, 1935-08-07
WASHINGTON
BY Ray Tucker

ny nay Iucker
Dignity Poker-faced George
HuddleSton holds a full house in the
scrap over the death sentence" al
though administrationites say he
deals from the bottom Of the deck.
Messrs. Byrns and Rayburn are
still trying to play up the iniquities
OF holding companies as revealed in
the Black investigation. But the
Alabama member pits the dignity
and prestige Of the house against
the unwanted presence Of Outsider
Bonnie" Cohen at conference ses-
sions. The house has been snubbed
too often by the senate not to re-
spond TO that appeal. He also gave
his colleagues the alibi that they
we're turning thumbs down on
BLACK Derby Bonnie" and not on
FDR. You can imagine how that
impertinent issue will help at cleo
ton time.
The New Dealers showed ignor-
ance Of congressional psychology.
They promoted the Black ferreting
in the hope it would shift votes in
the house. But members feel they
cannot afford to back down for fear
it will be accepted as admission Of
a guilty conscience.
Volume Although Attorney
General Cummings expresses salts
faction with the modified ban on
gold suits. the governments legal de-
lender Is simply making the best Of
a bad bargain. Competent legal au-
thorities maintain that the six
months leway accorded prospective
htigants in the Senate bill will per-
NIT the filing Of enough tests suits
to embarrass the department Of JUS
tee for years.
President Roosevelt has nlaced the
gold suit ban or his must" list, but
the inside story Is that Mr.. Cum
mingS was its chief advocate. Treas
ury officials have carefully avoided
any definite commitment to this eff
fort to deny citizens a day in court.
They simply state that it would not
injure the governments credit.
The senate committees vote Of
IL to 7 for the revamped bill does
not reflect sentiment against ad-
ministration proposals to close the
courts to aggrieved litigants. The
seven IN the minority registered OPP
position to any attempt to safeguard
the gold devaluation act.
Woes - President Roosevelt Is
not pressing his constitutional
amendment veSting net power in the
central government. but his aides
still speak feelingly OF the results
OF the supreme courts blockade. A
private survey reveals that the New
Deals major troubles date from
May q.
Four legislative bulwarks OF the
New Deal were progressing nicely
on Capitol Hill until that day. The
Public Utility. the Social Security.
the Omnibus Banking and the AAA
bills had passed the house in Jig
time. They were on their way to
speedy enactment when the court
sounded off. Then doubts arose,
these measures were subjected to
scrutiny for constitutional defects
and revamped where necessary.
Now, more than two months later.
they are still in conference and
controversy - thanks TO the SUI
preme court. The Guffey Coal bill
is not even out of comr.ttee. The
NRA, of course. has washed up.
The legislative stalemate tells only
half the story. Professors have be-
gun a bombardment Of the AAA
through suits to recover taxes. The
republicans have dared to assume
the defensive. Conservative demo-
Gratis have become unruly. And new
tests Of the New Deals constitutions
alitv start toward the supreme court
each day.
Aviation - The War Department
has quietly taken steps to insure
that there shall be no repetition OF
the fatalities which befell its filters
when theg were called on to carry
the air mail over mountains and
through snowstorms.
On private calendar days house
and senate have passed a bill au-
thorizing the department to investi-
gate strategic areas for permanIt
Air Corps stations. Although care
fully worded. the plan is to train avi-
ators in cold weather and fog in
Alaska and the Atlantic Northeast;
in the mountainous regions Of the
Rocky Mountains: over long water
jumps in the Caribbean.
Nobody mentioned the air mail
fiasco during the consideration Of
the measure. They didn't have to.
1t was passed without a dissenting
voice or debate in both houses. With
its provision for establishment of
training fields and depots on the
continent and foreign possessions
the measure marks belated recogni-
ton OF the importance Of aerial de-
fence In the next a