The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1936-04-15

NEW YORK, as of week ending
April 11-(By Associated Press
Seldom has anything in American
politics evoked so many jibes from
critics, so much ridicule, as the
Brain Trust" of the Roosevelt
New Deal
Since the expression was origin
ated by a political writer in the
80 campaign, it has been the spec
ial delight of the opposition. 1t was
always certain to bring a laugh at
Republican meeting, or Liberty
League gathering.
But the Republicans have follow
ed the example of the New Deal
They now have their own Brain
Trust
1t was originated by Henry P
Fletcher, Chairman of the Repub-
lican National Committee. Thus
far, Fletcher has retained the serv-
ices of nine prominent college pro-
fessors. They will have academic
assistants and all will be paid out
of National Committee funds
They form the research divi-
sion" of the National Committee.
Theirs is the task of preparing
analytical criticism of New Deal
legislation for the use of Repub-
lican campaigners.
The G. o. P. Brain Truster' No.
is Prof. o. c. Saxon, of Yale. He
will be Chief of staff. Two of his
associates, Charles j. Bullock and
T. N. Carver, are emeritus profess
sors at Harvard.
They were on the faculty when
the President was Harvard stu
dent
THE division is no: Brain Trust
in the sense of a small group OF
personal advisors named by Presi-
dent Roosevelt" said Chairman
Fletcher. This is research staff
net a group of politically ambitious
college professors with preconceiv-
ed ideas who look forward to get
ting on the Federal payroll in the
hope they can reform the uni
verse"
Prof. Saxon said his staff would
put out statistical information. 1t
will not be dyed with propaganda
We will maintain our integrity and
not reach conclusions for purely
party purposes"
Would you take walk" DR..
Saxon was asked, ''if any of your
findings were disregarded?"
IF anything we put out was per-
verified" he replied.
Our conclusions" he said, will
go to the Chairman. to be given
out or not as he sees fit"
At this juncture, Fletcher put in:
IF they are not timely, they
Will not be put out.
In a sense, the Liberty League
antedates the Republicans in adapt
ing the Brain Trust" idea to their
own purposes.
Some months ago, the League
formed a committee of prominent
lawyers to examine New Deal leg
islation. This week, the League
made public the committees analy-
sis of the Supreme Court decision
holding the Agricultural Adjust
ment Act unconstitutional.
The committee upheld the Su-
preme Court majority.
The minority opinion in the AAA
case, the lawyers committee said
was contrary to established con-
stitutional law"
The division in the AAA decision
was six to three. In the majority
were Chief Justice Hughes and As
sociate Justices Roberts, Butler
Van Devanter, Sutherland and Nc
Reynolds Associate Justices Bran
deis, Stone and Cardozo COM
prised the minority.
There was this same division
this week in the case involving
the Securities Exchange Commits
sion. But in the SEC case, the Su-
preme Court said it found no ne
cessity of ruling on the constitu-
tionality of the legislation regulat-
ing the exchanges.
The background of the SEC case
j. Edward Jones, a New York
dealer in oil royalties. applied to
the SEC for the right to issue
securities. Before they were put
on the market, irregularities were
discovered in the application. Jones
was summoned to appear before the
commission. Instead of doing so
he went into the Federal courts
testing the legality of the SEC
legislation.
The Supreme Court was unani-
nous in brushing aside the ques-
ton of constitutionality..
But the majority, holding Jones
should have been allowed to with
Draw his application, criticised the
''inquisitorial" activities of the SEC