Imperial Valley press., 1937-02-23
News Behind the News
There's Still Chance Roosevelt
Sure He'll Win Liberals Hit
Unexpected BIOU

WASHINGTON Despite strong opposition
which has arisen against the presidents supreme
court reorganization plan-some of it In quar-
ters where it wasn't anticpated-there is still
plenty of reason to believe the measure will pass
the Senate well as the House.
Roosevelt himself is confident His pride
and prestige involved as never before in
legislative fight. He is ready, according to
those who have talked with him, to be "aS
tough as it takes"
The worst blow the administration has had
was the refusal of such ui1diluted liberals as
Senators Norris of Nebraska, and Wheeler OF
Montana, to fall in line behind the plan TO ap-
point additional justices to the supreme court
when justices over 10 fail to retire. The liber-
ais inside and outside Congress are split. Sena-
tor LaFollette of Wisconsin leads the contin-
gent of Senate pregressives standing by Roose-
welt. Roosevelt did not expect this split. His
emissaries are urging the wandering ones not
to fight the battle Of the Republican party and
the American Liberty Leagns&&
Dissenting liberals nearly all favor con-
stitutiona amendment to achieve what Roose-
velt hopes to get by short cut. The pro-
posal behind which seekers of an amendment
are getting together, calls for congressional
veto over the supreme court Even if two
thirds vote to upset a supreme court decision
to constitutionality we're required, this plan
would involve much more vital transfer of
power and upset of fundamental government
pattern than the proposal OF Jhe president
Roosevelt will promise to support such an
amendment in return for half a dozen more
Senate votes for court reform now.
But if the president can't get the liberals
all lined up with him in some such manner,
there is the more unpleasant possibility he will
win by trading judicial patronage with political
machines and materialistic senators.
Roosevelt is all set to be ruthless. II he
finds it necessary, the pressure applied to in
dyidual members will be heavier than anything
they previously have encountered. And the
bats dangled before undecided members will
be correspondngly more tempting.
The Roosevelt record on appointment of fed
eral judges isn't pretty and ii may become far
worse. AS the bill now stands the president
conceivably might have many dozen
appointments to S20000-a-year jobs on the Su-
preme court about many circuit court JUS
ticeships at $4,000 and district
judgships at $4,000. New judges must be con-
firmed by the Senate but federal judges are
a recognized item of senatorial patronage.
This prospect is not savory. But remember
that the great John Marshall was packed" into
the supreme court in the last month of Presi-
dent John Adams term so he could obstruct
the liberal program of the incoming Jefferson
Grant appointed two new justices only after
assurances of support Theodore Roosevelt ac-
cepted Oliver Wendell Holmes only after be-
ing assured Holmes would be sympathetic TO
his program. Few persons believe Herbert Hoo
ver's appointment of Chief Justice Hughes had
nothing to do with Hughes campaign speeches
for Hoover in 1928.