Evening star., 1938-02-10
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

BY JOHN c. HENRY.
In q bitter exchange with Senator
Austin. Republican. OF Vermont Robert
H. Jackson, nominee for Solicitor Gen.
eral, denied before a Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee today that he is at
tempting to remake the Constitution
and the laws of the Nation.
From the beginning of Mr.. Jackson's
cross-examination by the Vermonter.
the Supreme Court reform program
was principal issue. The present
Assistant Attorney General held dog
gedly to his conviction that the court
had been defeating the best interests
OF the Government and the people, and
that the plan to increase its member
ship was an honorable way to correct
this condition.
Government in any way" MIR. Jackson
said. "All desire is that it function
in the best interest of the people whom
it represents"
"The court was wrong, but 1t has
changed Mr.. Jackson said later with
smile.
Sees No Force in New Justices.
'But was it your mental attitude"
Senator Austin inquired, that if the
court wouldn't bow to the expressions
at the polls. then force or coercion
should be exercised?"
mo, sir, I have never advocated
force and don't think the addition
OF new justices Is form Of force. #
Is my view that the court must ulti
mately reflect the will Of the people.T
And that view of yours penetrates
deep into our democracy, doesn't it,
that the court should bow to the peo-
ple?" Senator Austin pressed.
well, I wouldn't want any more
judicial decisions repealed in the way
the Dred Scott case was" Mr.. Jack
son spread his hands and shrugged.
Despite the intensity Of their inter.
change Of questions and answers, Sem
ator Austin and Mr.. Jackson fire.
quently relaxed to smooth out their
differences with an exchange of COM
pliments.
Jackson Denies Thomas Leaning.
Observing that Mr.. Jackson had
spent an undue amount Of time as a
Government employe in propaganda
Ing" Senator King, Democrat, Of
Utah, remarked that his speeches con-
stituted a graver attack upon our
form OF Government than could have
been made by Norman Thomas, So
cialist.
Il don't know any one with whom
disagree more completely than with
Mr.. Thomas" Jackson replied.
At the outset of today's hearing,
Senator Austin asked:
Did you leave your private prac-
tice and come to Washington to do
what you could to change our Con-
stitution?"
mo, SIR" Mr.. Jackson smiled.
Mr.. Jackson came here February
1, 1884, he said, as special counsel at
the Internal Revenue Bureau. Admit
ting he had some preconceived views
when arriving, the witness conceded
further that he had learned some
thing" while here, but still had sub
stantially the same views as when he
came to Washington.
His Ideas of Business Men.
Asked by Senator Austin If he had
not expressed an opinion that busi-
ness men had learned nothing" since
1929, Mr.. jackson replied:
Il think many Of them have not
learned much"
Shifting his questioning to tax poll
cies of the bureau after Mr.. Jackson's
arrival, Senator Austin examined the
witness on his attitude toward policy
Of requiring the individual taxpayer
to justify details of his return.
II thoroughly approve" Mr.. jack
son replied.
Mr.. jackson explained that it had
come to his attention that injustices
existed in regard to bad debt allow
ances in tax returns and that he un-
dertook study of the matter in con-
junction with other bureau officials.
The examination became more
heated as it dealt with adjustments
made between the Government and
individual taxpayers, with Mr. jack
son pounding the witness table as
he declared:
If the case came to my Office
I obeyed the law laid down by Con-
gress. have participated in no
practice. nor do believe there is
any by which taxpayer was as
sessed an arbitrary sum of money to
force him to make settlement"
Denies Soaking" Policy.
Senator Austin next questioned him
about a policy Of soaking" the tax
payer, but Mr.. Jackson denied ex-
istence of any such policy.
II did have hand in tightening
the compromise policy Of the bureau"
he said.
Mr.. Jackson spoke bitterly Of the
practice Of industry in following q
doctrine of disobedience" toward
major New Deal laws until their con-
stitutionality had been established.
you have never found me opposing
any citizens action in having his
rights adjudicated," Mr.. Jackson said.
but when you find an entire class
in obstruction you may as well realize
there Is going to be q period Of two or
three years Of general disregard for
laws"