Evening star., 1937-08-27

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court procedure n.,,d r.v,.r..
significantly men,
toned his confidence that in urging
his court plan he has been speaking
'in behalf Of the American people
Why he assumes or infers such a
mandate is a mystery, for no hint OF
his scheme was given in the campaign
Of 1886; in fact, it was emphatically
denied by such prominent spokesmen
Of the administration as Joseph P.
Kennedy that Mr.. Roosevelt had any
designs on the Supreme Court
The text, therefore, of Mr.. Roose-
velt's assumption that he speaks for
the people on this issue can only come
In another election. Coincident with
Mr.. Roosevelt's announcement came
also clarifying statement from Post
master General Farley, who frankly
admits that the Democratic National
Committee will not undertake reprisals
against Democratic Senators who
fought the Presidents court plan, but
he naively confesseS at the same
time that he doesn't know what "the
voters may do to these same Senators
at the polls. Also, he says these anti
court Senators" will have a lot of
explaining to do to their constituents
Naturally, the voters are going to take
the issue into their own hands and
while Mr.. Farley himself will lay of, q,
all the allies Of the administration,
all the false "non-partisan" leagues
and all the so-called good neighbor
leagues and all the John Lewis bat
talions are to be turned loose against
these independent Democrats.
Full and Frank Warning.
Ostensibly Mr.. Farley will wash
his hands Of any formal responsibility
The punitive tactics will be taken up
most Informally but just as effectively
by the army of Federal officeholders
and parasites who get money from
the New Deal in almost every State
In the Union. Altogether the friends
OF an independent judiciary, Republi-
cans and Democrats, now have full
and frank warning. 1t has come
more than whole year in advance
OF the congressional elections, and
there can be no charge hereafter
that the administration concealed its
purposes in advance of election. Sem
ator Guffey's speech sounding the
keynote Of the campaign, the Presi-
dents address in North Carolina,
John Lewis blast against the South
ern Democrats and now Chairman
Farley's signal to the New Deals
sabotage troops to get busy behind
the lines and kill off the independent
Democrats, all have come in the
space OF one week These incidents
all fit together as a definite proposal
to carry the court tight to the people.
Friends Of an independent judiciary
ought to welcome the challenge, but
they will find that Federal money
Is hard thing to beat unless a
fusion Of Independent Democrats and
Republicans can be effected. 1t is
often overlooked that the Presidents
scheme WAS beaten. If only temporari-
", at the last session of Congress BY
fusion Of about 33 Democrats and
1e Republicans, and that the inde-
pendent Democratic strength was less
than half Of the total Democratic
vote in the Senate.
So. acting alone, the independent
Democrats could not have accom-
plished anything without the support
OF the Republicans, and conversely
the Republicans as minority were
helpless without the independent
Democrats. If fusion was possible
and imperative in the United States
Senate, it is even more essential out
in the States and districts where
Senators and Representative are to
be elected in 1898.
Mr.. Roosevelt doesn't hesitate to
use the fusion idea to draw to his
side the La Follettes and the Nor
rises. Party labels worry him so
little that last year he appealed in
person to the voters of Nebraska to
disregard the Democratic candidate
for United States Senator who had
been nominated in the regular Dem
ocratic primary.
Helpeu by Opponents.
The President is interested in only
one thing-getting and keeping his
majority. His opponents have helped
him along heretofore by refusing to
bulge on the question Of party re-
organization. In 1885 the Repubh-
can party at Cleveland did nothing
to attract the independent Democrats.
Having spurned the Democratic vot-
ers once, it is not likely that the
Republicans of the enlightened and
progressive school, who really ought
to be the leaders, will. allow their
conservative brethren to make the
same suicidal mistake.
It is not question of merely
changing q party name but Of de-
veloping q leadership group of such
prestige that will appeal to the people
as forward looking. Such a leader
ship, concentrating on the congress
sional campaign. can really put up
. fght even against the kind Of war
fare which corras votes by relief
mechanisms and A. A. A. money.