The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-09-29

friends that a man or woman on
relief should not be permitted TO
vote until he or she has removed
that particular burden from the
backs of the taxpayers.
Hopkins Argument Does
Not Please Neiu Dealers
The best argument for the side of
the New Jersey women has been
presented, of course, by Harry L.
Hopkins himself. His statement that
naturally" 80 per cent of the WPA
workers are for Roosevelt did not
sit particularly well even with New
Dealers. 1t is one thing for Demo
cratic leaders to point out that the
Hoover administration did nothing
and about how terrible the unem-
ployment became, and how much
better the Roosevelt administration
is doing. That is fine, and if people,
believing that, want to vote on the
New Deal side in primaries and
elections this year, or two years
hence, no one can object.
But it is quite another thing to
boast that 90 per cent of the WPA
workers will support Roosevelt's
candidates in primaries and cleo
tions, because the present admins
tration is feeding them. And it be-
comes even worse when Hopkins
words conjure up a picture of rival
candidates bidding for the relief
vote by promising more and more.
There are many more people-in-
Guiding politicians, quiet as they
may keep about it-who are shocked
by this idea. More than that, they
are genuinely frightened as to what
it may do to this country if such
practices are continued. Which is
made more pointed by the fact that
nobody even pretends to see the
end.
This fear is entirely distinct from
that which concerns more and more
relief, hence more and more taxa
ton, and eventually a financial
bloWup ending in destruction OF
present values. 1t is true that it is
closely related, and one may lead
to the other. But there are officials
in Washington who have defended
big relief appropriations, contend
ing that this was the only way to
pull the country out of its economic
tailspin, who are genuinely dis
turbed over the idea of perma-
nent relief vote to which every
politician hoping to get anywhere
would have to cater.
Need Supreme Court Ruling
] To Clarity Wage-Hour Lato
There will have to be some SUI
preme court decisions before the
scope of the wages and hours regu-
lation law is fully understood. The
trouble revolves around the ques-
ton: What is interstate commerce?
Administrator Elmer f. Andrews
frankly admits that he does not
know where to draw the dividing
line. Neither does anyone else.
There is plenty of opinion as to
where the dividing line should be
drawn, but the opinions do not
agree. not even among New Deal
ers.
There is one very clear point,
which is that most of the left wing
ers believe the line should be drawn
very literally, considering every
business as being in interstate COM
merce-and therefore. subject to the
restrictions of the wage-hour law
which in the remotest degree af-
fects interstate commerce.
But most of these same New Deal
ers admit without hesitation that
they do not think the Supreme court,
even with the recent changes, would
60 as far as they do in this direction.
Eventual decision Of the wage
hour administration will probably
be further to the left than the gen.
eral concept, which is to say that
the decision will include more bust.
ness enterprises than the ordinary
business man would figure were en-.
gagged in interstate commerce. II
the words "affect interstate COM
merce' are used, naturally there
is broader base for inclusion.
But there is serious difference
of legal opinion as to whether the
federal government has the right to
regulate anything which merely
affects" interstate commerce with
out actually taking part in it.
Decision That Thres1
Out N. H. A. rs Recalled
For example, rug manufactures
might establish factory in Allen.
t0uyn pa and ra.