"Constructive Start"

THE PRESIDENCY

"Constructive Start"

At noon one day last week President Hoover walked solemnly from the Cabinet Room through the short passage to his own office. Behind him came a small procession of House and Senate leaders. The President seated himself at his broad desk, hitched his chair closer, reached out and drew to him a document labeled:

H.R. 1. An Act to establish a Federal Farm Board to promote the effective merchandising of agricultural commodities in interstate and foreign commerce and to place agriculture on a basis of economic equality with other industries.

Vice President Curtis looked over President Hoover's right shoulder, watched him pick up a pen, dip it in ink, write at the bottom of the document the word "Herbert." Then he put the pen down. Speaker Longworth, on the left, watched him pick up a second pen, dip it in ink, write the word '"Hoover." Then the President looked up, smiled. He had got at last what he wanted as farm relief.

He handed the first pen to Chairman McNary of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the second to Chairman Haugen of the House Committee on Agriculture who, with many another, were ranked behind him for the ceremony. "Now, all still for just a minute. . . . Look this way, Mr. President! Once more now!" cried the newscamera men.

Immensely satisfied, the President said: "After many years of contention we have at last made a constructive start at agricultural relief. . . ." Soon he was again given cause for satisfaction. Congress appropriated the $150,000,000 required to start the machinery set up in the new law (see p. 12), to select "farm-minded" members of the New Federal Farm Board. There were some 200 candidates for these positions.

The Hoover victory in his first major fight with the Congress was not easily won. To get what he wanted--a farm bill without a federal subsidy--he had to sacrifice his tenet that a President should never interfere with Congress, should never dictate to it on legislation. When, earlier in the week, the Senate had ignored his advice and voted to uphold its export debenture plan, the President very definitely interfered, very distinctly dictated.

First he made an appeal to the country, thus: "The vote in the Senate today adds further delay to farm relief and may gravely jeopardize the enactment of legislation. ... I earnestly hope that the Congress will enact the conferees' report. . . ."

Then, to clinch his hope, he summoned to the White House seven congressional leaders for an extraordinary conference. In the cool of the evening and for the space of an hour President Hoover told them what they must do to unsnarl the legislative tangle at the Capitol. Leader Watson informed the President the Senate would not back down on its debenture plan until the House had voted openly against it. Speaker Longworth said the House did not want to vote openly on the debenture plan. Then the President spoke: "The House must vote"--and vote it did.