16 JUNE 1933, Page 2

Mr. Roosevelt and Congress There have been ominous signs in

the past week that President Roosevelt's power over Congress has been swiftly ebbing. The President abandoned all idea of getting special powers to deal with tariffs, in the hope that thereby he would get the two Houses adjourned before the week-end. He failed in that, for the two Chambers were busy tossing the Veterans' Relief Bill and the In- dustrial Recovery Bill (which gives the President enormous 'powers over private industry .throughout the Union) to and fro between the two wings of the Capitol. While weariness and the temperature tend to drive legislators from Washington, reluctance to leave the President with his hands free till January- tends to keep them there. Mr. Roosevelt's policy is evidently to use his freedom with some boldness and hope that when Congress does come back it will accept with resignation the faits accomplis he will have provided for it. The President is an astute politician, and should know how far he can safely go, but he has some grisly memories of Senatorial intransi- gence in the past to daunt him. * * * *