Evening star., 1934-03-07

Constitution men like Beck and Moses
and Mills and Watson and Smoot. are
extremists who when occasion seems
to demand place upon the document
the strictest of constructions. Yet the
Supreme Court has tended to liberalize
the Constitution from time to time by
interpretations put upon it. especially
in relation to the more complicated
conditions of life which exist now
than when the Constitution was writ
ten. Thus at present the struggle
seems to be between the strict and
the broad constitutional construc-
tionists"
The Asbury Park Evening Press
offers the judgment: Too much is
said about the Constitution nowadays
with the attitude that the first law
of the land is definite exposition
Of detailed policies to which the Ma
tion must indefinitely adhere. Yet
the spirit of its authors was obviously
aimed at the enunciation of only
broad principles, with a desire to let
the future decide for itself just what
specific policies are needed to suit its
requirements"
AS to present conditions, the Es-
canada (Mich) Daily Press offers the
opinion: During this new deal
period, political ideas are in fiux. The
major parties, throughout the years,
have taken on new doctrines, until
now they both stand for things vastly
different from those for which they
came into being
Observing the development of fun
damental issues" throughout the
country, the San Jose Mercury Herald
concludes that unless the minority
party abandons its traditional prin-
ciples, a new party would not be
necessary to get them before the
people" The Watertown IN. "
Daily Times denies that ''the Repub-
lican party is either dying or dead"
While the Chicago Daily News is con-
vinced that "the Republican party. re-
organized and revivified, has a great
and immediate role to play in our
national life," an opinion which is
shared by number of other papers.
The Keokuk Gate City holds that ut
is too soon to believe that either party
Is to disappear from the American
political scene" The Rock Island
Argus questions the probability that.
in a division between conservatives
and radicals, two parties will be demo-
cratic.
The constitutionality of parts of
the presidential program" states the
kansas City Times, remains to be
determined. Even if the program
proves success, or marks progress
to reassuring degree, there will re-
main irritations arising from some
phases of its execution. In what man
ner and to what extent political opin-
ion may change before another presi-
dental election are wholly conjec-
tural at this time. But whatever the
changes, 1t would seem less likely that
we shall have an entirely new party
than that both the old parties will
undergo marked changes In their atti-
tude on national policies. Third-party
movements in this country have dis
couraged .repetitions.
The Scranton Times feels that
Democrats who disagree with the ad-
ministration would leave the party.
while the Nashville Tennessean holds
to the belief that, according to ira
dition, the administration will have
support ''in time of an emergency"
The Pontiac, Mich. Daily Press says
that voters in general are satisfied to
show their sentiments by a simple
shift from one party to the other. The
Yakima Daily Republic sees a de-
velopment under the direct primary
through which political parties are
no longer vehicles Of expression."