Evening star., 1937-03-19
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

10 Iiie case. Up unCll wednesday OF this
week no administration leader at the
Capitol had uttered a word about the
sit-down strike. This statement. made
by Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the
Democratic leader of the upper house,
was not forthcoming until on the floor
OF the Senate three Senators, one Re-
publican and two Democrats, had de-
nounced the sit-doWn strike as illegal.
Senator Hiram johnson of California,
widely known as liberal and progress
SiVe Senator and friend of labor, took
the initiative. In terse and very brief
statement to the Senate, he warned
that "if the sit-doWn strike is carried
on with the connivance or the sympathy
of the public authorities, then the warn
Ing signals are out, and down that road
turks a dictatorship" Senator Lewis
OF Illinois, Democratic whip of the Sen
ate, and Senator King, another Demo-
crat, followed with more extended ad-
dresses.
1t looks as though the attempt was
being made to lock the door after the
horse has been stolen. For three months
the sit-doWn strike has been growing
in intensity in various parts of the
country and more particularly in Mich
lgan. Nothing was said by any official
of the administration or any of its lead
erS in CongreSS-eXcept that Miss Per-
kins, the Secretary of Labor, expressed
the opinion that the Sit-doWn strike
had not yet been proved to be illegal.
If anything, this might be considered
an encouragement to the Sit-doWners
to believe that the Federal administra-
ton was back of them
Senator RobinSonS statement SEEM
1ngly undertook to place the blame for
no action by the Government in the
Slt-doWn strike situation on the failure
OF the Supreme Court to pass on the
conStltutionality of the Wagner labor
relations act while at the same time
he declared that the sit-doWn strike is
unlawful. If it is unlawful it would
appear that the administration might
at least come forward with a frank state
ment declaring that to be the fact and
seeking to rally public sentiment against
such strikes, with the seizure of prop
erty in defiance Of the law 1t might
do so even though the C. I. o. leaders
are strong supporters of the admins
tration, among them John L. Lewis, and
upon whom the administration is count
ing for support in putting through Con-
greSS the so-called court bill, to re-
vamp the Supreme Court.
There is no slightest doubt that the
situation created by the sit-doWn strikes
is one of the gravest. One way out
might be for Congress to put through a
law which would validate sit-doWn
strikes or at least condone that kind of
a strike. But no one has suggested such
move and it is to be presumed that
no such move will be made The alter
native is the enforcement of laws against
the seizure of property such as that
which has taken place in the Chrysler
plants That enforcement is first of
all up to the State governments A
Governor of State in which such en-
forcement is found impossible, could
call on the Federal Government for aid.
Senator Lewis recalled that during the
Pullman strike in Illinois years ago,
President Grover Cleveland, on the
theory that the United States mails
had to move, sent United States troops
into the strike area and forced peace
and order.
So far there has been comparatively
little rioting and personal injury grow
ing out of the sit-doWn strikes-although
there has been great loss of wages tC
thousands of workers in the matter of
wages and loss Of production in indus
try, particularly in the automobile in
dustry. Some kind of an adjustment,
some steps must be taken soon, how
ever, if there is not to be disastrous
trouble. Furthermore, If court orders
are to be disobeyed with impunity, there
is no telling to what extent the disregard
of government is to be carried.
Meanwhile the contest in the Senate
continues over the Presidents Supreme
Court bill. The hearings have been under
way for more than week and so far
the only witnesses heard have been
those in support of the measure. This
is not the fault of Chairman Ashurst
of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who
was ready to put witnesses on stand
in opposition to the measure. The op-
ponents were not ready, they said.
Xxx
The effort of Senators opposing the
bill, Senators who are on the Judiciary
Committee, has been to make the wit
nesses supporting the bill admit that
what they really hope for is the appoint
ment of new justices who will decide
New Deal laws constitutional. Such an
admission naturally holsters up the con-
tention that the President is trying to
pack" the court and relieve it of its
independence as a judicial tribunal.
The witnesses have fought shy of max
ing such admissions. Administration
Senators supporting the bill have risen
in defense of the witnesses, badgered
by Senators Connally of Texas, Burke
of Nebraska and other opponents of the
measure. Senator Dieterich of Illinois
has been emphatic in his efforts to
prevent witnesses from leaving the i'm
preston that they believe this kind of
packing of the court will follow on the
heels of the bills enactment into law.
He has led the witnesses again and
again to say that they believe the Presi-
dent will appoint unbiased and impair
tial judges to the bench. However, the
questions of Connally and Burke on this
subject have been difficult to parry. The
net result has been rather distinct
impression that if and when the bill be-
comes law, the President will select only
new justices who lean toward the New
Deal. AS Connally and Burke maintain,
what would be the use of passing the
bill if such were not the case. The logic
seems inescapable.