Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-30
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Crowded galleries have listened all
week to the Senate debate on the
Parker nomination to the Supreme
Court, but if they expected to be
| thrilled by history-making oratory they
| were disappointed. Barring Borah's
opening speech, and brief but telling
| 1nterlude by Senator Ashurst, Democrat,
| OF Arizona, anticipated fireworks were
| conspicuous by their absence. Most of
the talk, both in offense and defense,
was desultory, dull and dreary. Neither
OF Judge Parker's principal protagonists
-Overman, Democrat, of North Caro-
lima, and Fess, Republican, of Ohio
has the gift of eloquence. Even SEN
ator Borah's silver tongue did not wag
with its accustomed fire until he quit
discussing the purely legalistic aspects
| OF Parkers yellow Dog" decision in the
West Virginia miners case and dealt
| with the broad moral issues involved.
When Borah lets himself go on the
eternal verities, especially If they in
| volve the constitutional rights Of the
Senate, the Idahoan has few peers and
no superiors. Most observers felt that
the Parker debate degenerated into the
| commonplace the moment Borah sat
| down.
Senator Ashurst put his finger on a
| point in the Parker case on which
| more has been said in private on Cap
| itol Hill than in public. The Arizona
Democrat explained that, other disquali-
f1cations apart, he opposes the North
Carolinian's elevation to the Supreme
Court bench because Ashurst considers
Parker mediocrity. The Senator read
on the names of a group of associate
| justices OF the Supreme Court, for whom
ne has had opportunity to cast votes
| OF onfirmation-Taft, Brandeis, Nc
| Reynolds, Sutherland, Sanford, Butler
ana Stone among them. They enlisted
his support, Ashurst declared, because
each and all Of them measured up to
the high standards of "capability, intel
iigence, courage, character, experience,
intellect and craftsmanship" with which
the American people believe the Judges
OF their court Of highest resort should
be endowed. Parker, bluntly asserted
Ashurst. lacks those virtues. The Sen
ator described the North Carolinian
as a "weakling" whom the Senate
should refuse to Swallow"
n X X n
] How many votes for or against Par
ker were created by the conspicuous
presence on the Senate floor of Rep
resentative Oscar De Priest of Illinois.
Chicago colored Representative, during
the early hours Of the confirmation
debate? The question was eagerly can
vassed in the Senate. Some thought
his appearance, presumably due to the
National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People fight against
Parker, would create sentiment in the
! judges favor among Southern Demo-
cratic Senators. De Priest, whose
snow-white hair atop his swarthy face
gives him not undistinguished aspect.
occupied a Senator's seat in the rear
row on the Republican side, directly
behind Mr.. Borah and between Sena-
tors Waterman of Colorado and Blaine
| North Carolina figured in another
sensational Supreme Court confirma-
ton contest in 1853, at the tail end
of the Fillmore administration. The
retiring President had appointed a
sitting Tarheel United States Senator,
| George Badger, to a vacancy on the
bench. AS Badger was a Wing and
the Franklin Pierce administration was
about to take office, the Democrat
controlled Senate withheld confirma-
ton of Badger in the knowledge that
the incoming President would appoint
a Democrat to the Supreme Court.
| Such a nomination duly ensued and
John A. Campbell of Alabama was
named by President Pierce. He was
promptly confirmed and served until he
resigned owing to Alabama's secession
from the Union on the eve of the
Civil War.
Alexander Legge, chairman of the
Federal Farm Board, didn't mince
words in his address before the United
States Chamber of Commerce In
Washington. The Nations business
leaders have seldom heard a guest
| speaker" talk palmer turkey to them
than Legge did, when he tainted them
for pretending to know more about
farm problems than the nine good men
and true now graphing with it in Uncle
Sans name. Legge's feud with the