Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-01-07


enty-fifth, there is
HulLdbato0 great hullabaloo
and CIamor and clamor about
1.l,,sa social and eco
nornic legislation and particularly
about the alleged necessity for con-
stitutional amendments giving con-
gress more power to deal with these
problems. Much of the noise eman-
ates from minoritirs, highly organ
lied pressure groups, and it is diff
cult, therefore, to tell exactly what
the attitude of the country, as
whole, may be. .u.
There are those both in congress
and out who contend that the over
whelming vote for President Roose-
velt's reelection constituted man
date for immediate action on num-
Der of these highly delicate and diff
icult questions. There are others
whose contention is that the great
vote given President Roosevelt was,
in fact, a tribute to his personal
popularity and that it was in no
way connected with the various
problems that are now before the
country in Individual capacity. What
ever the answer to these contendlng
forces, the fact remains that we
are due to hear something of them
on the floors of the house and senate
in the next few months.
One of the things about which we
are hearing many, many words at
the moment is a proposal for an
amendment to the. Constitution pro-
hibiting child labor. It is the argu-
ment that such an amendment
should be annexed to the Constitu-
ton and that it should give congress
additional, authority to enact legisla-
ton setting forth the details of this
new type of prohibition.
Yet, while all of this raving and
raging is going on, how many people
are there who are aware of the
fact that constitutional amend
ment doing this very thing has been
pending before the states for little
more than twelve years? How many
people are there who recall that
this amendment has been ratified by
twenty-four states? Whatever their
recollection is, it is fact and it
remains q fact that to all intents
and purposes, enough states have
refused to ratify the amendment
to kill it off. .t.4
William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor, be-
ing alive to what he considers the
meaning of the recent huge vote for
President Roosevelt, has attempted
to revive the fight for ratification
of that child labor amendment above
mentioned. He has written to the
heads Of the various state and local
labor groups urging them to work
for favorable action on the amend
ment in the states that have hereto
fore rejected it. r"
This brings up new legal ques-
ton. Stated succinctly, the question
New Legal legislature that
Question has once rejected
proposition to
amend the Constitution can reverse
itself and approve the resolution
after having once killed it. Mr..
Green contends that this is possible.
The American Bar association takes
a contrary view.
So, we are confronted with a prob
lem within a problem and one that
is likely to be distorted and twisted
and misrepresented by those in
terests that have sought for long
time to make the Constitution ap
pear outrnoded. To become attached
to the Constitution, an amendment
must be ratified under the terms Of
the Constitution itself, by three
fourths of the states. That is thirty
six. Since twelve more states mus
ratify, there is likely to be hare
drive to gain some of the remaining
states and to bring about reversal O.
positions already taken. 1t nearly
always happens in s'drives" tina
there is much loose mouthings ane
many unwarranted and unjustifiee
statements. 1t probably will be 81
in this instance and the countr,
must be on guard to sift the trutl
from the propaganda and must b.
prepared to make up it's min,
whether it desires to place in tn
Constitution hard and fast rule
that no child under eighteen year
of age may be allowed to work gain
fully.
For the sake of the record, here
with is the language of the proposes
amendment that is now pending:
"The congress shall have powe
to limit, regulate and prohibit tn
labor of persons under eightee
years of age. The power of the sel
eral states is unimpaired by thi
article except that the operation c
state laws shall be suspended to tn
extent necessary to give effect t
legislation enacted by the cor
gress."
From these words, it will be see
that an attempt is made to Civ
congress greater power over tn
rights of states to legislate for then
selves. Such a purport brings up
my mind the old question of whetl
er state or the federal governmei
cboI1 ho c11prarno Thera cert ir,1