The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-02-14
The WASHINGTON Scene
By LAWRENCE TODD Federated Pres.

Washington. Charles Evans
Hughes, who stepped out of the
supreme court OF the United
States IN 1916 to accept the repub-
hcan nomination for president. Is
returned by President Hoover in
1880 as chief justice of that tri-
bunal- In the IA year interval ne
has been baked IN his White
House ambitions, has served four
years as secretary Of state, has
appeared frequently in the supreme
court as counsel for Standard Oil
the power and radio trust and 9th
er huge aggregations OF private
capital, and has become a Judge on
the panel Of the world court. But
always he has stood out as the
lawyer Of Big Business, the mast
er strategist Of American COM
mercial imperialism in this hemis-
phere.
Hoover was afraid Of Justice
Stone for the chief jus6ceship. I"
ran the comment when Hughes
name was sent 70 the senate with
the announcement Of Taft's resig-
nation. "Stone piqued Hoover by
refusing TO become the official
goat at the head Of the law en-
fOrcement commission, but the
medicine ball Judge would have
been forgiven that mistake il
time. What Hoover would not for
give was Stones occasional en-
dOrsement Of the position Of Jus
tice Holmes and Brandeis In civil
liberties cases in the court" And
yet there was real surprise that
Hoover did not reward Stone.
personal loyalty and activity, il
and outside the medicine ball cab
met by giving him Taft's place.
Throughout his long years OF
the federal bench Taft was a Tor
but on one occasion he was hu
mane-in his dissent to the ma
jority decision which nullified n,
minimum wage act In the Distric
Of Columbia. This law, establishing
q minimum wage board for II
safeguarding Of wage rates 70 n
working women In the federal dis
trict was put through congress aft
er many years of effort by II
National Consumers League an
the Women's Trade Union League
In 1923, on a test case brought b
hospital, It was declared uncor
stitutional, as interfering with n
right OF private contract Taft, &
that time much influenced by hi
daughter, who was a college ex'
! cutive at Bryn Mawr, astonishe
! his associates by agreeing wit
Bran6eis that a minimum wae
law was Just as sound as an eigl
: hour law for working women.
Hughes, IN his early years q
the supreme bench, joined IN
number Of liberal decisions {
working class legislation Wheth'
he viii revert % that liberal att
tude, now that he has grown o
: and rich IN the service Of the chi
anti-union employing corporation
In the country, remains to be see
Certainly he has said and done n
thing in the past IA years whil
e would justify hope that he wOu
: be anything but the Wall Sire
: legal expert on the bench henc
e forth. his course IN the state q
5 partment was one Of offensive
s sanctimOnious ruthlessness.
q .ililli
: Taft's sudden physical collap
: and the immediate shifting Of n
Hughes into his place-as thoul
70 reasSure the stock market !
8 Their than 70 merely I'll a vacsn
s after due elaboration on can,
!, dstes-adds one more chillI
Q shock to the many which have,
: the post war years, remined pol
> zeal Washington that Big Busins
N government has no time I
D fareweIls. Taft, chief guardian
/ property rights, has fallen;
le stantly Business thrust anotf
lie tried defender Of property rigl
e into the hne-the belt Of cont