Evening star., 1937-09-20

President Roosevelt's Constitution day
address doubtless will go into the books
as fighting speech, but it sounded to
a lot of people like cry of anguish
from baff1ed and disappointed poll
tician. II certainly does not rank in
fire or aggressiveness with F. d. RS
utteraEceS on inaugural or other mill
tant occasions like the Victory dinner
and the fireside chat in support of the
Supreme Court bill The President s
onslaught against the members of his
own profession was little short of a
TRADE. It's delivery in accents of semi
humorous irony only thinly veiled his
furious resentment over the sins of men
who construe the Constitution as "a
lawyers contract" instead of "a lay
mans document" Fully third of the
Presidents time was devoted to lam
basting his brethren of the bench and
bar. Some of them use a harsh term
in stigmatizing tactics which do not
shrink from holding fellow-craftsmen
up to public scorn. Mr.. Roosevelt, Incl
dentally, as one of them points out,
evidently thinks the law is worthy
enough trade for the son and heir who
bears his own name. Franklin D., jr.,
is about to matriculate as freshman at
the University of Virginia Law School.
X
Lawyers have been, and still are, the
pillars of the New Deal church. The
Roosevelt revolution glitters with their
names. The original old guard includes
luminaries like Felix Frankfurter
Jerome Frank, Donald Richberg and
Frank Walker. Today's barrister brigade
numbers such tall cedars as Tom Cor
coran, Ben Cohen, Jim Lands, Bob
Jackson, Tom Eliot, Herman Oliphant,
Frank McNinch and Stanley Reed. The
Presidents closest and long time per-
sonal counselor is Sam Rosenman of the
New York bar. Exactly one-half of the
cabinet consists of lawyers-Hull, Cum
mings, Swanson, Roper and Ickes. The
Presidents paladins in Congress are
almost exclusively attorneys-Wagner
Ashurst, Pittman, Barkley ct al in the
Senate, and Rayburn, Bankhead, Nav
erick, Steagell ct AL in the House With
the exception of Bob La Toilette and
Harry Hopkins, hardly any of the men
now behind the throne are non-lawyers.
X
Mr.. Roosevelt's Constitution day
preachment laid it on thick when re-
ferring to the complexities and ambigui-
ties with which lawyers clutter up
leases, insurance policies and Install
ment agreements" Incomprehensible as
most of these "whereases" and paroles
of the first part" may be, they're simple
as A, B, compared to some of the
Chinese puzzles written by the Cor
corans and Cohens into the language
of some recent New Deal legislation like
the tax-loophole, securities and labor
relations laws.
Washington's omnipresent and absorb
Ing guessing contest ranges around what
Mr.. Justice Black is going to do-if and
when he regains the power of speech
In administration quarters which should
reflect White House atmosphere, there's
a feeling that the Alabaman, proud
stubborn and ambitious as he is, will
not tender his resignation, either VOL
unfairly or under Executive pressure.
What is considered possible, and even
probable. is that Black, out of a sense
of gratitude and in compassion for the
pickle In which the K. X. K. scandal
has put the President, will propose that
the Supreme Court nomination be sub
mitted for Senate reconsideration, In