Evening star., 1937-06-06

surprised when the court upheld the
two statutes.
After ALL" he said, 1.-The justices
Of the Supreme. Court are reasonable
men. They know that conditions
change and the law must be adapted
to these changes. But it is too much
to expect them to take judicial notice
Of altered conditions. 1t is the duty
of the lawmaker to draft his statute
with care and be prepared to produce
the facts showing the necessity for
a broader Interpretation OF the Con-
stitution"
Senator Wagner has sponsored two
laws that were declared unconstitu-
tional by the high court, but he admits
defeat in only one-the N. r. A. The
other was the original railway pension
act.
Sees ReversaI Of Court.
They rejected the railway pension
act" he said, ION the main ground
that it was unconstitutional to tax
employees and employers for the bene-
f1t Of certain classes Of workers That
is the very thing that was upheld in
the social security cases. The court
reversed itself. and maybe it was
because we were in a better position
to show the facts in the latter case"
Wagner's career is typically
American success story. During his
bitter fight upward from newsboy to
United States Senator, he joined
forces with some of the worst ele-
ments in American politics but he
kept himself clean. No one can
question the sincerity OF his devotion
to the cause Of the forgotten man"
and no hint Of corruption has ever
attached to his name.
It was Christmas eve, 1885, when
young Wagner first set foot on Ameri-
can soil. With his parents, he had
come over in steerage accommoda-
tions. They were met at the dock
by an older brother, Gus, who had
come over earlier and secured a job
as a chef.
They moved in with Gus on Avenue
A until the father found a Job as
janitor Of q tenement house on East
One Hundred Sixth street, between
Second and Third avenues. His sal
ary was SIS month and the use Of .
basement apartment.
Fought Also With Fists.
Young Robert was promptly en-
rolled In the public schools. Just
learning the language, he was the
target Of many "wise-cracks" from
his schoolmates Although unable to
understand most Of them, the sturdy
German youngster knew they were
not intended as compliments and he
engaged in many rough and tumble
battle before the boys of the neighbor-
hood accepted him as one Of the
crowd. Even at that early age, how
ever, he was demonstrating his capac-
ity for making friends, for the boys
with whom he fought elected him
captain OF the school base ball team
the next year.
Determined to make the most of
his educational opportunities, young
Wagner applied himself to the English
language with the same answering
intensity that marked his later career.
The result was that he was graduated
from the public schools as an honor
student and valedictorian Of his class.
During his early school days, he
peddled newspapers and sold candy
on the streets. One Sunday his
brother took him to Coney Island,
and Robert noting the crowds on
Brooklyn Bridge, decided to set up
his Sunday business there. He sue
ceeded after several nights, moving in
Just after another hustling youngster,
one "Al' Smith, had given up his
news stand on the bridge to enter the
fsh mongering business.
Vastly pleased with the boys work
CONTINUED ou Page D.3)