Evening star., 1937-03-05
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Illustrative of Washington's preoccu-
patton with the Supreme Court crisis and
the divergence of opinion over its out
come is the sweepstakes pool which the
National Press Club is holding. The win
ner will be the member who comes near
est to estimating the exact final vote
on the Presidents judiciary bill in the
Senate. SoothSayerS have up to midday
of March 8, just before hearings open
in the Senate Judiciary Committee, to
make their 81 bets. Guesses among the
Journalistic tribe, as among members of
Congress and in the country at large,
are as far apart as the poles They range
all the way from wishful and super
optimistic pro-New Deal view that Mr..
Roosevelt will win hands down to lunches
that he will be showed under by a ma
Jority OF dozen votes or more. A not
uncommon forecast, which is likely to
find expression in the Press Club pool
and which springs from a cool-headed
size-up of the situation, is that the White
House will prevail on the decisive round
up by a razor-edge margin of perhaps
five or six votes, or perhaps fewer Much
depends, Capitol Hill authorities con-
cede, on the country's reaction to the
Presidents broadcast on the night of
March 9. Several Senators still uncom-
mitted are said to be waiting specifically
for the backbone effects of F. D. RS
radio appeal.
Speaking of septuagenarians and their
fitness for public service, as nearly
everybody nowadays is doing, consider
the case of that noble Roman, former
Senator James A. Reed. The famous
Missouri Democrat, according to data
just made public by the Securities and
Exchange Commission. received 100000
for legal services last year from Warner
Bros. Pictures, Inc, in connection with
important litigation conducted on their
behalf. Mr. Reed was rs years old in
November. The Warmers paid him just
five times the annual salary of an aSSo-
ciate justice of the Supreme Court. All
Of which seems to prove that whatever
may be thought about it in exalted New
Deal circles, American private business
does not consider that distinguished
member of the law profession loses his
punch when he reaches the lean and
slippered vintage. Reed was once asked
If he didn't think he was little too far
along to aspire to presidential nomina-
ton Hell, mol" he snorted. Most of
my ancestors lived to be 1O0."
In connection with Mr.. Roosevelt's
proposed excise sugar tax of three quar-
tiers Of cent a pound, there's UNDER
stood to be glaring discrepancy of view
between the State Departments legal
advisers and their brethren in the De-
partment Of Agriculture. Secretary
Hull's lawyers are said to hold that the
enactment Of the tax will constitute
direct violation Of the Cuban American
reciprocal trade agreement of Septem-
ber. 1894. Secretary Wallace's attor-
neys were Of opinion that President
Roosevelt was fully entitled to make his
excise recommendation, despite the pact.
AS Secretary Hull in a public address
has just reafi1rmed the American doc
trine that the Sanctity of treaties Is
the corner stone of international rela-
tionS, some eyebrows are being raised in
foreign diplomatic quarters here over
the sugar tax. 1t is officially admitted
that If Congress votes it, the Cuban
treaty, bell-wether of the whole recipro-
cal program, will have to be Scrapped,
unless the Havana government is willing
to negotiate revision of the agreement
conforming to the new tax. The latter
would minimize certain advantages the
Cubans now enjoy in our sugar market.
4 4 4
Senator Henry r. Ashurst, Democrat.
Of Arizona, chairman Of the Senate
judiciary Committee, which Is about to
have drst crack at the Supreme Court