Evening star., 1937-08-08

nent figure during that first one
hundred days" when the Roosevelt
march started. He helped to bring
about the stock market investigation
that finally led to the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and he assisted
In writing the emergency banking act
OF 1888 and subsequent legislation
In 1885 he wrote the death sentence"
clause in the utility holding company
act. He supported Federal housing.
home owners loan and bank deposit
guarantee legislation, also N. r. A.
and A. A. A. The only time he de-
parted from the program of the Presi-
dent on major issue was when he
voted to override the soldier bonus
veto.
On one notable occasion the gentle
man from Kentucky differed from the
late Senate leader when Robinson took
an independent stand against the
White House over the relief bill Rob-
lnson urged that the Byrnes amend
ment for requiring contributions of 25
per cent for local communities be
passed. But on that occasion Barkley
was administration spokesman, arguing
that the proposal was gesture which
could not be put into practical effect,
and Robinson was defeated when it
came to vote.
Barkley was probably the first to
advance the belief that the Supreme
Court was not too sacred to be dis
a0raod u,ith him hot
to discuss that body's faults and vir-
tues as it was to discuss the faults
and virtues OF the Congress or the
President.
At the convention in Philadelphia in
1885, Barkley asked right out in meet
ing: May the Supreme Court be re-
garded as too sacred to be disagreed
with? Thomas Jefferson did not think
so,' he added, He did not hesitate to
denounce a decision of John Marshall
and the majority he led. Andrew Jack
son did not think so. In 1882, speak
ing of decision Of the Supreme Court,
he said: John Marshall has made his
decision. Now let him enforce it, In
Chicago he later declared that the
time has come to discard the old Amer
lean custom OF regarding our Chief
Justices as superior oracles, immune
from public criticism"
IN DISCUSSING the accomplish
ments OF the present administra-
ton Senator Barkley stressed what the
President has called the social aims
of the administration" He recalled
the informal explanation Of these aims
given by the President at q White
House press conference, reviewing
them as ito try to increase the security
and happiness of larger number Of
people in all occupations of life and
in all parts Of the country; to give
them more of the good things of life:
to give them a greater distribution, not
only of wealth in the narrow terms
but of wealth in the wider terms; to
give them places to 60 in the Summer
time-recreation; to give them assur-
ance that they are not going to starve
In their old age; to give honest busi-
ness chance to 60 ahead and make .
reasonable profit and to give every one
= chance to earn q living"
The majority leader Of the Senate
expressed the belief that much Of this
has already been accomplished.
In order to study logically and in
telligently the wisdom Of the remedies
which have been administered, We
should first diagnose the ailments
from which the country suffered when
this administration came into power"
declared Senator Barkley. Consider
agriculture. The farm credit system
which had completely collapsed was
restored. Farmers incomes have in
creased by hundreds of thousands Of
dollars. Consider banking. The f.
nancial situation was desperate, but
the bank holiday and the emergency
banking act pulled us up onto our feet
again. BY the creation of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corp. the Federal
Government for the first time UNDER
took to guarantee the return Of de-
posits In both State and national
banks to their depositors. In the event
Of 4 banks failure, at the same time
safeguarding the bank against such
failure. The controller Of the cur