Evening star., 1939-11-28
Present Court
Seen EnnanciinQ'
Guard Of Rights

European War Makes !
Protection Of Urgent |
Concern, ChonIer Says
A prediction that the protection of
civil liberties will increase in view
Of the present membership of the
Supreme Court was made here to-
day by William C. Chanler, corpora
ton counsel of New York City.
Speaking before the National Ini
stitute of Municipal Law Officers!
the head of the Nations greatest
body of city attorneys reviewed de-
cisions of the Supreme Court, in.
cluding the one recently invalidat-.
ing the -handbill ordinances in
four cities, Ind said:
I'm view of the most recent opin-
ions of the court and of its present.
composition, it would not be rash
to guess that protection of civil
liberties will increase, and the con-
tent of the law, both substantive
and procedural, will grow evermorei
inclusive of those elements essential
to the preservation of our heritage
of liberty" {.
Cites European War.
Pointing out that the European
war has made the defense of civil
liberties one of the most urgent
concerns" of Americans. Mr.. Chanler
said, I'm the trying days to come
which present events foreshadow,
we will have need of every ounce
of strength we can muster"
Continuing his report of the in
stitute's Committee on Civil Liber-
ties, the speaker said: 1T is utterly
impossible for democracy to exist
without civil liberty; the two are
but different facets of the same gem.
Each and every move which cur
tails civil liberty, whether made by
public officials or by private indi.
vldualS and groups, inevitably in
jures to that very same degree the
democracy which is so precious to us.
Local Government.
Nowhere are the problems Of
civil liberty so clearly and funda-
mentally presented as in the ad-
ministration Of local government.
Here is where the civil rights of
Americans can most easily and most
dangerously be suppressed; here is
where those rights may be most
In talk on municipalities and
the National Defense" Col Louis L.
Roberts, city attorney of Evansville,
Ind, urged that provision for in
cluding municipalities in the Federal
scheme of national defense be made.
He pointed out that the respon-
sibility for essential services such as
water supply and sanitation rests
with the municipalities. He said
that protection of these vital serv-
ices would, in a time of national
emergency, find the officers of mu-
inequalities desperately cropping"
The speaker said that at present
we are engaged in war on sub
versive forces and that this phase Of
Americas defense also should in
clude the consideration of munich
pal bodies.
Others speaking at the morning
session we're Walter J. Mattison,
Milwaukee, Wis, Ordinances and
Ordinance Enforcement" Darling
ton Hopes, Reading, Pa, Revision
of City Codes; John w. McCol-
neloug, st. Paul, Mimi. "St. Paul's
Recent Experience With Teachers
Tenure Act and Salary Disputes;
Henry Parkman, jr., of Boston,
Revocation of a Street Railway
Franchise for Nom User" and Har-
old Eckroate, Barberton, Ohio, Fed
eral, State and City Relationships. !"
Speaking at luncheon scheduled
for o'clock was to be Alexander
Brown, chief deputy city attorney Of
Portland, Greg, on 1.-The Oregon
Labor Act or Anti-Fcketing Law"
widely and courageously protected"
A resolution advocating expansion
of the Federal housing program,
particularly to benefit the low in
come rural population, was under
consideration today by the institute.
The Institutes Committee on
Housing specifically recommended
that the session go on record as
indorsing the housing bill now pend
ing before Congress, designed to
enlarge the U. s. H. A. program
through increased authorization for
loans and subsidies.
ut is more than evident" the
committee stated, that the creation
of a program in rural communities
will benefit the urban housing pro-
gram. For one thing, the criticism
will be stilled that the housing pro-
gram is only a city program with no
interest to the Nations farm com :
munities. City attorneys Of the
larger cities must also view this
enlargement of the housing program
with approval, for better rural hous-
ing may, in some degree, halt the
constant flight of rural populations
to the cities, resulting in intensified
unemployment and public relief.
Legion Commander to Speak.
All committee reports and formal
addresses were to be completed to-
day. Raymond j. Kelly, national
commander of the American Legion
and former president of the insti-
tute Cat the time he was corporation
counsel of Detroit, will speak on
| "Un-American Influences in Gov =
ernment," and L. Welch Pogue. gen.
eral counsel of the Civil Aeronautics
Authority, is to speak on litigation
affecting aviation at a dinner begin
ming at 7:30 o'clock tonight.
Elwood H. Seal, corporation coun-
| sal for fha District of GolllYalaia