The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-12-23

Washington, Dec. 23-While pro-
found and solemn legal arguments
as to what to do about the u. s. SUI
preme court proceed amid the gen.
eral confusion among liberal admin
is.catioinists and members OF con.
greSs, one substantial but loosely
formed group Is engaged in a hard
boiled maneuver which 1t feels is
the only effective thing that can
be done for some time to come.
The theory OF the maneuver rests
on a widespread belief that Chief
Justice Hughes has been highly wor-
ried over the prestige of the court
since the election. 1t Is important
New Deal strategists reason, to keep
him worried, and hesitant to go
against the will Of the people as he
may conceive it to be expressed
throughacts Of congress.
This strategy is based on an as
sertion Of the late Justice Oliver
Wendell Holmes that 1.-THE court
keeps Its windows open to noises
from the outside"
The noises will begin In big
way after congress meets. A
Washington convention Of would
be Consultation amenders and
c0urt-curberc. II IL achieves moth
ing more concrete, will contribute
heavily to the uproar.
You may expect some loud
threats to pack" the court by
adding new liberal members. Al
though sentiment for that is far
from prep0nderant, there's more
Of it in the innner White House
circle than you might think
There is better than-even
chance Of 1t, according to present
indications, IL the court invali-
dates the social security act or
legislation Il similar importance.
Liberal insiders, after deducing
from the 4-to-4 New York unenl-
ployment insurance decision and the
courts refusal to decide the Duke
Power case that Hughes is highly
worried, add that Justice Roberts
heretofore usually on the conserva-
tive side-has been "half-worried." :
Meanwhile, Brandeis, Stone and
Cardoza continue to be liberals and
McReynolds, Butler, Van Devanetr,
and Sutherland remain stubborn
and unafraid-even of a popular
majority Of 100000.
Sharecroppers Get a Voice
There's story behind the APP
pcintment Of a genuine share
cropper from the Arkansas cotton
fields to the presidents committee
or. farm tenancy, which will report
on a program to reduce tenancy
evils.
The "cropper" is w. L. Black
stone, OF Wynne, Ark, representing
ths Southern Tenant Farmers ui1-
ion. He Is 81 years old, father OF
10 children, a Baptist missionary
preacher on Sundays, and an elo-
uuent, effective union organizer.
A resettlement official In Missis-
sippi had asked county agent Tor
the department Of agriculture's
powerful, far flung extension service
WHY he didn't call in sharecrop-
per to serve on the county council
which handles AAA matters and
other items linking government TO
farmers.
e.yh:, hell. sir" the county
agent replied, "you don't put
chickens on poultry board, DO
your"
The story got back to Gardner
jackson, who represents the
sharecropper union in Washing
ton. Jackson told department OF
agriculture officials that II that
was their attitude he would spread
the news far and wide.
He won his point--last-minute
appointment Of Blackstone to the
presidential committee.
A JeffersOnian Middle
Thomas jefferson was one OF the
most voluminous writers In our his
tory, but he neglected to say where
he thought q memorial to him
should be erected and what kind
Of structure 1t should be.
Hence q bitter row, now that
there's $3,000.000 available for such
memorial and the Thomas Jefferson
memorial commission tentatively
-~@--~~-s---s.s-A.--a.-sa-