The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-05-24

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TO the Congress Of the United
States:
The time has arrived for US
to take further action to extend
the frontiers Of social progress.
Such further action initiated by
the legislative branch Of the
Government, administered by
the executive, and sustained by
the judicial, is within. the COM
mon sense framework and pur-
pose Of our Constitution and re-
eeives. beyond doubt the APP
proval Of our electorate.
The overwhelming majority
Of our population earns its daily
bread either In agriculture or in
industry. Onethird Of our pop
tllation, the overwhelming ma
jority Of which Is in agriculture
or industry, Is ill-nourished, Ill
clad and ill:housed.
The overwhelming majority
Of this nation has little patience
with that small minority which
Vociferates today that prosper.
1ty has returned, that wages are
good, that crop prices are high
and that Government should
take a holiday.
why They FAN
The truth Of the matter, Of
course, is that the opponents Of
the theory Of private initiative
as the cure for deep-Seated ma
tional ills want in most cases to
improve the lot Of mankind.
But, well intentioned as they
may be, they fail for four evil
dent reasons-first, they see the
problem from the point Of view
Of their own business; second,
they see the problem from the
point Of view Of their own local
ity or region; third, they can.
not act unanimously because
they have no machinery for
agreeing q mong themselves;
and, finally, they have no power
to bind the inevitable minority
Of chiselers within their own
ranks.
Though we may go far In ad-
hitting the innate decency Of
this small minority, the whole
story Of our Nation proves that
social progress has too often
been fought by them. In &C
tual practice it has been ef-
fectively advanced only by the
passage Of laws by State legiS-
latures or the National Congress.
Further Steps Needed
Today, you and I are pledged
to take further steps to reduce
the lag In the purchasing power
Of industrial workers, and to
strengthen and stabilize the
markets for the farmers prod
ucts. The two go hand in hand.
Each depends for its effective
ness upon the other. Both work
ing simultaneously will open
new outlets for productive cap
ttal. Our Nation so richly en-
dowed with natural resources
and with q capable and indus
trious population should be able
to devise ways and means Of in
suring to all our able-bodied
working men and women a
fair days pay for q fair days
work. A self-supporting and self.
respecting democracy can plead
no justification for the exist
ence Of child labor, no economic
reason for ctiseling workers
wages or stretching workers
hours.
Conservation vital
Enlightened business is learn
ing that competition ought not
to cause bad social consequences
which inevitably react upon the
profits Of business itself. All but
the hopelessly reactionary Will
agree that to conserve our pr1-
mary resources Of man power,
government must have some con-
troll over maximum hours, mini
Hnvn1 wages, the evil Of child
labor and the exploitation OF I'M
organized labor.
Nearly 20 years ago in his dis
senting opinion in Hammer VS..
Dagenhart, Mr.. Justice Holmes
expressed his views as to the
power Of the Congress to pro-
flibit the shipment in interstate
or foreign commerce Of the prod
uct Of the labor Of children in
factories below what Congress
then deemed to be civilized social
standards. Surely the expert
ence Of the last 20 years has only
served to reinforce the wisdom
and the rightneSs Of his views.
And, surely II he was right about
the power Of the Congress over
the work Of children In factories,
1t Is equally right that the Con-
RreSS has the power over decent
. wages and hours in those same
factories. He said: =
81 had thought that the pro
priety Of the exercise Of .
power admitted to exist in some
cases was for the consideration
of Congress alone and that this
court always had diSavOwed the
right to intrude its judgment
upon questions of policy or
morals. 1t Is not for this court
to pronounce when prohibition
Is necessary to regulation II 1t
ever may be neceSsary-tO say
that It Is permissible Is against
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