Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-03-25
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National Topics Interpreted ~ Ma a9@@@444
by William Bruckart 0G91lgEK
Building Washington u. =. M<~ETIIHlt
groups in Germany and Soviet Rus

groups in Germany and Soviet Rus
STA.
Editorials from the Catholic press
are being circulated privately
among many legislators and against
these are some Protestant preach
ers who take the position that the
Supreme court is out of date and
ought to be reformed. Numerous
Jewish leaders are opposing the re-
form but among the Jews are many
who feel that President Roosevelt
is right.
Then there is the split among the
farm leaders. I refer to farm or
CARNATIONS with national spokes-
men. Some are for the change and
some against it.
Uppermost in the minds of all OF
the opponents seems to be funda-
mental fear that to change the
court will open the door through
which dictators may walk. To il
lustrate the type of statements COM
ing forth from observers of national
reputation as regards this point, /
am going to quote from recent ex-
preston by the distinguished column
mist, Westbrook Pegler. Lately he
wrote:
Cali of a sudden, Mr.. Roosevelt
discovers that the Supreme court is
largely senile and demands quick
action on proposal which, if adopt
ed, would create an easy precedent
for the most cynical packing of the
Supreme court by someone of the
type of Huey Long or Warren Hard
ing, Mussolini or Hitler in years to
come. It might not be many years
either All dictators pack the
courts by legal means as pre-
liminary to the PRONUNCIATION of
their dictatorial laws. After that it
is comparatively easy to take over,
because the courts belong to the
dictator and do as he orders"
There can be no question, of
course, that the thing Mr.. Roose-
welt proposes to have congress do
for him is legal. Since, however, it
is legal in this instance. it will be
legal, of course, for someone else
to come along after Mr.. Roosevelt
and pack the court with men of his
own choosing, men who will decide
questions as the then President de-
sires them to decide. There is no
limit to what may come if once the
door is opened. Senator Wheeler,
the Montana Democrat who has
long been outstanding in the liberal
character of views he holds, has
added to this thought the express
sion that if the door is to be opened,
the people must do it-not the con-
gress that was elected without vot-
ers having heard the proposition
mentioned.
AS the fight of packing the SUI
preme court wakes warmer, one
can not help not
They Make ing how even
Mistakes clever politicians
make mistakes.
There are many who believe that
Mr.. Roosevelt made grievous err
ror in proposing revision of the SUI
preme court in the fashion he chose
while there are others who say that
he was elected by such tremen.
dous majority that he will have the
people behind him regardless of the
character of proposition advanced
to congress. :.
It is interesting to note how many
congressman and senators are dodg
ing the issue. Their silence is posi-
lively thunderous because they d.
not know how the people back home
: feel about the general proposition
There are others who have com.
out boldly for one reason or an
other in support of the plan ane
there are some SO or more in thu
senate who have determined thei
position already and are ready t.
: fight to the finish to stop passag
of such law
= Then there was the mistake whicl
: Senator Robinson of Arkansas, tn
- Democratic leader, made in the sen
|, ate the other day. He vigorousl.
! denounced what he termed propa
g ganda and a conspiracy to defea
f the Presidents plan. He called al
6 tention to much newspaper and ed
4 torial comment in opposition and &C
q cused all of those people indiscrim
nately with being part of a giganti
# conspiracy against the court pack
" The humor of the Robinson ou
n burst seemed not to be apparent
IS the otherwise kindly hammered SCI
e ator whom I very much admir-,
e What he did by an hour-long attac
v in the senate was to re-emphasiz
l. all of the criticism of the Pres
IS dents plan.
.e One might refer in this come
lie ton also to the explosive type
e speech made by Harry Hopkins, r
D. lief administrator. Of course, e.
j. eryone knows that Mr.. Hopkins h;
I'd made his life's work that of lookir
s. after suffering humanity. He is {
lie the government pay roll in such
Of job. Mr.. Hopkins attacked all o
lg position to the Presidents plan b
w cause he said it was in the intere
of humanity to do so. The reli
re administrator made his appeal {