Evening star., 1935-05-13
Groups Are Spreading.

In their places have grown up
groups which seem to be endlessly
spreading. A few years ago. the fore
most groups with Washington lobby
ing headquarters we're those of the
veterans, manufacturers, labor, etc.
The New Deal has developed such new
high-powered publicity promoting out
fits as the Commit zee for the Nation
led by Wall Street money agitators:
the Union for Social Justice, led BY a
Detroit priest; the American Liberty
League. and now the Conference of
Mayors
Just for the information Of mayors,
they need not weep about the state
ments being put out by the New
Dealers (Hopkins, ct all. implying
that cities are not going to get much
money unless their credit is good
and they can borrow it from the Gov
ernment.
The situation on that is that Mr..
Hopkins UtSely tOdnts to giue a1Ddy
Just as little money as possible. He
Uould rather lend it. Howeuer, the
financial situation of most OF the
cities is no secret. II their credit
range should euer be made the
strict test. they Donld reUer get
any money But Hopkins must
gtUe them the money because the
relief problem ts largely in their
hands.
Also, many cities loom larger than
States in the fiscal and public works
fields. For instance, the 10 largest
fiscal units of Government are: The
Federal Government, five big cities
and four States, ranking in that
order. New York city spends more for
its police than 35 States do for their
entire government.
Hopkins merely wants to make the
cities borrow wherever possible before
the free Federal money starts to flow.
Inflationists Step In.
The overlooked fact behind the
existing bonus controversy is that 1t is
not primarily bonus controversy.
What has happened is that the in
flationists in Congress stole the bonus
issue to promote their money ideas.
Representative Patman, author of
the prevailing BILL has always been a
bonusite, but primarily he is an in
f1ationist. He lives, breathes, walks
and talks the easy money issue. The
character of the men who put his bill
over in the Senate shows the distinc-
ton even more clearly. Every sena-
torial page boy knows that Senator
Thomas never ceases to let his money
ideas guide ali his actions. And no
one ever saw Huey Long Illuminating
about the soldiers before.
1t ,ods perfect infationist strategy.
By s10iptng the bonus issue and
making it their o1pn they managed
to deUelop their maximum possible
support in Congress for their real
issue.
Talk has developed in Congress
lately about changing the powers Of
the Supreme Court. II is only talk.
What started it, of course, was the
5-to-4 decision outlawing the railroad
pension system. Representative Ram
say of West Virginia, who Is very
good lawyer, has formally proposed a
constitutional amendment in the
House. It would prevent inferior
courts from invaidating acts Of Con-
gress and permit the Supreme Court
such power only by two-thirds vote.
Representative Lewis of Maryland
has dug up an old unpaSsed Borah bill
of 1923 which would require vote of
to for invalidation of congressional
laws. The interesting part of Borah's
old proposal is that 1t assumed Con-
gress could change court procedure
without a constitutional amendment.
The only thing the Constitution says
on the subject is that the Supreme
Court shall have appellate jurisdic-