brings such an excellent trade-in allowance anywhere! s:.and see why it's conceded to be America’s Find out why it leads in operating econ- omy...why it costs so little to insure and so little to buy on monthly payments! themselves and directly opposed to The Star’s. Bold Move Checks Hitler BY DOROTHY THOMPSON. N THE 13th of June, 1929, Gustav Stresemann, foreign minister of the German Re- public, entered in his diary in Geneva: “8:30 p.m. Visited Primo. Mannesmann.” That brief note meant that Mr. in Moroeco which were the property of the Mannesmann brothers. So im- portant did the German foreign min- ister regard these mines to be that time and again he extorted from a not too willing Reichstag subsidies for the German capitalists which made it pos- sible”for them to hold their property. German interests in Morocco did not begin with Mr. Hitler. much right to exploit these mines as British capitalists their famous copper deposits at Rio proper. Economic exploitation re- quires men, en- ' gineers, techni- cians and guards. But men, en- gineers and guards can be used for other purposes than the protection and exploitation of mines, particu- to which they be- Der - - erothy TRemPiOn. ized as the legit- imate government of Spain a rebel- | the country that it claims to rule, and if the interests of the mine owners, and the rebels, have coalesced. One nation does not usually aid another nation except for reasons of “sacred ego.” And in Fascist dictatorships, un- government, the military and the workers are all part of a totalitarian plan for general national aggrandize- ment, totally uncontrolied by the checks of domestic public opinion. Therefore, engineers, technicians, ly in mining iron and protecting that activity, or they may be engaged in military organization, and that mili- tary organization may be for measures | of local defense compatible with exist- ing treaties, or they may be the jump- ing off place for adventures of another sort. Feared Breach of Treaty. The French and the British had reason to believe that the Germans, | whose numbers were suddenly in- | creased in Morocco, were not there | merely to get out raw materials. | Specifically, they feared that they | were there to assist Gen. Franco to | break the 1912 treaty between Spain {and France, and begin fortifying | Ceuta, as a menace to Gibraitar. Re- | ports from Morocco indicated that in- | dustrial exploitation was being com- |bined with political propaganda among the Arabs; anti-Semitic liter- ature was Stresemann had had a session with | Primo Rivera, then dictator of Spain, | concerning the valuable iron ore mines | | tailing open international war, that The Germans have, of course, as have to exploit | French Action in Morocco an Attempt to Bar Future Crisis. Fascists, for the Fascists have their own International, their own Fascin- tern, a fact which the world persist- ently refuses to see and believe. thinking that only Communists are revolutionists and all Fascists are loyal and conservative patriots. Dis- tributing Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and agitating the Arabs against the Jews is not immediately related to mining ore. And some sort of military ac- tivities were going on—perhaps to make a zone secure as a base for Franco's operations, which would be legally legitimate, but perhaps for of- fensive purposes. It was clearly to prevent these mili- tary activities from reaching a stage where they would become a serious international menace, possibly en- the French government launched the barrage of publicity and mobilized troops. We must believe that there Tinto in Spain| larly if the nation | long has recog- | lion which is not yet in possession of | like democracies, the mine owners, the | workers, guards may be engaged mere- | being distributed—inci- | g g | what cleared. dentally with the assistance of French | i was real reason to fear such a menace. The Blum government is not alarm- ist. The German accusations that France is aiding and abetting a Bol- shevist movement in Europe and un- derwriting Russian activities in Spain are not true. There are certainly thousands of Frenchmen whose symse pathies are passionately with the Loy= alists and who would be the opponents of Franco whether the Spanish gov- ernment was Communist or Republi= can; the sympathies of most of France are with the Loyalists: France is anti- Fascist, but the French people want peace; they do not want to be en- tangled in a war, and M. Blum knows that. Communists Against Blum. If the French Communists had their way, M. Blum's government would fall tomorrow. The appeal of the French government has consist- ently been for non-intervention, and M. Blue has held his Communists in | hand quite extraordinarily. When I | passed through Calais last month | workmen were pasting up on the bille | boards huge posters signed by the Popular Front government warning the people against hysteria and urge ing them to stick together for non- intervention. France is a democratic country, with parties, a free press, a parliamentary system and the gov- ernment has to carry public opinion with it and respond to it. And there is no question where that public opinion lies. Therefore the move in the Moroc- can affair can only be interpreted as a bold attempt at prevention of a future crisis. And it worked—as bold moves against Mr. Hitler invariably do. When | Pilsudski mobilized in the Westerplatte affair and told Mr. Hitler he could choose peace or war, Mr. Hitler chose peace and signed a 10-year truce with | Poland. When Mussolini mobilized at | the time of the Dollfuss murder, and | announced that Nazi Austria would | mean war, Mr. Hitler chose peace and retreated. Yesterday he did not have to retreat, but he was, perhaps, pre- vented from taking a position from | which retreat might not have been | easy, for himself or for the rest of | Europe. So the air is once again some- | . New York Tribune. 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SHENANDOAH MOTOR_ SALZS co.. aunton, Va. MOTOR CO.. INC., riottesville, Va. GORDON'S GARAGE. Timberville. Va. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1937. This Changing World | ’ European Situation Appears Calmer, But Is Far From Definitely Improved. BY CONSTANTINE BROWN. IKE in an individual's serious illness, there are ups and downs in the European crisis. Whiie last week the situation between France and Germany appeared irremediably compromised, dispatches from Paris indi- cate that the tension has been somewhat eased within the last 48 hours. T~ say, however, that the situation has definitely improved because Hitles and France's Ambassador at Berlin, Francois Poncet, have ex- changed a few pleasant words, 8 few platitudes about the necessity of save ing the world from another blood bath, would be premature. In @ nutshell, the situation presents itself as follows: Germany wants colonies and raw materials. To obtain these, Hitler is decided to go to any lengths. If under the threat of an immediate war, Great Britain and France ean be induced to yield the colonies Germany is asking—a strip of land in East Africa from Liberia to the French Congo—the European war will be postponed and possibly averted. But it appears that France, while willing to give in to Hitler as far as colonies are concerned, she is still insisting on an international agreement to preserve the U. S. 8. R. from a German attack. Hit- ler has so far been adamant on this point. He made it quite clear last Summer that he was willing to enter into a non-aggres- sion agreement with the Western powers, but would not accept to give any guarantee of this type to the Soviets. * ok k¥ | governor. | lated to several strains of European | nobility, all enterprising and similarly The rumpus over the German penetration in the Spanish Morocco seems to have died down. In fact, nobody was quite clear as to how much truth there was to the reports that German soldiers had entered the Riff. Press reports these days are being scanned with a microscope. Not that the newspaper men don't do their duty impartially. But, for instance, in the case of the presence of German troops in the Spanish Morocco, the reporters must take their news from Berlin or Paris, or from any other point in the French Morocco or Tangiers. When the news is communicated to them, unofficially, but from gov- ernment sources, they are bourd to use whatever they get without being able to go into the matter thoroughly. And even if some reporters were present at Ceuta or Melilla, they would not have the means to check up on who enters the city. In a town or a district under martial law, the work of the newspaper man is greatly handicapped. | It seems probable, however, that there are German engineers and specialists who have undertaken the constructic~.of fortifications in that region. Hitler's statement that he does not aim to conquer the Spanish Morocco is true. Neither the Reich mor Italy want to take by force Morocco and the Balearic Islands. But that does not mean that they will mot establish their influence there in case Franco wins against the Communist forces. * ¥ ¥ X% The decision of the German government to declare a 60-mile strip of land on the Polish border a “forbidden” zone to aviation has been wrongly interpreted as a measure to conceal the fortification works on the Polish frontier. What has happened is this. The Soviet government is sending air- planes to Madrid Since it takes too long to send them by boat from Odessa, they have been sending them by air from Moscow and other points | near Moscow. These planes fly- ing at a high altitude passed over | Poland and Germany, stopped in France for refueling purposes and went on to Spain. Thus, instead of taking three to four weeks to reach Spain, they arrived at dest nation within 48 hours. The Germans could not prevent these flights. There is a good deal of commercial air traffic between Eastern and Western Europe and the Reich authorities could not say which airplanes were bona fide com- mercial planes and which were fighting machines. By declaring that strip of land a forbidden zome, they hare solved the prodlem, since no fiying machine, military or civil, is now allowed to cross the border. * k% There has been a good deal of publicity around the fact that the former King Edward VIIL as Prince of Wales, endeavored in vain during the war to get to the fighting line to participate in an attack with his battalion. But little has been said about the present King of England. who has actually participated, in the Battle of Jutland and has been for hours under fire. As a junior lieutenant he was on the battleship Collingwood, and was assigned during the battle to an “action station.” His ship was the target of German destroyers and although the captain reported several torpedoes directed at the Collingwood, none of them hit her. | and went back to Europe. Headline Folk and What They Do Prayers for Snow to Aid Ski Ranch Brings Slim Response. BY LEMUEL F. PARTON. HE same Western wire which brought that appalling news from Everett, Wash, clicked off a snappy little item about jolly Count Schaflgotsch rounding up the countryside to pray for snow for his ski ranch at Sun Valley, Idaho. He gqt a trace, but, at last accounts, the weather was clear again. He is a third cousin of old Count Bismarck, the iron chancellor, and a first cousin of Prince Gottfried von Bismarck. The Nazis, revising their religion, staked out an island in the North Sea as the real Aryan Garden of Eden, and Prince Gottfried is the Count Schaffgotsch 1s re- ready to run anything from & ski ranch to a Garden of Eden. The count and his cousin, Tassilo Fuerstenburg, had a big shooting lodge in the Austrian Tyrol, where, among other paying guests, they entertained the King of Egypt r the war Cousin Tassilo odd-jobbed around New York for a few years, but gave it up Their hunt- ing lodge was taxed into the red, and the count, arriving in New York | 1934, was several laps ahead of an: body else in the ski parade. He is 2 merry chap and a favorite amon high-steppers hereabouts. He is cousin of George Hoyos, who lived in New York for many years. Al Schacht, base ba prince,” as the sports write is a soothing anodyne for percentage devotions. His present bout with a flu germ isn't just pantomime, but he has it about licked and is readying his one-man road show for 150 engage- ments out in the sticks. His contrac indicate a “take” of about $52,000 for the season, which shows that it is possible to make more money out of kidding base ball than by playing it although he can put a hop on a fast ball. He has spent the last few year in coaching and clowning This onlo always | Schacht was one of the be re automobile 1 Schacht wou poof the w conveyor belt sta go for banking, pol and other minor league t is, on the left-field ory of what is now the Yankee Stadium. He was a w lwind pitcher in high school base ba! After three years with Newark he was bought by the Giants in 1917. He and Nick Altrock formed their famous comedy partnership with the Washington club. They didn't speak for several years, but made good side money out of their clowning. Schacht is a first- | class coach, one of the few men who can call every ball in advanee by watching the pitcher wind up, (Copyright, 1937.) It Happens Only Twice a Year Grosner Clearance ACT NOW! Share in the Savings! (] » el v d “Chesty,” “Tick” and “Sports Backs.” Regular £29.75 and $35 SUILS & O COATS Modified drapes! $29.75 and $35 were the bottom vrices! Gravs, plain shades, checks or stripes. Single and double breasted overcoats. Regular $40 SUITS & O’COATSk Kuppenheimer & Grosner Tailoring Worsteds by Kuppenheimer in “Chesty” drape and modified drape. Kuppenheimer Crusaders, Kerseys, Fleeces and Alpaca blends. *Gros- ner overcoats, Kuppenheimer and Grosner suits. Regular SUITS The finest bassies, Trojan weaves, French worsteds! coats: Kuppenheimer’s, McGregor’s and worsted cheviots, formerly $65. $55, $65 &° $75 & O’COATSk Kuppenheimer, Grosner & AA-1 Tailoring in fabric and design. Tigertwists, Em- *Over- GROSNER gf 1325 F Street ASK ABOUT OUR 10-PAY CHARGE PLAN