The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-09-19
LEAGUE FLAYS
LABOR ACT
AS|NVAL|D
BY EARL GOODWIN

ny EhhL OOO"AN
A sharp attack on the National
Labor Relations act was issued
yesterday at Jouett Shouse's
American Liberty League press
conference in the New Willard.
Friends of the labor relation S
act Immediately charged that the
Liberty Leagues legal opinion on
the Roosevelt administration
labor policy was written by law
yers for the Weirton Steel Com
pany and the U. S. Steel Com
pany, both of them already bit
terly opposed to Rooseveltlan
labor policies and acts.
Press conference questions
brought out the fact that r. F..
Desvernine. chairman of the law
yers' group of the Liberty League,
is a member of counsel for the
U. S. Steel Company, and that
Earl Reed, subcommittee chair
man, is counsel for the Weirton
Steel works, bitter opponent OF
Administration policies, which
won a big case against MIA.
Politics Is Denied
Shortly after the conference,
however, Mr.. Desvernine issued a
statement in which he said:
"The National Lawyers COM
mittee of the American Liberty
League was chosen without ref.
orence to the politics Of its men,
bers and in many instances
without even knowing the pO-
litical OpiSiOns of the persons
selected, but solely because of
the recognized ability and pro-
feSSiOnal competency of the
members of the committee to
express an opinion upon queS-
tiOnS Of constitutional law.
While 1 have not inquired and
do not know the politics of a
great many of the members Of
this committee, l do recOg-
nize some Is names as persons
publicly known to be Democrats.
ut has been charged that
members Of this committee rep
resent big business l would
not know how to choose any
committee of well known law
yerS competent in the field of
constitutional law throughout
the United States without chO0S-
ing some lawyers who had large
business interests for clients, be-
cause if q lawyers ability in a
community is recognized, he
generally has some important
business interest to represent"
The So Liberty League lawyers
find the National Labor Relations
Act unconstitutional. The act,
they say, steps on the toes of both
employers and employees.
Hints Court Fight
Mr.. ShouSe said the Liberty
League might enter into litigation
over the labor act as we'll as others
of the Roosevelt acts which the
league believes unconstitutional.
Asked if he would go to the SUI
preme Court, he said the matter
had been discussed in league cir.
cles, but up to now had been
vetoed.
One much-discussed question
following Huey Longs death re,
CARDS the man or men who will
attempt to seize the tremendous
share-the-wealth following the late
KingfiSh had built up throughout
the country.
There are said to be 10000. 900
Long share-the-wealthers who
have signed on the dotted line in
the belief they could vote them
selves a kingdom, just as Senator
Long promised.
Coalition Hinted
Some political observers won.
der if the Townsend old age pen.
sion group will be taken into the
Long camp. The Townsend group,
by the way. is still hopeful. Ten
thousand of them met in Indiana
last week. Another large group
held a meeting in Chicago Sun.
day last.
Daniel A. Roper, soft-spoken
Secretary OF Commerce, limited
what the slogan for the Roosevelt
reelection campaign may be when
he made Constitution Day
speech to the Kiwanians at Alex.
dria:
forward with the COnstitu-
ton"
Many take this to mean that if
the opposition starts out to defeat
President Roosevelt with Back
to the Constitution, the Demo.
Gratis will accept the challenge
and go to bat with it.
Hits Lincoln Story
Another thing Secretary Roper
did in that speech was to refute
the idea that Abraham Lincoln