The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-01-13

| "uLAhC luACu VII lNGW
Dealers Roosevelt Pins
Hope on Public to Play Ma
jOr Role in Liberalizing De-
cisiOns Of High Tribunal
-. President May Resort
to packing" Bench.
Washington, Jan. 13-Like it or
not, girls and boys, you are now
in the midst Of a huge ballyhoo
and hullabaloo about the U. 8. Su-
preme Court, consciously designed
by an administration which Is deter
mined TO lick what 1t calls the re
dictionary" majority Of the court by
whatever means may prove to be
the most effective.
In public speeches and statements,
congressional debates, newspaper
articles, and radio broadcasts you
will hear the story Of how the su-
preme court through the decades
has thwarted the noble democratic
aims of the founding fathers, has
favored the special interests, and
today still threatens to nullify the
will Of the people by invalidating the
laws passed by Its elected represent
tatives and approved by It's elected
president.
This propaganda campaign,
whatever Its merit, will be the
answer to that Interpretation Of
the Constitution and the supreme
courts position which the Ameri-
can Liberty League has spent sew
eral hundred thousand dollars to
publicize and which was upheld
by the republican party.
The New Deal didn't dare try to
state its case during the campaign,
but to certain degree II has now
managed TO screw up Its courage.
The gag Is off!
r. ID. r. Keeps Close Watch
Mr.. Roosevelt sits in the White
House, his ear attuned TO the mani
festations OF popular reaction, one
eye on newspaper clippings and d.
gests of the White House mail and
the other on the supreme court it.
self to observe the degree to which
that august tribunal bends before
the clamor.
His message TO Congress, insist
ing that means must be found
to adapt Judicial Interpretation
to the present national needs"
was carefully planned as the sig
nal gun In concerted attack with
these aims:
]. To swing Chief Justice Hughes
and Justice Owen J. Roberts into a
state of mind which will cause them
TO support liberal interpretations Of
the Constitution In company with
Justices Stone, Brandeis and Car
dozo, as opposed to the infiexible
conservative attitudes OF Justices
Sutherland, VanDevanter, Butler,
and McReynolds.
2. To make the lives Of the con-
sentative Justices so miserable that
one or two Of them may be per-
suaded to retire.
2. To churn up the minds OF the
American people to the point where
there will be an articulate, pressing
demand for drastic action to curb
the curtis present veto power over
federal legislation.
Hopes to Arouse Public
II neither No. 1 nor No. 2 Is
achieved, Roosevelt hopes that the
people will be sufficiently "educat-
ed" sooner or later to be not only
receptive, but eager, for presidential
end congressional action. His present
intention is to keep pushing the
"educationap campaign right up to
that boiling point.
II may be, the inner circle now
figures, that the country will be
sufficiently excited and interested
by the time Of the courts decision
on the Wagner Labor Act In Feb
rUary or March - assuming that
the act Is held unconstitutional
to Justify the president In leading
an open, positive campaign to
curb the court.
No one Is sure, however. II the
country appears to take such ad-
verse decision with relative calm,
you may be certain the adminis-
tration will walt for a decision on
the Social Security Act or perhaps
even the wage-hour legislation this
Congress is expected TO pass.
Some Of the presidents closest
advisers are betting that II the
court nmeaning either Hughes, Rob-
erts. or both continues TO stand
in the path OF progress" Roosevelt
will decide TO pack the court by
adding Justices who might be de-
pended ON TO support liberal decis-
ions.
Skeptical of "OrderIy" Plan
You may have noticed that some
OF those who were the bitterest
anti-NeW Dealers before election are
urging that the New Deal he in no