Evening star., 1936-12-30
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Prediction is now heard that one of
the things which will be conspicuous by
their absence in the impending Con-
gress is hard drive for drastic consti-
tutional changes. Especially is it ex-
pected that there will be no really serious
effort from any authoritative quarter to
secure adoption of amendments designed
to curb Supreme Court powers. Presi-
dent Roosevelt himself apparently meant
to give the lead for restraint in this
direction by his notable abStention
throughout the late campaign from any
suggestion that he personally advocates
SUCH moves. There are sure to be some
efforts to enact legislation to accom-
plish certain basic purposes sought un-
der N. r. A., the GufIey coal act and
other measures invalidated by the Su-
preme Court. But the intention of the
administration and its supporters is be-
lieved to be to pursue desired ends within
defined limitations, rather than by at
tempting to curtail the courts authority
to impede or thwart congressional action.
Bills providing for various constitutional
changes will be introduced in both House
and Senate. but there's no indication as
yet that Mr.. Roosevelt favors that
method of attaining New Deal objec-
tives or consolidating those already
achieved. Return of "happy days" is
thought possibly to have dampened the
ardor Of good many one-time Jealous
constitutional reformers.
4 *
How stormy and controversial the
course of neutrality legislation Is bound
to be is foreshadowed by the State De-
partments action in reluctantly" per-
mitting the Spanish loyalist government
to purchase $2,777, 900 worth Of American
aircraft. The department points out
that existing neutrality law exempts civil
war from the embargo on sale of arms
to belligerents. Both supporters and
opponents of an unqualified hands-of
war trade policy are nevertheless certain
to seize upon the airplane deal with
Madrid as q basis for argument. Neu-
trality will rival relief as an early and
bitter bone of contention on Capitol Hill
next month. Our old friend, freedom
Of the seas, is due once again to be
prolific theme of discussion. Undoubt-
edly there are elements which. while op-
posing any policy capable of embroil-
ing the United States in foreign war, are
not 100 per cent enthusiastic for . pro-
gram which would require neutral Amer
ican commerce to scuttle entirely from
the high seas. President Roosevelt will
unquestionably sound the keynote for
new neutrality legislation in either his
message to Congress or his inaugural
address He feels strongly on certain
phases of the question.
X 4 y
Oh1cials of both the Social Security
Board and the Securities and Exchange
Commission are discovering . consider
able amount Of popular confusion as to
which Of them is which, because of the
slight similarity in their names. Now
adays, amid their other accumulating
trials and tribulations, the Social Secur-
ity authorities frequently fnd their mail
clogged with letters written to the Social
Security and Exchange Board" while
Chairman Lands and his people. who
are Shepherding the bulls and bears, re-
ceive communications addressed to the
Social Securities and Exchange Com
mission" or misused words to that ef-
feet The wrongly addressed letters ana
inquiries in each case turn out to be
intended for the other organization. It's
said that even committees OF Congress
got the titles Of the two new Federal
neencio9 tVtstAd \ bit last year ViaiiA On