Evening star., 1937-04-04
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

TINE possibilities attending Pres
ident Roosevelt's Supreme
Court proposal are difficult to
Il foresee. The factors that
might change the outcome are many.
Several of the alternatives proposed
have received assent, qualified or
whole, from both opponents and ad-
vocates of the original plan. Many
who have indorsed the Presidents
proposal as a matter of following
party leadership would be glad if they
were not called on to vote for it and
could edge out of the situation by
supporting some milder alternative.
Many believe that something should
be done about either the court or the
Constitution, but like the Presidents
proposal less than any one of dozen
alternatives. 1t is fairly certain that
Mr.. Roosevelts measure will not be
passed in the precise form which he
or one of his associates wrote out and
which he sent to the Senate
At all times varying currents of
public feeling have had effect on the
possibility of enactment. At all times
it is possible for the fortunes of the
measure to be influenced by events
arising outside it. Throughout all the
early weeks of discussion it was felt
that the decision of the Supreme
Court on the Wagner labor act might
influence the prospects of the court
proposal. Advocates thought the de-
cision might influence the court pro-
posal their way; opponents felt they
would be aided.
Consider the Future.
Omitting these influences, both the
past ones and the ones that may arise,
consider the future of the fight-not
the outcome, but merely the future
phases of it. Consider it to determine,
or at least query, whether it may be
thrown into next years congressional
elections
There is one thing certain. At this
time there may be majority for the
Presidents measure-no one knows.
There may be majority against it
no one knows that either. But the
fairly certain thing is that majority
tavors delay. Probably the most GER
tain majority of all is the majority of
Democrats who wish the President
had never raised the issue: And the
Senators who wish this are likely to
wish poStponement of the vote as the
next best thing.
Associated with this are some other
questions Which side has most to
gain by throwing the question before
the people next year? Which side
has most to gain by hurrying decision
in the present Congress? Asking that
question amounts to asking which
side would win if the decision we're
made now, if the Senate should vote
on it next week. The opponents of
the present plan think they would
win in roll call right now. They
actually think So They are not merely
saying it for public consumption. In
deed, they are not saying it publicly
at all. They are concealing what they
believe to be their strength. =
In any event, the successive steps
from now on should be about like
this: The present phase is hearings
by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The hearings seem, at the time I
write this, likely to be long. There
Is great public interest, and the in
terest is growing. Both sides natu-
rally think 1t is to their advantage
to bring many witnesses before the
committee, and many witnesses are
eager to come.
Favor Long Hearings.
The committee as a whole is likely
10 look kindly on long hearings The
committee is so equally divided that
no one knows which side has a ma
jority. The chairman of the COM
mittee, Senator Ashurst of Arizona,
is likely to favor long hearings. For
one reason, he is a most courteous
man. Senator AShurst is one of the
politeSt men that ever wore cut
away coat and friendly smile. For
better reason he is divided in his
own mind-divided, that is, in spe-
cial way. In his convictions, he is
against the proposal-before it was
made he said the idea was absurd
and ridiculous But as political
matter, he is for the measure, he fol-
lows party leadership as symoollZed
by the President.
Very well, then, the hearings are
likely to be long-unless' the Presi-
dent, for some reason, wants them
cut short. If Mr.. Roosevelt should
for any reason want the hearings
hurried, doubtless the Democratic
Senate leaders would find some way
to terminate them At the time this
is written most of Washington thinks
Mr.. Roosevelt rather prefers delay;
he is said to think that, tactically,
delay favors his proposal
With the termination of the hear
sngs will come an action that will
have some weight, on one side of
the scales or the other The Senate
judiciary Committee, which holds the