Evening star., 1937-05-18
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY C. GOULD LINCOLN,

preme Court may settle the constitu-
tionality of the Federal social security
act and the taxes imposed hereunder.
Either 1t will hand down an opinion then
or the matter will 60 over until the Oc-
tober term OF the court-which is not
considered likely at all. There was Z
great deal Of interest and speculation
rs to what the court would decide In
this case-and the interest still continues.
A decision yesterday, on the eve Of the
vote which the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee Is to take today or tomorrow on
the Presidents Supreme Court program,
would have made q fine lot Of conversa-
tion Now the committee will vote with
out the light Of the court decision.
However, the court did give the ad-
ministration a break when 1t declined to
uphold the contention OF the Admission
Manufacturing Company of Alabama
that the Government should return the
processing taxes collected under the old
A. A. A. The Government would have
been In . position OF having to refund
approximately 5000, 900 900 to professors
all about the country had the court held
with the company. Although In some
quarters 1t is urged that this is only .
temporary victory 1t certainly must be
satisfying to the administration. Find
ing nearly billion dollars to pay back
In tax refunds would be no Joke, espe-
cially when the President Is making q
drive for "layman's" balance OF the
governmental budget at the close Of the
next fiscal year.
4 4
The decisions Of the Supreme Court In
recent months have been distinctly fay
orable to the Government In a number
OF important cases. So much so that
opponents Of the Presidents plan to
revamp the court are saying that there
is no use doing violence to the proprieties
and urging that the Presidents court
program be dropped. The administra-
tion, however, has continued stin-necked
about the court bill. The Presidents no
compromise" message, sent through Sem
ator Robinson, the majority leader,
caused considerable pain to Senators
who have been seeking some kind Of
middle ground which might be acceptable
to the administration. But even more
excitement was caused on Capitol Hill
by the remarks Of Postmaster General
Farley, chairman Of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee, who suggested that
when Senators wanted something from
the White House they would feel un-
comfortable II they had voted against
the Presidents court bill The Farley
remarks were interpreted as meaning
that the White House was ready to
deal, on the barter and trade plan, with
Senators In order to obtain their votes
for the court bill The White House has
plenty to trade with, including Federal
jobs and Federal funds for all kinds of
projects. The frankness OF the state
ments Of Mr.. Farley was unusual to say
the leAst-and the remarks have not
been repudiated.
There Is group Of Senators who would
like to see the Presidents bill, rs 1t re-
lates to the Supreme Court. amended
They have been seeking high and low
for some plan which would not be 80
drastic Is the packing" process put
forward in the Presidents bill and yet
which might satisfy the President. On
one side OF them stands the group which
is committed to the Presidents bill and
will 60 down the line for whatever the
President asks. On the other side is the
group Of irreconcilables. who will agree
neither to the Presidents bill nor to any
compromise with principle" The COM
promisers are threatened with being
crushed between the two aggressive
groups-just rs the mild reservationists"
were crushed in the old days OF the
Senate fight over the late President
Woodrow Wilson's plan to take the
United States into the League Of Ma
tions The time may come for COM
promise. Indeed. some OF the admin
istration Senators admit 1t and are
looking forward to that time But 1t
has not yet arrived.
What will happen to the Supreme
Court bill Il still anybodys guess Both
sides profess confidence that they will
win. Ashurst, marshalling the Presi-
dents forces in the Senate, says he will
have At least so votes. Wheeler, leading
the opposition, insists that he has -
sure votes majority Of one-against
the Presidents program. It may be
considerable time before the roll is called
in the Senate and there may be impor-
tant changes. The one thing that i'm
presses most observers, however, is that
the opposition has continued to gain
strength rather than lose 1t, despite the
terrific barrage laid down by the Presi-
dent and his followers-not to mention
the threats Of the politically minded
Jim Farley.
The President has indicated, appar-
emily, to the congressional leaders that
he expects Congress to stay on the Job
and put through labor legislation and
4 number of other measures before 1t
leaves Washington for the Summer. He
promised labor and the farmers quite .
lot during the national campaign last
year. It Is reasonable to expect labor
legislation, therefore, and also that some
thing may be attempted for the farmers
before adjournment. The Senate, in It's
drive for economy" the other day cut
$50, 600 900 of the $500, 900 900 requested
by the administration for the continua-
ton OF payments to farmers under the
soil conservation" and crop curtail-
ment" program of the A. A. A. This did
not look As though the Senate was
particularly keen about backing up the
President in this matter. The action In
the Senate came after severe criticisms
Of the way in which the funds had been
administered last year had been uttered
IN committee and then on the floor Of
the Senate.
A strange story was told by Senator
Copeland Of New York, member Of
the Senate Appropriations Committee,
while the agricultural appropriation bill
was under consideration by the commit
tee. It is told in the printed volume Of