The Connecticut labor news., 1923-04-13
START BATTLE TO CURB
 POWER OF SUPREME COURT

Washington, April 12.-Progressive circles in congress are seething with re- neWed demands for a constitutional amendment designed to surb the present Supreme Court to derlare legislation un- constitutional by the barest of mia jorities
 The latest decision, overthrowing the women's minimum wage law follows closely on the heels of another famous decision declaring the child labor law unconstitutional. In the child labor case 1t was a , to decision, in the minimum wage case 1t was to }, and only the fact that Justice Louis D. Brandeis re- trained from voting prevented it be- ing another to decision
 Both these decisions have aroused congressional ire to a point where 1egis- lation to limit the courts powers is virtually certain of introduction in the next congress.
 Senator William E. Borah (R-) Idaho, sad that as soon as the next congress con- venes. he will introduce bill compelling to vote by the court before it can tional.
 Another plan, sponsortd by Senator LaFOllette (R). of Wisconsin, would gives congress the power to re-enact laws by tWO-thirds vote over an adverse decision by the Supreme Court This plan. necessltat1ng constitutional amendment would give congress the
 same power to override the Supreme
 Court as 1t now possesses in setting aside Presidential veto.
 I'm going to study fully this latest decision of the Supreme Court" said IaFolettc today. Tt raised another serious question and when 1 have com pleted study of all the courts adverse decisions l shall have something to say" A third plan. proposed by Senator Tess (R) Of Ohio. would require a tWo-tfirds vote of the nine supreme court justices to make effective any decision holding an act of Congress un- : constitutional. All three plans drew ardent supporters today as a result of the minimom wage decree.
 This seems in effect to be another , to decision," said Borah, lon an ex- ! ceedingly vital question, Of course, while it was actually 5 to 3. in all pro bability if the full court had voted 1t would have been 5 to 1. The , to 4 decision, of course. technically has the
 same effect as an unanimous decision, but l doubt If the wisdom of permitting law which has been approved by both branches of Congress and by the chief
 executive, to be overru1ed by one vote Of the supreme court can long commend itself to the American people.
 "There have been some seven or eight vital unconstitutional questions in the last few years determined by to
 vote of the highest court. Such record shakes the confidence of the people i'll the machinery of the government. I feel that the remedy, for this-if it is in our
 power to do 1t; and 1 believe 1t is-is to
 provide that in all questions where the
 cOnstitutionality of an act of Congress ; or of state legislature IS involved, 1t should be necessary to have seven mern-
 bers of the court join 1t in the finding
 of unconstitutionality before the law be- comes unconstitutional
 "I am going to reintroduce my bill to
 amend the constitution i'll this respect as soon as the new Congress convenes." The movement was given additional inpetous by farm bloc" senators who looked upon the minimum wage decree as
 closing the door to price fixing 1egis1a-
 tion. A half dozen bills do stabilize wheat crop conditions by fixing minimum
 prices were pending when Congress ad-
 journed in March and will be reintro- duCed Tn the next session.