The Washington times., 1936-01-08
NATION AWAITS
REPLY TO
COURT
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES
international News Service


President Roosevelt will address
the country tonight. via the radio,
for the second time within a week
but under vastly different cir
cumStances.
On Friday night he spoke to an
extraordinary session of Con-
gress, ostensibly on the state of
the nation" but his millions Of
listeners heard, instead, an i'm
piled criticism Of European and
ASiatic warmongering and a slash
ing attack on the "entrenched
greed" of those who have opposed
his recovery program.
Tonight Mr.. Roosevelt speaks
ostenSibly to his own party on the
anniversary of Andrew JackSon'S
birth. Democrats gathered at
1000 Jackson Day dinners
throughout the country will be his
immediate audience. But the
greater audience will be listening
for something elsa possible re-
ply to the Supreme Court. which
has wrecked the main pillars Of
his economic planning.
May Speak Out
Mr.. Roosevelt avoided an oppor-
tunity late yesterday to speak his
own feelings concerning the courts
eraSure of the far-flung AAA. He
simply said, answering scores of
questions at press conference,
that the hiStory-making decisions
were being studied and that moth
ing concrete had been worked out
to substitute for the blotted-out
legislation.
But in the aggressively Demo
cratic atmosphere that invariably
attends Jackson Day dinners, the
President may, 1t was said today,
be constrained to speak out. Demo
cratic oratory at jackson dinners
is of the militant variety. It is
the party'S big whoop-la night,
and q call to the faithful to spring
to arms.
The opportunity will thus be
there for something spectacular
from Mr.. Roosevelt, whether he
accepts it or not.
The Washington dinner is to
be a gala, as well as costly, af-
fair. Nearly 1,70O diners have
paid $50 a plate for the privilege
of attending, $45 Of which Is to
go to the party treasury to help
decrease that enormous $500, 900
deficit which has hung over the
national committee since the Al
Smith campaign.
Expect $25O,OO0 Profit
Dinners elsewhere throughout
the country range lower in plate
price, but the plan has been to
leave a margin in them all for
the treasury. w. Forbes Morgan,
the part~ treasurer, and Big
jim" Farley, the national chair
man, hope to realize some $780,
900 by tonight's festivities.
There has been considerable
undersurface gvumbling among
the faithful over the cost Of these
dinners. Administration officials
in the upper-Salary brackets we're
invited to put up $50 per plate
with an "or else" accompani-
ment. Even the lower-paid en-
ployes. in the 400 and $1,000
brackets, were solicited for the
IS and $40 affairs. The result is
that there is going to be a whale
of an attendance all over the
country.
Meanwhile. members of the ma
tional committee were drifting
into the Capital today for tomor-
rows session which will deter
mine the time and place for the
national convention in June.
Two Cities in Contest
The contest between cities for
the convention has narrowed
down to Chicago and Philadel-
phia, with the issue apparently in
doubt. Whichever agrees to put
up the most money probably will
get the show. Both cities have
initially offered $4,000. Farley
says he has a sentimental at
tachment" for Chicago because Of
1892, but there are some other in
fluential figures in the party who
lean to an Eastern site.
If the party managers realize
their estimates of $250,O00 profit
on the Jackson dinners tonight.
and the committee auctions off
the convention for $4,000 or
more, it will enable the party to
climb out of the red. and face the
'36 campaign with a clean slate
but broke.
The task then will be to finance
the fight this year, and the Dem
ocrats are going to be hard put
to find "big money"