Evening star., 1937-04-16
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VIE

Little straws show how the wind is
blowing in connection with the ever
hotter fight over the Roosevelt Supreme
Court plan. Disclosure that Senator
elect William H Smathers, Democrat. of
New Jersey is at length taking his seat,
after three months Of delay, smacks of
tell-tale evidence that Senator Joe Robin
son, New Deal majority leader feels that
every possible vote that can be lined up
for the judiciary bill should now be
present and accounted for. The jersey
man, who remained at Trenton until this
week, to preserve the Democratic balance
Of power in a bitterly contested election
contest in the State Senate, rates as a
supporter Of the court enlargement pro-
gram. He is himself former jurist,
having served on the bench of the
Common Pleas Court of Atlantic County
at Atlantic City and later as a member
of the State Supreme Court Commits
sion. Though Senator Smathers has
been resident of "the shore, for the
last Is years. he is North Carolinian by
origin. His arrival in Washington, in an
nounced response to Senator Robinson s
summons. would indicate that ad-
ministration strength on the court issue
needs bolstering
Nose accounting estimates OF the Sem
ate's final judiciary vote have been
undergoing revision since the Wagner
labor relations act decisions. Both pro-
popenets and opponents of the bill claim
augmented strength as result OF them.
The favorite non-partisan guess con-
tinues to be that the Senate stands
today at about So for the President S
scheme and 43 against 1t. II this analysis
Is we'll founded, q shift of five votes
would produce a tie, leaving to Vice
President Garner the delicate duty of
casting the deciding aye or nay. Thus
it is within the realm of the conceivable
that the Supreme Courts famous 5-to-4
division might find its counterpart in q
Senate split of 49 to 48. The Vice Presi-
dent has carefully kept his personal
views on the judiciary bill from public
knowledge. Until recently he was re-
garded as favoring it, though repeatedly
without any overwhelming enthusiasm.
Now there are Capitolians who profess
to be assured that the Texans senti-
ments have experienced change which,
fantastic as that possibility would seem.
might eventually find him arrayed
against "the boss" If conditions re-
quired him to cut the Gordian knot.
This observer ventures the suggestion
that after Wallis Simpson is married to
former King Edward VIII, she may not
inappropriately be destined to take her
place in history as "the Merry Wife Of
Windsor"
Plans of Senator Schwellenbach,
Democrat, Of Washington to check the
rising tide of exports Of scrap iron by
subjecting them to State Department
license. coincide with significant revela-
ton just made by the Independent Steel
and Iron Producers Association. Ex-
cessive scrap iron exports are declared
to be menace" to the United States,
from the standpoints of national welfare,
labor, Unemployment, recovery, foreign
trade and naval defense. On the basis Of
heavy sales during the last two years,
mainly to Great Britain, Japan and
Italy. an expectation Of 3,000,0 900 tons Of
iron and steel scrap is anticipated In
1887. This would involve the overseas
shipment Of the equivalent Of 5000, 900
tons OF iron ore, one Of Uncle Sam s
most valuable natural resources. Scrap