The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-13

was to be applied within the boundaries of the state which passed 1t and which had been found olay by the supreme court of that particular state. All of which may be perfectly clear to the Supreme Court of five justices and to lawyers generally. To me it's lot of h0p-scotch.
 
 Why Not Men?
 Maybe and perhaps the five to four decision upholding the con stitutionality of the Washington legislation means that "No Mans LandH has disappeared and that the Court has now opened the way to the enactment of valid mimi mum wage laws all over the land. hope so but I have my doubts. I'll be convinced that everything is all right when the Supreme Court finds constitutional mimi mum wage law which will apply to men as well as to women and minors. No one with 8 conscience and heart can do anything but cheer for all legislation which safeguards the health, welfare, morals; and safety of female workers who God knows are frightfully exploited now. How ever, to quote a sentence from an editorial in America" for April 10th, '"The exploitation of women workers may be more shocking to our Sensihilities than g similar tyranny over men, but the latter may be even more hurtful to the common good, if for no other req. son because 1t is more extensive"
 Whats the Difference?
 The vote of the Court in the Washington case fails to remove the objections to five-to-four de- cisions on the constitutionality of any law. It only emphasizes them. If the Court was at fault in throwing out the New York mini mum wage legislation by a five to four vote I, for one, cannot see how it saved its face by uphold ing the Washington law by arl- other five to four vote. Nor how asa result of the latter favorable decision the veto power of one justice has been removed. Friends of a more comprehensive inter- pretation of the Constitution to problems of the present moment may rejoice in the Supreme Courts, apparent reversal of itself in the Washington case. But ] cannot see how it adds anything to the argument either for or against President Roosevelt's cure for legal arterial sclerosis in the current occupants of that bencl
 M. Degrelle's Finish
 It is. a not-uncommon impressic that because the Catholic Churci, in Italy arrived at modus viven. di Ca manner of living) with MT, Mussolini that 1t is therefore com mitted to an approval of Fascisn and the Fascist State. Even suci astute observers of world affair, as the Washington Merry-Go. Founders, Messrs Allen and Pear. son, have on occasions become victims of the delusion and theil mistake was pointed out in these columns some time ago. The cleo, tion in Belgium on Sunday las should serve as 8 permanent refu. tation of this conclusion. Ther: the Fascist candidate, Leon De. grelle, received what might be d, scribed as Flemish Waloon shel- lacking. And for 8 reason. Jus before the campaign, closed M begrelle whose figure had growr to tremendous proportions mol only in Belgium but also, by req son of his political theories an. prospective program, in EuroE generally was led into announcing that the failure of Cardinal van Roey to come out in opposition to him constituted ecclesiastical al,- proval. The Degrelle inference was that silence gave assent. It did not take the Primate very long to make his position clear. Un- pleasantly so for the Rexist lead er,s chances at the polls. Cardinal van Roey not only admonished hiS people hot to cast blank ballots in the election, a tactic which would have resulted in M. De- grelle's triumph, but topped of the adnonition with the state ment that he considered the Fas- cist candidate "a danger to the country and to the church" Which spelled M. Degrelle's finish It is an axiom in court proceed ingS "Never ask a witness 8 ques- tion if you don't know what his answer is going to be-" M. De- greAe violated the principle and paid the usual price. The Belgian episode carries 8 moral which It Is too much to expect European correspondents for American newspapers to grasp. But 1t. IS obvious to others. Tn its treat ment of political philosophies and its dealings with governments which are conducted along cer- tain lines, the Church's attitude of tolerance of temporary cOndi- tions which 1t is not able to change should never be construed as approval. AS a choice between the evils of Fascisrn, Nazism, and Communism where the choice must be made the lesser evil is chosen through necessity and not through conviction. The totalitar- ian state in it's complete develop ment and establishment, whether In T5ermaf1v. Italy. Russia. or any