Evening star., 1935-06-05
A Stopgap Arrangement.

A Stopgap Arrangement.
President RooSevelt's new N. r. A,
a mere shadow of its former sturdy
self, is announced as a 'Stopgap ar
rangement" This designation by the
President of the plan to keep Skele-
tonized organization going for the next
nine months minus CODES of fair
competition-sounds significant. 1t
may be that the stopgap plan Is
merely preliminary to real fight to
constitutionalize the N. r. A. and
other parts of the New Deal. Or,
again, it may be that the period will
suffice to shove the N. R A. with its
governmental control of business, into
the discard
The President in his conference
with the press last Friday was posi-
tive in his statement that under the
decision of the Supreme Court IN the
Schechter n. r. A. case the Federal
Government was debarred from aid
ing the people to meet and solve eco
nomic and social problems of Nation
wide aspect In announcing the pro-
posed Set-up of shadow Of the orig
inal N. R A. the President yesterday
asserted that this was all that could
be done in the light of the ruling OF
the Supreme Court. In effect, he
proposes TO let the country try run
ming along without the hand Of Gov
ernment control, to prevent child
labor and unfair business prac-
tices. and without the regulation Of
hours and wages of labor under the
n. R. A. codes After such test,
some of the New Dealers believe, the
country will come to heel. Whether
he believes this, the President has
not indicated
Should there be great demand
from the country, from labor and
business and agriculture. for greater
Government control applied to intra-
state business Of all kinds. the Pres
ident will next April, or perhaps be-
fore be in a position to start cam
paign for a constitutional amend
ment. or for some other effective step
if one can be found. The ground
will be laid for the battle and 1t will
60 into the national election. The
President already has said that this is
an issue which the people will be
given a chance to decide.
The reaction to the challenge flung
by the President to the old Constltu-
tlonal order as proclaimed by the Su-
preme Court has not been as favorable
10 the White House as it was hoped.
What the reaction will be now that
the N R A has virtually been scrap
ped bv the announcement of the
President remains to be seen. That
the country is ready 10 go forward
with the New Dealers to a constitu-
tional amendment is by no means sure.
In fact. there is a great deal Of evi-
dence to the contrary. Time. how
ever, will show. If there should come
an upset of the A A. A. activities by
reason of court decisions, as has been
hinted, or if the administration should
feel constrained 10 back away from
the aid given the farmers by the
hundreds of millions of dollars. an
other important group might be added
10 the New Deal demand for a new
constitutional order.
In the meantime the N. r, A. is 10
be used as p faCt-indng agency Of
the Government If there is TO be
national campaign next year for the
conStitutionalizing of the N. r. A.
these facts will be available for use,
If they show that industry and labor
we're in far better position under the
codes than after the falling of the
codes they will be campaign material.
In addition, the Presidents plan calls
for Government contracts with and
purchases of supplies of all kinds only
from those concerns which live up TO
the standards of the codes.
The President was appealed to from
many quarters to seek to revise the
N. R A. so that as much as possible
might be accomplished through volun-
tary action by industries to maintain
standards and to prevent unfair busi-
ness practices. 1t was rumored that
he would follow such a policy. Appar-
ertly however, the President has de-
cided to- let things take their course,
preparing himself at the same time
for battle in the future.
Suspicious natures are beginning TO
regard Japan as casting military eye
at nearly all points of the compass
at once.