The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-15


 Under the surface, however, a very profound change has taken place. Two new factors have en- tered the Capitol Hill picture: .(1) next years elections, (2) the increasingly ominous business recession.
 THEIR EFFECT ON THE TEMPER OF MEMBERS WILL BE PROFOUND.
 Ordinarily, in an election period, Congress up against a popular president is inclined to be tract able. Roosevelt had this consider ation in the back of his mind when he overruled the unanimous counsel of his advisers and called the special session. To whip his measures through with 8 mini- mum of difficulty, he counted heavily on the fact that the entire House and a third of the Sen- ate face going on the block.
 But after he issued his call, business went into a nosedive and his secret calculation no longer fitted the circumstances. It is possible that the slump may act to offset the election factor and spur Congress to be- come more truculently indepen- dent than ever. This is the unexpressed hope of adminiS- tration foes.
 On the other hand, a jittery economic condition may create Q "scare psychology" in the chan1- bers and play into the presidents hand. That was what happened in 1883 and '34. The inner White House circle isn't saying so pub- licly, but 1t is figuring strongly on history repeating itself this ses- sion.
 THE NET RESULT OF THESE VARIOUS INFL ENCES IS STILL ANYBODY'S GUESS. Balance of Power
 The first batch of Supreme Court decisions revealed one very significant fact: The presence of Justice Black has made no funda- mental change in the complexion of the tribunal.
 Chief Justice Hughes and 'Jus- tice Roberts still wield the bal- anee of power. They determine the slant of the courts decrecs. If they side with the liberals, the result is a liberal ruling. If they line up with the conserva- tive justices, the conservatives win.
 The two major decisions handed down by the court involved tax issues.
 IN ONE, challenging the consti- tutionality of an Iowa law taxing state bonds, Hughes and Roberts voted with Justices Stone, Brar- deis, Cardozo and Black. This gave the liberal bloc 6 to 3 victory.
 IN THE SECOND, testing the right of the government to tax bonuses paid former employees of a reorganized corporation, the chief justice and his Philadelphia colleague held with the conserva- tive group. This handed them the palm by to 4.
 In New Deal circles the Hughes. Roberts swing did not pass uil. noticed. Undercover 1t again famed into flame their shoulder ing bitterness against the chief justice. The New Dealers credit Hughes with chief responsibility for the defeat of Roosevelt's judicial plan--a score they have neither forgiven nor forgotten. Labor Expert? ,
 Although Miss Frances Perkins is the Governments No. 1 author ity on unions, she was at a total loss the other day as to how to deal with employees In her own de- pertinent.
 Telephoning on important New Deal executive, she inquired eX- citedly, "What do you do when your employees send a committee to you to bargain collectively"
 "Why, I meet with them. of course," was the surprised reply. You do?"
 Certainly. Haven't you ever read the Wagner Act?"
 NOTE - Labor Department workers charge that Miss Perkins is trying to dodge negotiating with them by setting up a "con- pany union grievance committee" High Flyer
 To the disclosure of the Com merce Departments failure to en- force the law requiring U. s. passenger ships to install sprinkler systems, add a new revelation:--
 For the past six months Assis- tant Secretary J. Monroe ("ROw- boat") Johnson has been using an $85,000 government plane, oper- ated at a cost of $50 an hour, for his private air-taxi.
 The ship was acquired last year for the purpose of making exueriments with new aerOnaus