Evening star., 1937-04-22
D. A. R. T0LDPER|L
IN COURT CHANGE
Justice Parker and Mrs. Sis.
son Urge Adherence
to AmeriCanism.

John J. Parker, Al, Federal Cir
cult Court justice whom the Senate
rejected six years ago for the Supreme
Court seat later given Benjamin Car
dozo, told the Daughters Of the Amer
ican Revolution today that democracy
Is in graver danger than it has been
at any time since the fall Of
Napoleon"
Judge Parker's demand for strict ad-
rerence to the Constitution as a guar
antor Of real democracy and funda-
mental Americanism preceded a plea
by Mrs. Vinton Earl Sisson, chairman
Of the D. A. r. National Defense Com
mittee. that the Communist party be
outlawed as un-American.
I'VE must work to have the Com
munist party declared by law an illegal
party with no right to protection under
our form Of government" Mrs. Sisson
told the delegates to the forty-sixth
Continental Congress Of the D. A. r.
in Constitution Hall.
She warned the 5000 women that
the Communists are masking their de-
signs under the camouflage Of the
Farmer-Labor party. She condemned
this boring from within" as far
more dangerous to the welfare Of this
country than the open Haunting of
revolutionary purposes, which for the
present, they choose to conceal
Court Proposal Target.
Mrs. Sisson leaped squarely on Pres
ident Roosevelts court change pro-
| posal, but Judge Parker, who sits
| in Charlotte, N. c., failed to mention
it directly and astonished his hearers
by suggesting some broadening of the
scope of Federal authority might be
desirable.
Il think we must in some way give
the general government greater
measure of control over these matters
affecting the national welfare" he said,
either by revising our concept of the
power possessed by the Federal Gov
ernment under the commerce clause
Of the Constitution or by amendment
Of the Constitution to extend the power
Of the Federal Government to those
phases of our life which have become
| OF national significance"
That, however, was the extent of
Parker's obeisance to constitutional
liberalism, which the Supreme Court
has already taken cognizance of in the
| Wagner decision. He went on to up
braid the point Of view which admits
the seductive fallacy" that the Con-
stitution has no application to con-
| ditions OF danger or emergency"
1T is only in times of emergency
and danger that liberty is likely to be
overthrown," Judge Parker said. He
added that liberty must be protected
by some such instrument as the Con-
| stitution, for I'VE fatter ourselves too
much if We think that we have pro-
gressed to the point where We no
| longer need to guard against tyranny
in government"
For Stronger r. o. T. C.
Mrs. Sisson gave large part of her
| report to plea for strengthening the
R. o. T. c. on the ground it was a
less expensive agent Of national de-
fense than large standing Army.
After slapping at the modern Social
ist party In the United States as little
better than the Communist party,
Mrs. Sisson outlined the D. A. r. peace
program thus:
Passage of pending neutrality legisla-
ton. =
Active emulation by the rest Of the
world Of the pacific example set by
the inter-American conference last
December at Buenos Aires
Drastic limitation Of profits in war
time.
The congress this morning voted to
commend President Roosevelt and
Secretary Hull for their work on behalf
(See D. A. r., Page A-5.)