Evening star., 1937-07-23
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

While the political coroner, undertaken
and pallbearers concern themselves with
the remains Of the Supreme Court bill,
post-mortem attention is riveted on the
eventual consequences of one OF the most
crushing reverSes sustained by any ma
tional leadership in American history.
To heal party wounds now becomes the
paramount Democratic need and pur-
pose. After all. 1888 is just around the
corner. and 1910 not far away. All con-
cerned. inclusive Of Mr.. Roosevelt, un-
questionably realize that no time is to be
lost in closing the ranks II control at
Washington is to be maintained at the
next congressional and presidential elec-
tions. To that end it may be expected
that Senator Barkley and Vice President
Garner will Immediately bend their ener-
gies. Revamping the legislative pro-
gram, so long log -jammed by the late
unpleasantness. will ostensibly monopo-
lize the efforts Of administration leaders.
Beneath the surface. their most earnest
endeavors will be devoted to mending
broken heads and hearts in the donkeys
disastrously disarrayed domain. Court
bill opponents persistently denied any in
tention of party wrecking. In the hour
VI NlIlolS tilcS nave d llldSlldIlllllOuS OJ-
portunity to beat those professions into
deeds. On both sides there's a DISPOSE
tion to regard the outlook for accord as
bright, though in either camp there's
more inclination to forgive than to for
get.
Whether the dove of peace will hover
o'er the Democratic ramparts depends
primarily on abandonment of New Deal
plans for reprisals against members of
Congress who had the intestinal fortitude
to fight for an Independent judiciary.
As long as there is no recall Of such
threats as Jim Farley more than once
hinted at and as Gov. Townsend of In
diana brutally emitted on the White
House steps only few days ago, when
he forecast Senator Van Nuys defeat
for denomination, hope Of real harmony
is slender An amnesty pledge, of course.
cannot be written into the "procedural"
court legislation which Senator Wheeler
and his happy warriors are ready to ac-
cept, but they'll insist upon some bind
ing assurance that New Deal vengeance
will not be visited upon Senators and
Representatives who stood four-square to
the wind against tampering with the
Supreme Court.
Just who or what killed Cock Robin?
Was it Chief Justice Hughes letter to
Senator Wheeler, exploding the theory
that the Supreme Court, as at present
constituted, is inadequate? Was it the
fear of dictatorship on which the op-
position SO persuasively hammered? Was
it Farleys boast that the administration
had things "in the bag" and would merely
have to call the rolf? Was it c. I. O.
support Of court-packing? Was it the
Presidents Dear Alben' letter, demand
ing that Congress do its duty" and enact
the bill at this session? Did the passing
of Senator Robinson deliver the death
blow? Was Representative Summers
disclosure of House hostility the straw
that broke the camel's back? Did the
eleventh-hour detection of eight hitherto
non -committal Senators do the trick?
Or was it the Lehman-Wagner letter
that administered the one punch neces-
sary to knock out proposition already
hopelessly groggy? On all and sundry
Of these questions there are many views
Probably only the calm perspective of
time will develop the actual cause Of the
bills doom. On one point there's no
difference of opinion-that 1t will 60 into
the history books as an epochal tribute
to congressional courage and the power
of aroused public sentiment.
Il
Senator Burton K. Wheeler Is almost
exactly President Roosevelt's age-55-
the Montanan being about a month
younger. AL Of which Is by way of sug-
gesting that no Democrat emerges from
the court combat with more flying colors
and enhanced political prestige than the
leader Of the opposition. In the not i'm
possible event that the judiciary contro-
versy flares into the 1910 campaign,
wheeler would b the logical choice for