Evening Star Newspaper, April 30, 1940, Page 9

Veto Threats Of Dubious Origin Enthusiasm for No Action Seen as | Their Inspiration | By DAVID LAWRENCE. President Roosevelt has had | plenty of problems and perplexities | since he has been in the White| House, but none so confusing as the number of persons who purport to speak for him on Cap- itol Hill. Within last few days word has been spread that the President was going to “veto’ this or that measure. The obvious purpose " 3 | of course, is to | influence mem- the THE EVENING The Capital Parade ‘The American Presidency,’ by Laski, Analyzed; Some Say It May Be Roosevelt's View of Presidency By JOSEPH ALSOP and ROBERT KINTNER. To hear the President on the presidency would be both exciting and illuminating. The real nature of the presidential office has been a subject of controversy ever since the Levelers first attacked George Washington. The controversy has never been more bitter than in the administration | of Pranklin Delano Roosevelt. Understanding of a President’s conception of his duties and powers has never been more needful for understanding of his policies. : Recertly the press has been afflicted with a deal of solemn twaddle about the “inspiration” of writers by public officials, which is commonly as misinformed as it is sour. But it is quite another thing to say that in his new book, “The American Presi- = dency,” just published in England, e o Prof. Harold Laski received inspira- . '4\\ MYSELF/ tion from the White House. \ : The distinguished political theo- § rist of the English Labor party is an old friend of the President’s, and has long been close to most of the other source-minds of the New Deal. Furthermore, he offers the frankest S kind of clue to his inspiration that \\\\\ a detective could ask. In his preface "~ - he remarks, “Few of the arguments I have ventured to put forward have not had the benefit of criticism from many American friends, and not least from the friend to whom I have been permitted to dedicate this book.” And his dedication is, “To F. D. R., with deep respect and affection.” Thus it may be presumed that Prof. Laski on the presidency is also the President on the presidency. Naturally, all Laski's specific statements bers of the House not to ex- David Lawrence. ercise their own judgment, on the ground that what they may do will | prove futile. So far as is known, the President has not written any letters threatening to veto the Wag- ner Labor Act amendments or the wage and hour bill or the Walter- Logan bill, but on Capitol Hill those who want no legislation at all on these subjects are endeavoring to speak for the President in say- ing he will veto them all. Mr. Roosevelt did write a letter declaring he would prefer to have Congress wait a while before pass- ing amendments to the wage and hour law, but he did not say he would veto any or all measures ap- proved by Congress on this subject The normal legislative process calls for full consideration by the House and then by the Senate, after which a conference committee would nat- urally attempt further revision. To put the President in the position of refusing to permit Coneress to leg- islate at all under a threat of a blanket veio of whatever may be done traordinary that few memb gress will credit any such position. no matter whether it is attributed to him by adminis- tration leaders or any other so- spokesmen for the White Not an Accurate Picture. As for the Walter-Logan bill, the President, in a press conference, in- dicated his dissatisfaction with some aspects of the measure, but there is still available the process of amendment in both houses. The administration has conceded that remedies must be devised to cure the ills of procedure in administra- tive commissions, but, for the Presi- dent to be represented as desiring to block all attempts at legislation under a threat of veto is not accu- rate, hen there are the proposed amendments to the Wagner labor relations law. Some of these amendments are unquestionably disapproved by the Labor Board members, but there is no proof as yet that the Labor Board is the spokesman of the President on the subject of labor legislation. It is! true the C. I. O. has issued pam- | phlets and broadcast its view that there must be no amendments to the Wagner Act at this session, but it can be set down as doubtful that the C. I. O. is as yvet the spokesman for the White House, or that a| presidential veto is intended, no! matter what amendments are passed by Congress to the present labor law. Threat Can Backfire. | The frequent use of the veto threat {s one that has been experienced many times heretofore by Congress under this and other administra- tions, but usually this sort of war fare is part of the effort to influence negative action by the House or the Senate, as the case may be. Sometimes when word goes out that a veto may be forthcoming, it works Just the other way. Some members, | feeling sure that a piece of legisla- tion objectionable to a portion of | their constituents but desired by | others will never become law, take | a chance by voting for the measure. | In this way they corral the votes of those who want it passed and then count on the others subse- quently to forget about it, since the bill didn't become law anyway. The majority of the members of the House at this session, however are nodt likely to be stampeded by threats of veto. This is because all of them come up for re-election and nearly every one of the bills which is slated for passage despite opposition by some of the young | New Dealers is the type of legisla- | tion which is believed to represent | the prevailing trend in public| opinion. In the Senate only one-| third of the membership is up for election. Here there is a tendency | to go along with the administration, | but surprises may be expected just | the same. | Presidential vetoes are often the | best kind of ammunition for cam- paign use. If Mr. Roosevelt is not | a candidate for a third term, the presence of the vetoes in the record | of the incumbent admimstmtinn; tends just the same fo strengthen | the case of the opposition in those | instances where public opinion is | with a majority of Congress rather | than in agreement with the veto. (Reproduction Rights Reserved.) WELCOME MEMBERS of the NATIONAL CHAMBER of COMMERCE to . .. THE FLAGSHIP dent sought in the famous 1938 purge. must not be put under this head. but his broad theory may be, by external as well as inner evidence. Consequently Laski's book is the most instruc- tive yet published on the true meaning and purposes of the New Deal, as well as being a remarkable study of American governmental mechanics. Invisible Government The broad theory which may be attributed to the President as well as to Laski is reasonably simple. At its base are a series of assumptions, which are implicit in everything the President has done. 1. Until 1932, with certain brief interruptions, the real Government of the United States was an “invisible government” composed of the most influential businessmen and property owners. After great initial success in developing the resources of the continent, this “invisible government” collapsed in the depression. Its functions, therefore, had to be transferred to what might be called the “official Government” in Washington. They could not be divided among the State governments, because in “the era of giant capitalism” most of the really important problems are national problems 2. In coping with the vast political and economic problems of “the era of giant capitalism” the National Government is hampered by the division of powers written into the Constitution by men who thought that government should not govern much. In foreign policy, in financial policy, in economic policy, governmental responsibility evaporates some- where halfway down Capitol Hill, on the road from the Capitol to the White House. Fixing of responsibility is the prerequisite of successful governmental initiative, and governmental initiative, or “positive govern= ment” has been absolutely necessary since 1932, and will continue to be so. America for Its People To solve this dilemma of the evaporation of responsibility, Laski offers a number of minor suggestions of highly Rooseveltian flavor. For example, he suggests the item veto for appropriation bills, and the confirmation of treaties by a majority of both houses of Congress, rather than by a two- thirds majority of the Senate. Equally Rooseveltian is his major recommendation. o It is that the President, who shares only with the Vice President the distinction of being elected by the whole people, should be made an even stronger force in the gov- ernmental process. The dangers of sectionalism are to be transcended by reliance on the President. Con- gressional co-operation for the President is to be obtained by just such a party realignment as the Presi- Thus effective ‘“‘positive govern- s to be finally achieved. “With all its risks,” Laski closes, “the conference (on the President of power commensurate to his function) is the condition upon which the American adventure may continue in that form of which its supreme exponents have greatly dreamed. To withhold (the power), or to frus- trate its ample operation, is to jeopardize that adventure. For great power alone makes great leadership possible; it provides the unique chance of restoring America to its people.” (Released by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.) Grand Jury Bpens Probe | Naval Academy fo Mark 0f Mayne Forgery Charge Pan-American Week The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis will observe pan- American week from Mayv 8 to May The District grand jury yesterday commenced lengthy investigation into charges that David D. Mayne of Springfield, Va., allegedly forged letters, purporting to show a con- 15, Secretary of Navy Edison an- nounced today. During the observance there will be lecture courses on economic and social history and concerts featur- ing Central and South American music. In addition there will be a special display in the Naval Academy library and museum. Following chapel services, there will be a dress parade and pan-American ball, Saturday, May 11. Military, naval and air attaches of pan-American countries have been asked to join in the gelebration. Luiz Marden of the National Geo- graphic Society will speak May 9, and Mrs, Paul Ledig will discuss nection between Chairman Dies of the House Committee on Un- American Activities and William Dudley Pelley, leader of the Silver Shirts. Conducting the investigation were United States Attorney Edward M. Curran and Assistant United States Attorney John W. Fihelly. The grand jury which went out of office at the beginning of this month, after hearing evidence in this case, | declined to take any action against Mr. Mayne. Attorney William A. Roberts. rep- | Peruvian handicrafts May 12, resenting Gardner Jackson of Chevy Chase, Md., legislative counsel for B T Labor’s Non-Partisan League, re- | Roeb" E Lee P'T A Miss Helen Phillips, Arlington quested Attorney General Robert H. | Jackson to present the case to the County librarian, will speak on new grand jury. According to the | “Selecting Children's Books for a charges, Mr. Mayne obtained from| School Library” at a meeting of Gardner Jackson's associate, Harold | the Robert E. Lee School Parent- Weisberg, writer and private inves- | Teacher Association at 8 p.m. to- tigator, the sum of $105 about Jan- | morrow in the school at Lee high- uary 12 for the alleged letters bear-" way and North Lexington street, ing the signature of Mr. Pelle Arlington. The Most MODERN CHASSIS in the world ! HEN YOU BUY a LaSalle, you Wcan be sure that you are getting every practical engineering advance-. ment of importance. You can be sure, because LaSalle is built by Cadil- lac—and Cadillac engineers have introduced more basic innovations than anyone else in the industry. For modern performance and styl- ing—put your money in a LaSalle. STAR, WASHINGTON, *D. C, TUESDAY, Crlil opintons of the writers on this page are thetr own, necessarily The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The Star’s eflort to give all sides of questions of interest to its readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among themselves and directly opposed to The Star's. The Political Mill Claims of Delegations Somewhat Premature, In View of Selections Yet to Come not By G. GOULD LINCOLN. Despite the fact the G. O. P. | coasted to an easy victory in 1928, with national prohibition as a main Issue, there was not another victory in prohibition in 1932. It remains to be seen whether there is another victory for the New Dealers in bigger relief appropria- tions in 1940. The slogan “You | can't beat Santa | Claus” worked |in 1934, and even more im- | pressively in | 1936. Tt faltered House leader. Nevertheless, there is considerable Dewey sentiment in the Bay State, as there is in other favorite-son-candidate States, among them Ohio. In Columbus a Dewey club has just been organized under the leadership of James R. Geren, former postmaster in that city. No effort will be made by the Dew- eyites in Ohio to participate in the May. 14 primary, when Taft dele- gates will be elected to the Repub- lican National Convention. But they intend to keep alive and to increase the Dewey sentiment in the Buckeye State. The move is in line with the drive now under way to make it easy for delegates in all the States to jump to Dewey when the moment comes, | 6. ; | Tennessee Deciding Today. | bl I 10ve. G. Gould Lincotn, | Tennessee is choosing its delegates | The present G- pias 9 | to the Republican National Conven- | effort of the administration to .e tion today, also in party convention, allowed to expend a billion dollars | Considerable. Dewey sentiment has for relief in eight months—up to the | existed in Pennessee for eoriel time Ume L yllensthe LewHOODGLesSKCaN, |iry iring, May) 26/States andl the D the first of next year, appropriate | trict of Columbia will elect delegates another half billion dollars, is de- | to the convention | nounced by Representative Barton | Republican State Convention for this | of New York as another effort to, purpose on May 4. Maryland holds “buy” an election. To Mr. Barton | a primary May 6 % Florid Balif: % and other Republicans the proposal | nia and South Dak t llfl.h 1d or is a brazen effort to use public funds | B8 A0d South Dakota all hold pri- to gel the votes needed to keep the | o055 Y F | Axans WO New Dealers in power. ; to| O0 May 13. Then come primaries in The Republicans are not likely to Ohio and West Virginia on May 14 g0 down the line fighting all refief. | 50 0 West Virginia on May e g > on {ahatEheys oblect o e D Y e e Mokl gari P60 Mot 116 aus | which would give the a;n:msl]ra; Al "\./[a‘"l'l Orson Hlects tion an opportunity to pad the relie: st b 8 Lok rolis in August, September and Oc- | ‘a‘; dd";:;,“g:;’j,m”,‘m’:‘ ::;Y‘r?pnplx::-d in | tober, the three months just prior | Senator McNary, Republican leader to the national election. The House | of the Senate ‘(.')“ Mav 18 Arizona Sybcommitice on ADDIOPHBHONSIOL iy Districtiot Golumbia f Otan and | Relief is still holding hearings on the | yit (Vatrce of Combia, delegates (e O T N SRDRCECE | i Stata conventions. Monitans holds originally called for a billion dollars a convention on May 21 and New [N g D 0 RO el SRR n.a primary in But now it is different—and the | which Dewey is the only entry. Ken- O e L e s | Kyl oy ~rlor e T o May | spend all this sum during the first | j, XY Soneention takes place May | o vy oi,eo g 10 D€ | Vermont's, Indiana Republicans difficult to halt this plan. E meet in convention May 24. Nevada Wpparenlly 18 casting economy 0 8 | G e hinoton Bave. comvention: rinds, aud aRRIODEAUIGNE TOR IanY o s ¥ andl et nalo riMa 708 | purposes, pleasing to many gFOUPA| g o ipece meate delegations | of voters, are receiving approval. vet to be chosen, extreme claims of ! Candidates’ Claims Heard. | the candidates seem premature, This is looking beyond the na-| Nevertheless, a great deal of spade tional conventions, at which party ' work has been done in these States | platforms will be adopted and candi- and more will follow date, for President and Vice Presi- McNider Talks Candidacy. dent will be named. The pre-con-| gupeqry MeNider of Tows, former vention campaigns, however, SUlll s gtant Secretary of War and hold the stage. With the Republi-| f; mer national commander of the can National Convention less than American Legion, is in Washington two months in the future, and the | 1,44y giscussing’ with various Re- Democratic convention only two and publican leaders his own candidacy. a half months away, managers for |y MeNider, it is said, is backed by the various presidential candidates p number of Republican leaders in | are .busy, extremely busy, claiming | his cection of the country. huge blocs of delegates. Supporters of the candidacy of The managers for Thomas E.| postmaster General Farley for the Dewey, New York's favorite entry | pemocratic presidential nomination | for the G. O. P. nomination, insist| announce in- New York that they the bandwagon is rolling—that Dew- | cee Mr. Farley running away with ey is already assured of at least'the prize—if President Roosevelt | 400 cielegate votes on the first ballot, | gecides not to run. They claim he | and that he may well have a mA- will have at least 482 delegates on {jority of the 1000 delegates Who |the first ballotoand. that Hetinay make up the convention when the | haye as many as 600, or more than roll is called the necessary majority. Even if Frank E. Gannett, New York pub- | the President keeps his hands off lisher, who is challenging Mr. Dewey | and lets Mr. Farley have “his day and other aspirants for the Repub- " lican nomination. is making a whirlwind tour of the country-- flying from engagement to engage- ment. He will be the guest of | honor at a dinner in Topeka, Kans., | tomorrow night, where former Gov. | Alf M. Landon, the party standard | bearer in 1936, witi-play the part nf‘ host. On this trip Mr. Gannett will | visit South Dakota and Minnesota | as well as Kansas in an effort to| | convince the Republicans he is the man to win in November More | g Chosen. | There still remain many delegates | | to be chosen to attend the Repub- | lican convention—and also the Dem- | ocratic party in Chicago on July 15. Yesterday Republican State Conventions were held in Oklahoma and Rhode Island—and delegates were elected. Today Massachusetts | Republicans are electing their 34/ delegates to the national conven- | | tion in a primary, with the party | | leaders favoring an uninstructed | delegation. Mr. Dewey has declined | to go into this primary, for Massa- | chusetts has a trio of possible favor- | ite-son candidates in Gov. Salton- stall, Senator Lodge and Represent- | ative “Joe” Martin, the G. O. P, | | settled the long-ra | waters, destroying fie greater | most difficult operatbn known to | on a hostile coast. Colorado has a | | German war. | 1v to be pretty hafl boiled when it We, the People British Hel{ to Have Wo Victory of he War in the Last Two Weeks | By JAY FRANKLIN, | No matter how|the immediate fighting in Norway turns out and no | matter how unprepjred and ill-equipped were the initial British forces Norwegian coast, victory of this war 13 the last two weeks. the naval actions in the Skagerrak nor to the opera- | refer to the destruction of the German | which landed on thi I do not refer t¢ tions at Narvik. I {io not even Navy as an effectiv) fighting force. been able to land | tion, but it has nevd been conclusive! to an answer was tip abortive Greek | the Hellenic air fore disrupted the Hellenic Navv's attempt to repeat the old Venezelos Crete-p-Saloniki-to-Athens operation of 1915, Sea Power Appears Victor Now the questign appears to havy For the British Nayy fought a series of close-in battles in Norwegian part of the Nazi fleet, while the British | Army ferried acrossto Norway a number of expeditionary forces, in the | raft and subsea mines and raiders Under these adversq circumstances, the British successfully performed the military science—the landing of an army teeth of bad weatipr, German aircr Now it does not matter, from the | British troops in Noway are outfought or bombed into surrender or driven | into the sea. It doegnot even matter whether the Nazis get control of all | Norway and Swede} and use them as economic and air bases for the the fact that sea power has proved Wha/ does matter is that it is still superi¢ to air power. This victory npans that the long-range resources of the British Empire. its friends ynd allies will be wearing down and garving out the Germans Navy has fought and won another *J. of a naval checkrate. It means that the slow, steadypressure on the German windpipe will grow until Hitler's Germany i strangled just as the Kaiser's Gergany was stran- gled in 1914-1918 It means still pore than that, | It means that the| ejlies can say, {“S8o what?” | whose policy of tomlitarian black- { mail has been basel on the theory to Bmito Mussolini, that he could cut th) Mediterranean in two and keep th) French and British Navies at arm’s airplanes and light craft, while using his own Navy Greeks. thei? death-watch n Italy. Japan Will Thak Twice It means that Japan, facing the superior American Batile Fleet in naval forces based in Singapore and the forces co-operating with the Pacific, with tJe British Dutch and French naval Manila, will think pnce. twice and t the East Indies or {aigon. It means that Jitler's Scandinavi purpose—to conving the four great neutrals that England w be strafed—and thgt he now finds h | It means that lhe second great German effort to smash British sea saw Germany's Nineteen forty power has failed. Nineteen sixteen and demoralized a| Jutland navy" disintegrate¢ and her air t From now on, tje fundamentals of will work against Grmany and will support the allied war, (Refased by the Consolidated News Features. Inc.) in court.” there are still many Democrats who dery that the gen- ial cabinet officer and chairman of the Democratiq National Com- | mittee can ever benominated. His friends rely on he strong hold which Mr. Farley ls on the Demo- cratic national orgnization to put kim across The Democrats, bwever, are like- comes to selectin| a presidential nominee. They wait some one they | Ps at varfous points on the Norwegian coast has e strategic problem of the Nazi-allied conflict. ly answered. The nearest that came | The alliesdealt with the Norwegian problem without relaxing | comes. This Changing World German Force at Narvik Holds Out; Allies Not ‘Lost’ By CONSTANTINE BROWN, : - ons are expected this operation was successfully per-| itlc major acnf the e t formed across the North Seca in the | DOrth and south of the importan face both of U-boat operations and | Trondheim base, the German force the overwhelming German air force of some 1,500 men at Narvik is still —a fact of incalculable importance | holding its own. in all future military calculations. % Military quar- Ever since the World War there § ters expected the has been a serious controversy over | Germans to be whether the airplane had rendered | wiped out be- the surface warship obsolete, par- cause they were ticularly in narrow seas., There have | isolated. been a number of tests of this ques- It appears from reports re- ceived recently in Washington that the Ger- ° mans have man- aged to protect the entry into the Narvik har- * bor with some« Constantine Brown. thing like 30 or 40 guns taken from the destroyers demolished by the British fleet 10 days ago. To these naval guns were added some coast artillery, brought surreptitiously by German ‘“mer- chantmen” when German forces entered Narvik April 8 The British heavy ships are able to fire at Narvik from a distance, | but craft of the type that could enter the inner harbor are held at cay by the fire of the defense guns dominating the harbor. Mystery About It. Of course there is a mystery in all this. How do the Germans get the ammunition? Some say that enough shells have been salvaged from the | destrovers to provide ammunition for another two or three weeks. Others suggest that there is pos- lity that the medical supplies ch are reaching these troops from Norway on the Kiruna-Nary Railroad might contain other things than quinine and bandages. The Swedish authorities exercise a strict supervision of everything they allow to pass over their border. but there are many ways of smuggling things, even in the strictest neutral country, Allies’ Drive Not Hopeless. In some military quarters in Washingten the allied campaign in Norway does not appear as hope= less a; shows on the surface. It is emphasized that the mere fact that the allies have managed to establich beach heads at Namsos and at Andalsnes indicates already a signal success. The force landed | there, it is said. is still small but the Germans have not been able to dislodge it. Once ‘he beach heads are properly established there is ne reason why the British and the French should not be able to land a large expeditionary corps n the Decisive the British have won the decisive But the fact that the British have | For revolution of a few yvears ago, when | e been settled in favor of sea power. strategic point of view, whether the brought to bear on the problem of It means that the Royal utland,” ending the German dreams sl s length with his to gobble up the the Americans at hen again before making a pass at an offensive has failed in its political s about to imself entangled in Norw. k navy” ¢ Germany's opied sees raiding hreat impotent f world strategy and world economics feel reasonably sure can win. They G0 not want to be turned out of power. If they cannot have Presi- | dent Roosevelt, then they are going into the convention rather cold | which could then operate with more bloodedly to make their selection | success against the German forces. In some quarters, the belief is ex-| The two beach heads are separated pressed that the big Farley effort | from the rest of the country by a will be for the vice presidential | hich range of mountains. =These nomination when the showdown | will necessarily slow down the opera- A Hull and Farley ticket |tions of the German armies and has been in the wind for a long | render the activities of the Gerraan time. | airforce more difficult. NOW MIDNIGHT NON-STOP TO NEW YORK FLIGHTS DAILY TO NEW YORKY) EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR! ALSO TO MEXICO CI'Y-Silversleeper service to Mexican border ev:ry night at 9:05... Send for special booklet on all- expense tours to Me ico and Guatemala FOR RESERVATIONS:Phone Republic 33 focal Eastern Air ines Ticket Agent, The most frequen service between any two cities by any air- line in the world ¢ Planes arrive at both New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field and Newark Airport ® Flight- Steward service ¢n every plane; snack-bar service on local flights; full-coursecomplimentary meals at regular mealtimes hout-change-of-plane 11, your or call any travel bureau ¢ hotel transportation desk. 81240 for the Series Fifty Coupe, delivered at Detroit. Sedans start at $1280. Transportation based on rail rates, state and local taxes (if any), %Iimml equipment, accessories—exira. M ‘SVALM rices subject to change without notice. 1222 22nd St. N.W. CAPITOL CADILLAC CO. F. D. AKERS, President SEE YOUR NEAREST CADILLAC-La SALLE DEALER ',//M-url(’”’”” NAtional 3300 O TH SN e o NS s