Evening star., 1937-07-20
Rate by Mail-Payable In Advance.
All Other States and Canada.
Member of the Associated Press
Gov. Lehman's Letter.


Gov. Lehman of New York, stanch
supporter of President Roosevelt, has
put the case Of those opposing the Chief
Executives program to enlarge the Su-
preme Court succinctly and clearly. In
a letter to Senator Wagner, urging him
TO oppose the court bill, Gov. Lehman
said: II believe that the orderly and
deliberate processes Of government
should not be sacrificed merely to meet
an immediate situation" Concluding his
letter he warned that the liberties of the
American people in the future might be
placed in Jeopardy.
The views expressed by Gov. Lehman
come as no surprise to President Roose-
velt. For Gov. Lehman several months
ago wrote to the President saying that
he did not think the enactment of the
court bill would be to the best interests
OF the people. The publication of the
views of the New York Governor, how
ever, comes with dramatic suddenness,
when the battle in the Senate over the
court bill is to be renewed. Here is a
New Dealer Of New Dealers-the Gov
ernor OF New York, whom President
Roosevelt and Postmaster General
James A. Farley, chairman of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, persuaded
10 stand for denomination last year.
Gov. Lehman at that time desired to
retire from public Office. He was hailed,
however, by the President and Mr. Far
ley-and by many others-as a great
liberal. His candidacy was to aid Presi-
dent Roosevelt to second term in the
White House.
No one, 1t Is presumed, will charge
Gov. Lehman with going over to the
Republican party In this contest over
the court bill. No one will disparage
him or his views on the ground that
he Is a reactionary. His whole record
as Governor, his ardent support of the
Presidents policies are sufficient an
swer TO charges made along those lines,
e any are made.
The fact Is the New York Governor
puts principle ahead Of expediency. He
admits frankly that he has been dAsap-
pointed by some of the close decisions
Of the Supreme Court, and by decisions
holding important legislation unconstitu-
tional. But he is clear headed, He sees
where the Presidents proposal will lead.
He is not blind to the fact that to make
the judiciary subservient to the execu-
tive or the legislative branches. or to
both would be an I'll thing for the
people Of America.
One sentence in Gov. Lehmans letter
10 Senator Wagner is Of peculiar inter-
est. In 1t he said that in the months
that have intervened since he wrote
President Roosevelt that he did not ap-
prove OF the court bill, my convictions
have become strengthened" In this
respect Gov. Lehman does not differ
from many other Americans. Indeed,
as the months have passed and the
legislation has been debated all over the
land, the opposition has grown by leaps
and bounds.
The Governor OF New York has the
courage to stand by his honest convic-
ton. Necessarily it is unpleasant for
him TO disagree with President Roose-
velt whose friend and supporter. he has
been for years. 1t is just as unpleasant
tor Democratic Senators who have been
close TO the Chief Executive to resist him
IN his present demand. Blind adherence
should not be demanded Of them when
their intelligence and their conscfences
tell them that proposed legislation is
wrong,