Evening star., 1936-01-05

are men willing TO bet land finan.
cially equipped to pay their debts)
that a Supreme Court decision un-
favorable to Triple A. II the court
decides that way, will not be followed
by drastic drop in prices Of farm
crops, nor even any drop at all.
To assume the court will decide one
way or the other about Triple A is
only for the purpose of argument. 1t
is field in which assumption is both
unsafe as to accuracy and perhaps
little questionable as to taste. But,
assuming that the Supreme Court
holds Triple A unconstitutional, what
political trends would arise from such
an event?
What would President Roosevelt do?
AS to that one is reminded-indeed,
one is often reminded-of Judgment
about Mr. Roosevelt's personality by
one Of his most admiring biographers,
the author Of THE Roosevelt Revolu-
tion." Mr.. Ernest K. Lindley: Mr..
Roosevelt is an extremely complex
person. 1t is not always possible to
forecast in which combination Mr..
Roosevelts qualities are going TO as
Sert themselves
No Doleful Predictions.
But I imagine it is safe to say Mr..
Roosevelt would not make about farm
ing the doleful predictions ne mace
about business after the Supreme
Court declared N. r. A. invalid 1t is
safe to take for granted that he would
not repeat his May forecast of 36-cent
wheat and scent cotton.
Will Mr.. Roosevelt repeat the spirit
in which he last May received the Su-
preme Court decision about N. r. A.?
On that occasion there can be little
doubt that as between him and his
N. r. A, and, on the other hand, the
Supreme Court and the Constitution,
Mr.. Roosevelt believed the country
would side with him. In that ex-
traordinary conference of an hour
and a half with newspaper men on
May 80, Mr.. Roosevelt said directly
that the attitude of the court and the
Constitution combined must some.
how be overcome. He said the courts
Interpretation of the Constitution
amounted to a vain attempt to take
America back to the horse and buggy
age" He said it was an issue which
the country must meet. When a
newspaper man asked him if there
was any way of achieving what the
President wanted except by amend
ing the Constitution, Mr.. Roosevelt
laughed and made cryptic remark
which implied there might be an
other way.
Most of us inferred that Mr..
Roosevelt felt he had posed a great
historic issue before the country and
that he had the popular side of it.
When response by the country, com
ment by the press. and the like, was
unfavorable to what the President had
said. most observers felt he was dis
appointed and little shocked.
e.. Changes the Question"
When, about three weeks later. the
President sent to Congress, rather
sensatlonally, message suggesting a
tax measure for the distribution of
wealth, many of us felt he was irving
to divert the country from disapproving
talk about what he had said about the
Supreme Court and the Constitution
practlc1ng the political art of chang
ing the question"
Yet the feeling must persist on Mr..
RooSeveltS part, that he is checked by
the supreme Court and the Constitu-
ton. II. last June, he felt it prudent
TO drop th1 issue; if, in the event OF a
Supreme Court decision unfavorable to
triple A, Mr.. Roosevelt does not revive
the issue, it will be only because he
finds the country unSympathetic to his
views and more loyal to the Supreme
Court, to the Constitution and to the
traditions that cluster about them.
After last Mays unanimous Supreme
Court decision adverse to N. r. A.. the
administration became uneasy about
what the court might do to triple A.
As if in anticipation of an unfavorable
decision on triple A, Secretary of Agri-
culture Wallace and his advisers sent
to Congress several amendments max
ing triple A more flexible, providing al
tentative ways of giving benefits to
farmers. if the present method should
be condemned. 1t is quite evident
Mr.. Roosevelt has emphasized it in re-
cent speeches-that the administration
intends to continue to give special and
favorable treatment to farmers, and
hopes to hold the farm vote in next
November's presidential election.
As for the, Republicans. many Of
them subscribe to the theory that
something must be done about the farm
problem At the same time they op-
pose triple A because of its principles
Of limitations of crops and Government
craftsmanship imposed on the farmers.
The Republicans are waiting until the
Supreme Court passes on triple A. After
the decision is handed down the Re-
publican leaders will come forward
with whatever their farm proposal is
to be.
(Copyright. 1850