Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-04-01


Growing controversy. This
Bitterness bitterness is grow
ing and no one
can tell how terrific it is going to
be. Yet, while the political leaders
make charges and countercharges,
it seems to me to be almost pa
thetic that the nine judges Of the
Supreme court must sit quietly by
and say nothing. They can not de-
fend themselves against the criti-
cisms leveled at them by President
Roosevelt and his associates.
7 have searched the records as
far as I have been able and have
yet to find where any justice of the
Supreme court of the United States
ever has expressed himself publicly
on any occasion when the court was
assailed. 1t is rule that is strictly
adhered to by the nine justices
whom Mr.. Roosevelt has described
as ''the nine old men," Therefore,
we see them as the center of one
of the greatest political battles in
history, wholly unwilling to be-
smirch their dignity or their rec
ords by answering back.
The recent ''freside chat" by Mr..
Roosevelt was replete with innuen-
does and differences that the mem
bers of the court are quite incapa-
BILE of doing their job; that they are
living in an age that is dead and,
consequently, unable to see things
as the rest of the country sees
them today. Mr.. Roosevelt's speech
at the victory dinner of the Demo-
Gratis was purely politics and his
fireside chat in explanation of his
court program was 80 per cent poll
tics. But the Supreme court is not
in politics. It strikes me as being
almost tragedy that these "nine
old men" can not defend their honor
and their record after lifetime of
service to the American people.
I do not take much stock in the
many TRADES that have filled the
air and columns upon columns of
newspaper space that the present
justices are incapable of doing their
job. There is so much untruth, so
many unwarranted conclusions in
those TRADES that it amounts to gi-
gantic campaign that will mislead
the people of the nation. Assuming
that some of the justices are too old
to do their job and assuming fur
Their that some of them may be
too conservative to deal with pres
emit day problems, it yet seems to
me to be an indisputable fact that
there is nothing in life that can
take the place of experience and the
lessons thus learned.
While Mr.. Roosevelt was taking
vacation in the warm sunshine of
Georgia, the case
Able in behalf of the
| Spokesman court packing
| proposition was
ably presented to the senate COM
mittee on the judiciary. His spokes-
men were Attorney General Cum
mings and Assistant Attorney Cen
eral Robert Jackson. They did their
job we'll. They met some of the
most vicious questions from COM
mittee members that I have ever
heard and they met them with a
smile. True, opponents of the pro-
gram among those senators were
not satisfied at all with the explana-
tons advanced by the Presidents
spokesman. That fact, however,
does not take away from the two
witnesses the credit that is due
them.
And thus for the first time we
have what must be regarded as Of
fetal arguments. I mean these ar
guments are to be distinguished
from freside chats and political
speeches concerning the merits of
the Presidents plan. Likewise, for
the first time we have frank adj
mission that Mr.. Roosevelt's pur-
pose in asking congress to give him
authority for appointing six addi-
tional judges is to give him men on
that court who will see present day
problems as the President sees
them.
In view of Mr.. Jackson's state
| W CllC VIC Sdl
look back upon some of the
speeches made by New Deal spokes
men some months ago and car
realize from them and present de
velopments that Mr.. Roosevelt hae
the general purpose of packing the
court in mind for some months
This circumstance seems to explain
also why the President and his ad
visors refused to accept the recon
mendation of Prof. Raymond Mole,
in 1884. At that time, professor
Moley, a member, if not the mum
Der one man, of the Brain Trust
urgently pressed for the New Deal
ers to 60 to the country with tw'
constitutional amendments. H,
wanted the people of the country t.
understand that these amendment
would permit enactment of certain
types of laws. He thought that tn
! congressional elections of 1884 wa
the time to present the question
to the voters. It must be said tina
Professor Moley's proposition wa
one of the fairest and soundest t
. be made. 1t is a method prescribe
by the Constitution itself.