Evening star., 1935-10-18
The Federalists.


Governor George H. Earle of Pennsyl-
vania who rode into Office last Fall as
supporter of President Roosevelt, is an
ardent protagonist of an amendment to
the Constitution. The amendment would
legalize such New Deal acts as the N.
R. A, now defunct; the Guffey coal act
and others of the same galaxy. Governor
Earle is far more outspoken in regard to
this matter than is the titular head of
his party. He did not, however in his
recent address on the Constitution be-
fore the Herald Tribune Forum, state in
specific terms the amendment which he
believed should be adopted.
The Pennsylvania Governors address
made one thing clear at least, provided,
of course, his views represent fairly the
position of the Roosevelt New Deal 1t
is that Federal CONTROL instead of State
control, of things economic and social
must be had The Governor talked of
wage slavery" which he said exists
under the Constitution as it stands to-
day. A decision of the Supreme Court
of the United States holding invalid the
Gu1ey coal act, he said, would be "as
unspeakable misinterpretation of the
Constitution" as the Dred Scott de-
cislon, which interpreted the Consti-
tuition as permitting "chattel slavery"
And he ADDED that if the Constitution
be so interpreted as to make it impos
sible for the Federal Government to
insure labor the right of collective bar
gaining under the Wagner act, then
the Constitution will have to be
amended"
1t is in vain that those who believe
in the sanctity of home rule and State
government point out to such New Deal
ers as Governor Earle that the remedy
lies in the hands of the States them
selves if they wish to improve social
and economic conditions by law. Gov
ernCr Earle is of those who believe
that the Federal Government must
tackle the job, despite the fact that
many, indeed all of the States, have laws
of their own to improve the conditions
of labor and to better social conditions.
The Federal issue is therefore presented
to the voters provided Governor Earle's
party chief, President Roosevelt, is will
ing to advocate it. If it wins, the country
will see a centralized Government in
Washington such as has not yet been
dreamed of as possible Governor Earle
argues at length about the right of the
American people to amend their Con-
Stitution. Surely, no one in his right
senses would deny that right. 1t is a
right that has been exercised in the past.
The one amendment made by the people
which they later rejected was the eight
eenth. Governor Earle might consider this
For that amendment gave to the Federal
Government absolute control over the
liquor traffic. 1t was argued before the
adoption of the eighteenth amendment
that it was necessary to put the Federal
Government in complete control, since
the States were unable to do the job.
When Federal control was in vogue there
was a revulsion of feeling II do not be-
lieye," said Governor Earle, that the aca-
demic right of State to authority which
it cannot exercise should be permitted
to prevent the Federal Government from
acting on a national scale for the ma
tional good
This federalist doctrine comes with a
strange sound from sc-called Democratic
lips. Is the New Deal party to become,
in effect, the federalist party? Or has
it already become so?
Opponents of a great concentration of
power in the Federal Government over
all the concerns of the American people
are not in favor of wage slavery" They
are, however, opposed to great bureau
cracy in Washington, dealing with wages
and other matters of vital concern to
the people, bureaucracy that once it
is established may become a slave driver,