Evening star., 1937-09-11
Misguided" Members.

Mr.. Farley is less frank than he usually
Is when he says in one breath that he
does not believe in reprisals and in an
other that misguided members of Con-
gress viii be "rectified" by their con-
stituents when the next election rolls
round, Mr.. Farley, chairman of the
Democratic National Committee and the
right-hand man of President Roosevelt,
is merely inviting the constituents of
misguided" members of Congress to
chastise them when he makes such a
statement. OF course, if the constituents
fail to chastiSe, Mr.. Farley remains in
position to say he still is against reprisals.
The statement of Mr.. Farley was made
IN Nebraska the home State of Senator
Edward r. Burke. Burke fought the
President-was a leader of the opposi-
tion, in faet-over the plan to increase
the membership of the Supreme Court.
Despite Mr. Farleys glib denial that he
favors reprisals, Senator Burke is marked
by the administration, which means the
President and Mr.. Farley in things politi-
cal. for elimination" when Senator Burke
comes up for reelection in 1910. Presum-
ebly the genial chairman of the Demo-
cratic National Committee will make
similar suggestions to the constituents of
Senators O'Mahoney of Wyoming, Nc
Carran of Nevada, Van Nuys of Indiana,
and Wheeler of Montana when the time
is ripe
Democratic members of the Senate who
stood firmly against the President in his
attempt to increase the personnel of the
Supreme Court, in order to obtain opin-
Ions upholding New Deal legislation, are
under no misapprehension. They know
they have been marked for slaughter by
the administration. They realize that
from now on they must fight desperately,
in some cases at least, if they are not to
be retired from public life. Mr.. Farley
made another remark in Nebraska. He
said: Mr.. Roosevelt does not punish any
one He said this when asked if Ne
braska might suffer, presumably in the
matter Of the distribution of funds from
the Federal Treasury, because of Senator
Burke's detection. OF course, Nebraska ,
has another Senator, George w. Norris,
and Senator Norris was willing to swal-
low the Presidents court-packing bill,
even though he admitted that he did not
like it. Furthermore, the administration
has no desire TO turn Nebraska away from
the New Deal fold as it might have done
# Il vented its wrath upon the people
of the State.
Mr. Farley speaks of misguided men,
bers of the Senate and House, when they
dare to oppose any part Of the program
of the President and happen to be of
the same political party as the President.
He might use a harsher term if these
misguided members belonged to the Re-
publican party. Misguided, however, is
sufficiently strong to depict Democrat
who uses his own judgment and not that
of the White House in things of material
interest 10 the American people.
The war, apparently, is on. Democrats
who opposed the President on the court
bill have become marked men. They are
to be "rectifed according TO Mr. Farley.
OF course. Senator Guffey and Governor
Earle Of Pennsylvania have already de-
rlsred that all these independent Demo-
Gratis must GO. They were more frank
about the matter than Farley-but not
more deadly.