The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-10-06

was rendered by unanimous Notc'
the so-called liberals of the court
concmring fully with the So-callcd
conservatives. The death of NRA
was deplored by the president IN
the famous "horse and buggy in
terview. Again his attitude was
made clear in his support of the
Guffey-Snyder act-later also to
be killed by the cOurt-which pro-
posed to create, in effect, a little
NRA for the coal industry. So de-
voted was he to the Guffey act
that he wrote to a congressional
committee expressing the nope
that it would mot permit doubts
as to constitutionality, however
reasonable. to block the suggested
legislation" The president has re-
peatedly given evidence that he
would like a new Interpretation OF
the commerce clause to permit the
federal government to set up con-
trolls over industry which are now
forbidden.
What would it mean to the
country if the NRA philosophy
should be made effective? The SUI
preme court answered in the MA
decision:
If the commerce clause were
construed to reach all enterprises
and transactions which could be
said to have an indirect effect
upon interstate commerce, the
federal authority would embrace
practically all the activities of the
people and the authority of the
state over its domestic concerns
would exist only by sufferance Of
the federal government.
The court further said:
1t is not the province Of the
court to cons der the economic
advantages of such centralized
system. 1t is sufficient to say that
the federal constitution does not
provide for it. (ltalics ourS.l
There has been no confession
of error with respect to MIA. Inc
Baltimore speech of the president
in April showed continued adhcr-
ence to the NRA philosophy, and
the acceptance speech breathed a
spirit of continued opposition to
the present restrains. Yet the
president has never defined in
plain language the direction in
which he would take the country.
Evasion marks the attitude both
of the Democratic platform and
of Mr.. Roosevelt toward the great
issue of the campaign. Mr.. RoOSc-
Welt would take us forward. He
would lead us into green pastures
and beside the still waters. He
would bring the more abundant
life. These are fine phrases, but
what do they mean?
Plainly the president chafes un-
der constitutional restraints. But
he has proposed no amendment to
the constitution though the decl-
sion in the NRA case showed that
the central philosophy of the New
Deal is repugnant to the conStltu-
ton and cannot be validated in an
orderly way within the constitu-
ton as now written. Candor on
the part of the president would
have caused the party to propose
an amendment. He has chosen in
stead the way of political eXpedi-
ency. He has sought to hide his
evasion Of the issue behind a
screen of vague and delusive
promises.
But the drift or direction of the
Roosevelt policies is clear. The di-
rection is toward a Washington
bureaucracy with control over in
dustry and agriculture; toward
continuation Of governmental in
reference in the disputes between
employer and employee, intcrfcr-
ence that must in the end cripple
the right Of the employee to use
his full economic power against
the employer; toward continual
ton of wasteful methods of re-
lief; toward continued efforts to
get around the Constitution; to-
ward continuation OF enlargement
Of the present army of $4,000
federal employees.
The drift is toward high and
higher spending. 1t cannot be
otherwise under policies which
spawn Subsidized groups with in
satiable demands upon the treas
ury and the will to enforce their
demands by political action.
In advocating the defeat of Mr..
Roosevelt, The Post Dispatch does
not shut its eyes to the evils of