The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-10-15
Minnesota NeUs
and Comment

BY r. w. HITCHCOCK

One of the Sly-dog tricks pulled by
Candidate Benson in his keynote was
this: MY opponent has said, You can
not amend this basic principle of
American government any more than
you can amend the Ten Command
ments' I believe the United States
Constitution was intended to be
amended by its founders and changed
from generation to generation, as new
problems arise"
Of course it was so intended, but 1t
was never intended by the founders of
the Aemrican government that its basic
principle should be amended. To
amend the basic principle Of the
American government would be to des-
troy the American government
Candidate Benson is probably in
telligent enough to understand this; he
was simply indulging in sharp practice
to put over an unfair inference that the
republican party is opposed to any and
all amendments of the Constitution.
Political events in Minnesota and in
the nation during the last two years
have aroused discussion as to the Con-
Stitution and the courtS-the amend
ment of the Constitution and the
imitation of the power of the courts.
The American Bar Association,
through its jurisprudence committee,
has recently august 1886 called at
tention to the fact that danger does
not lie in proposals for the amend
ment of the Constitution but in at
temptS to Shackle the power Of the
courts through political or legislative
action. The process of amending the
Constitution is necessarily slow, af-
fording abundant opportunity for study
and discussion, while political or legiS-
lative action may effect sweeping
changes ere the people are aware.
In Minnesota vigorous attempts have
recently been made to control the courts
by party action for party benefit.
These attempts were openly made in
1884 by the farmer-labor party when
they urged the election of judges who
will render the decisions We want"
This year the farmer-labor party went
further and attempted to nominate and
elect political ward-healerS to the SUI
preme bench. Fortunately the people
knocked out this attempt in the first
round-the primaries.
In the federal field Ernest Lundeen,
now farmer-labor candidate for the
United States senate from Minnesota,
is moving for an increase in the num-
Der of judges of the supreme court of
the United States. There can be but
one purpose back of the Lundeen move
to pack the court so that it's de-
cisions will be agreeable to the party
in power.
Attempts to cripple the power of the
courts so as to destroy the American
SyStemof checks and balances, in which
the legislative, executive and judicial
powers supplement and correct each
other, was properly denounced by Mar
tin Nelson in his keynote speech as at
temptS to destroy the American Con-
stitution and the American system of |
government-whether consciously made |
for that purpose or not.
Striking evidence that communism !
has pretty we'll taken over the farmer
labor party in this campaign is given
in the election by the farmer-labor high !
command of Ernest Lundeen as the
farmer-labor candidate for United
States senator Few men in the public |
eye are so thoroughly communistic in
thought and action as Lundeen.
Would RuSsianize America-Erne |
Lundeen was a member of group call
ing themselves 1.-The First American |
Rank and File Labor Delegation" which
went to Russia to study Soviet con-
ditions in 1928.
When the delegation returned, it |
issued a statement, which Lundeen
signed. This statement concluded with |
the declaration that the Russian Soviet
Union is destined ito become an ir-
reStable example to the workers the
world over"
The conclusion which the report of
the delegation seeks to enforce is that !
America should follow in the footsteps
of Russia and become a communist |
nation.
Red Activity in Congress Outside of
voting on various roll calls, Mr.. Lun-
deems activities in congress appear to
have been confined pretty much to the
collection and publication of radical in
formation and data. Both the collec-
ton and the publication of this data
is done at the expense of the taxpayers.
Mr.. Lundeen is paid $4,000 per year
and supplied with clerks at cost of
5000 per year in the collection of this
material. Publication is through the
medium of the Congressional Record
Mr.. Lundeens methods are common,
perhaps in congress but are unique to
the hinterland. At the end of the day,
as the house is about to adjourn, with
confusion prevailing and only handful
of members present, Congressman Lun-
deem will ask permission ito proceed
for one minute" He will say a few
words, which probably nobody hears,
and will then ask permission to extend