The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1936-07-03
COMMENT ON
WORLD EVENTS

The government of Canada, accord
ing to advices from Ottawa, will ap-
peal from the decision of the Canadian
supreme court which knocked out
large part of the Canadian New Deal.
From the highest court in the Donin-
ion of Canada, the case will go to the
highest court in the British Empire,
the privy council, or judicial commit
council agrees with the supreme court
Of Canada, the matter will be consid-
cred settled. If the privy council holds
that the dominion government of Cam
ada has authority to pass these laws,
they will 60 into effect.
No outsider can do more than guess
at the outcome of this appeal; but
there are two reasons for guessing
that the privy council will revalidate
the condemned laws, at least in part.
First: The unemployment insur-
ance measure, knocked out by the
supreme court, is closely modelled on
the British plan that has been working
for many years. 1t is little diff
cult to imagine the privy council,
body of home bred Britishers, deny
ing to the Canadian national govern
ment powers which are exercised daily
by their own national government.
Second: The Canadian constitution
on one point is exactly opposite to
the constitution Of the United States.
Our constitution says that powers
not expressly delegated to the cen
tral government are reserved to the
states or to the people. The Canadian
constitution says that powers not ex-
pressly given to the provinces are re-
served to the central government.
However it may come out, the fact
remains that the peoples of that COM
nonwealth of nations which we call
the British Empire have the habit of
making their governments do any
thing which the peoples want them to
do. They may take roundabout road
to their goal, "a reeling road, a rolling
road" as Chesterton put it; but they
generally get there at the last.
John j. Bennett, Jr., attorney gen
eral of the state of New York, and
Henry Epstein, solicitor general Of the
same state, have asked the U. S.
Supreme Court for rehearing on the
New York minimum wage law, knock
ed out by a five to four decision a
few weeks ago The brief making this
request says that the Court miscon-
strued the basis of the petition (of
the state) and thereby omitted prop
erly to appraise the scope of the re-
view sought"
In reality, the state from the first
has challenged the binding character
of the Adkins case, in which, 13 years
ago, the supreme court knocked out
the minimum wage law for the Dis
trict of Columbia. The opinion of the
court, by Mr.. Justice Butler, did not
take up this challenge; but merely
assumed that the Adkins case, bitterly
criticised by Chief Justice Taft at the
time and by all social reformers ever
since, is a perfect thing and alto
gether lovely.
Premier Leon Blum, of France, has
announced that his government viii
work necessarily for peace, for the
reduction Of ornaments including
airplanes, and for the naturalization
Z of the manufacture of all war mate
rial
Emphasizing the loyalty of France
to the League of Nations, Blum holds
that group of nations affected BY
any aggression must be prepared te
use their entire power against az
aggressor. In other words, Mr.. Blum
believes that peace is like liberty
people get it who are ready to fight
!