Evening star., 1937-03-24
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Seldom in Washington's political or
Journalistic history has anybody scored
so smashing scoop as Senator Wheel
ers Napoleonic coup in confronting the
Senate Judiciary Committee with Chief
Justice Hughes letter. Nobody had the
glimmer of an inkling that the Mon
tanan had SO devastating a shot in his
locker. It's far and away the deadliest
ammunition so far hurled at the court
packing plan. The letters moderation
and restraint its conspicuous omission
OF any discussion of policy" and the
surprise element-all these things give
the Chief Justices manifesto incom-
parable effectiveness, to say nothing OF
the annihilating disposal OF the conten-
ton that the high court needs reinforce
ment in order to keep up with its job.
A master stroke, too, is the identifica-
ton OF Justice Brandeis with the
Hughes position. 1t lines up the pre-
eminent liberal Of the bench with those
who hold that the Roosevelt scheme
directly threatens impairment OF the
courts efficiency.
~ &4
Curiosity is now widespread as to the
likely effect Of this bolt from the blue
ARSAA AACAAAHSAo "a SOAlSA CSS otlll ullEOlI.
mitted on the Presidents proposal.
There are optimistic opponents who
believe the Hughes letter will sway Just
enough wsvering Senators to assure an
adverse majority Of 40 votes or more.
Senate strength fixes the total at 43,
with at least half . dozen others tagged
as strongly leaning in the same direction.
nnlQv QAnafArc Whan1Ar
their comrades in arms insist, Is fighting
on their side, despite exactly contrary
claims confidently put forth by ad-
ministrationists that time is with them.
The utmost which opposition leaders
are ready to concede is that the presi-
Dental forces eventually might ram
through some kind of q compromise
bill. In its present form, they don't
and contend that the White House and
all its lieutenants are painfully and fully
aware OF that gloomy outlook.
r.
AS far as Washington radio listeners
could Judge, neither OF the two big guns
that were fired in favor Of the court
plan the other night-former Associate
Justice Clarke, speaking from California,
and Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace,
addressing the Virginia Farm Bureau
Federation at Richmond-scored heavily.
BY confining himself to the constitu-
tionality Of court enlargement, Justice
Clarke was thought by many to be
damning the scheme with faint praise
incidentally, the Clarke broadcast was
completely blanketed in public interest
by the Hughes letter The Old'Dominion
farm constituents OF Senators Glass and
Byrd, if applause was any criterion, re-
ceived Secretary Wallace's plea with
mastery self-control. At no period Of
his half-hour argument was his train
of thought derailed by plaudits Of ap-
proval. When he finished, unless the
demonstration was cut OF at the micro
phone, the ovation rendered him hardly
seemed to be Of the thunderous type.
Speaking Of Virginia, Senator Glass
friends at the Capitol gather that he
Is getting ready to divest himself next
Monday evening of 4 broadcast blast on
the court proposition destined to set
even for him an all-time high in the
realm of scorching oratory. He Is in
nrst-class fighting form.
Lots Of people think Chairman James
NJ Lands OF the Securities and Ex-
change Commission undermined his
chances for Supreme Court justiceship
by his recent address 1t Catholic un-