Evening star., 1937-07-06
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

PAo8AnM w AcSAlap Vie oupTeme court.
1t has had to wait because obviously the
administration forces were not strong
enough to force the issue successfully,
and not being strong, were unwilling to
hurry the bill along. Chairman Ashurst
OF the Senate Judiciary Committee COM
mented time and again during the early
months OF the bills life that he was per-
fectly willing to wait; that time was the
ally OF the President in this tight. Mr..
Ashurst, however, appears to have been
mistaken. The opposition has grown
stronger instead Of weaker. And even
now. when the administration is about
to take the plunge and ask to have the
bill taken up for consideration in the
Upper House, 1t is not the Presidents
original bill 1t hopes to put through, but
q compromise.
Unless there Is some st-minute
change OF plans. Senator Robinson Of
Arkansas. the Democratic leader. will
move today to take up the Presidents
BILL which has been adversely reported
by the Judiciary Committee. There Is
the suggestion. however, that the debate
may be delayed until Thursday. The
reason given being that there is to be
an all-American base ball game played
here Wednesday-certainly 4 major rea-
son for delaying the consideration Of the
most important measure that has come
before the Senate in years. The opposi-
tion can have no special reason for re-
sistig the delay. AS the senatorial op-
ponents see it. the longer the bill is left
hanging fire, the better they are pleased.
~
Some OF the supporters of the COM
promise bill, among them Senator Logan
OF Kentucky, are suggesting that the
opponents of the bill are really seeking
to wreSt control Of the Democratic party
from the President and his New Deal
following. In other words, they argue
that the contest is merely political This
the Democratic opponents Of the meas
ure insist Is all poppycock. Senators
wheeler OF Montana, Burke Of Nebraska
and other Democrats who are opposed
to the court bill and to any compromise
ask, quite sensibly. what earthly reason
they could have for desiring to disrupt
the Democratic party. What they are
opposing is the disruption Of the Amer
lean form OF government-with the
executive dominating the judiciary.
AS the plans for this long debate
presumably long-are being made. it
seems clear that there will be consider
able bitterness engendered before it is
all over. 1t will take more than a days
visit to Jefferson Island to heal the
sores. in all probability. And II the
President loses in this contest, what
then? 1t is becoming more and more
evident that if the President wins, 1t
will be through process of attrition. of
wearing down the opposition by long
day and night sessions, with tempers on
edge. The opposition is we'll organized
and determined. 1t can play this game
as we'll AS the administration forces.
Decidedly the ramifications OF this struR- =
gle may have considerable political effect
II the administration was willing to
let the court bill-which is decidedly
unpopular with millions of Americans
slide, all OF this unpleasantness in Dem
ocratic ranks could be avoided. But the
President. despite the favorable rulings
Of the Supreme Court in the Wagner
labor relations act cases and in other
New Deal measures, is unwilling to side
track the court bill. even to avoid this
unpleasantness. He has now the op-
portunity OF appointing one new asso-
ciate justice OF the Supreme Court-to
Ill the Van Devanter vacancy. It may
be presumed that within a comparatively
short time other members OF the court
will take advantage of the new retire
ment act. put through Congress at the
present session. the Summers act.
The President, however. is unwilling
to admit defeat. The compromise plan
to which he has apparently agreed after
being informed by his leaders that the
original bill could not pass the Senate,
may not be to his liking but at least
it is something. 1t Is really more than
face saving substitute. For 1t will give
him the opportunity. II 1t is put through,
to name three new justices to the court
within very few Notwithstanding the
successor to Associate Justice Van De-
vanter.
Many OF the Senate Democrats who
are likely to vote for the compromise
bill have no love for the measure They
are reluctant and have been reluctant
to go into this fight for months. There
is no enthusiasm for the measure Sem
ator Ashurst, chairman of the Judiciary
Committee. ever since the President
sent the bill to the Senate has pro-
claimed loudly his support Of the meas
ure. But he Is an exception he and .
few Of the more ardent New Dealers.
Even Senator Norris OF Nebraska has
admitted he did not like the Presidents
bill-but has said that he would vote for
it II nothing better could be had So
when the court bill supporters charge
the bills opponents with disrupting the
Democratic party, it is quite natural that
the latter should retort that it is the
insistence Of the former on passing this
bill which is causing all the trouble.
The opponents OF the bill might, II
motion to call the bill up. It is the kind
by determined group of f1libustering
Senators. One OF the most effective
filibusters ever undertaken in the Senate
was against an anti-lynching bill. en-
gineered by group OF Southern Demo-
Gratis. The bill was never taken up for
consideration. The filibusters fought
over the reading Of the daily journal of
the Senate and its adoption and all kinds
OF parliamentary motions were made.
tx
The present situation over the court
bill is reminiscent Of the long fight waged
in the Senate over the Versailles treaty
and the League Of Nations covenant.
How the opposition grew in strength
is matter Of past history. But Wood
row Wilson was unwilling to agree to
any compromise and to accept the So
called mild reservations" which might
have insured success for him and put