Evening star., 1937-04-16
DR.. WALSH HALLS
COURT STATESMEN
G. U. Vice President Says
Decision Points Way for
Social Laws.

Recent Supreme Court decisions
pointing the direction for social legis-
tation" have removed the need for
enlArging the court or for adopting
an amendment to clarity the COM
merce clause in the Constitution, DR..
Edmund A. Walsh, S. j., vice presi-
dent of Georgetown University, said
last night in discussing the ive Labor
Relations Board cases
The country is waiting for Congress
TO match the craftsmanship OF the
Supreme Court, he told an audience in
Memorial Continental Hall, with
something finer than stuffing the ballot
box"
DR.. Walsh described the decisions As
another historical landmark in the
clarification of the commerce clause,
agreeing with Senator Robert F..
Wagner of New York, that the Su-
preme Court had performed an act
OF industrial relationship ranking
alongside the work done in the days
Of John Marshall"
While hailing the ma jority decisions
Of the court as providing "a challenge
70 Congress" he asserted it would be
"an injustice to accuse the minority
Of hostility to collective bargaining"
Would Clarity Text First.
He pleaded: Clarity the text of the
Constitution if that seems advisable,
but don't assassinate the character of
the dissenters. The majority has
prevailed and collective bargaining is
the law of the land. This is the i'm
portant consideration and the legal
effect"
DR.. Walsh declared that mere en-
iargement of the court, as proposed by
President Roosevelt, is no guarantee
Of greater relative uniformity.
I'm a court of Is you could still
have eight saying the necessary power
Is in the text and seven saying it is
not" he claimed Under their oath
and in conscience, such minority
would still be obliged to Judge accord
ing to their judicial duty, let the
Quips fall where they may
Defenders Of human liberties
should not forget that much needed
reform has been achieved across the
centuries by the courage and honest
obstinacy of dissenting minorities.
Historians know that in advance"
Power Belongs to People,"
DR.. Walsh declared that the remedy
OF amending the commerce clause to
bring it up to date with the extraor-
dinary developments of industry, be
longs to the people, not to Congress
or the Executive"
He questioned the doubt, however,
that such an amendment is longer
needed in the face of the courts
recent opinions.
Congress may very safely proceed
to further clarifcation of the re-
naming difficulties representing inter-
state commerce" he added The
court now is on record If it
acts within the new expounded def
milton, the legislature is assured OF
support. The next step, consequently,
lies with Congress and If care and
prudence and restraint be more ap-
parent than they were in previous
legislation, further substantial prog
ren may confidently be expected"
He added: 'It has even been IA
eetiously reported that Chief Justice
Hughes might be induced to retire
from the bench and write the laws for
the new period on which we are en-
tering, so that no doubt will arise as
to constitutionality. That is merely
provocative and popular way of
saying that there is no antagonism
Of objectives between the court and
the legislative branch Of Govern
nent. The challenge is not to the
Constitution or the Court but to
the ingenuity and craftsmanship of
legislators"
Due to a speaking engagement at
the United States Naval Academy
next Friday, DR.. Walsh will omit his
usual lecture series next week.