Show t r INS I I N Kl S Q I IDE I D n E F S 5 Q T I T I U I F F F The B By News el PAUL Behind Lh MALLON he The t News News Ne' Ne WASHINGTON Th The e high command here seems to have dropped the soft-pedal soft upon criticism criticism criticism cism against the supreme court Interior Secretary Ickes for example gave out a peculiarly worded statement after the court sent the Duke power case back to the lower courts without a decision He denounced the power companies for thus delaying the decision but said nary a word about the court He asserted the were holding up 50 of P W A employment projects by their technical legal tactics although the court had I taken the action causing the de de- de lay It sounded significant What happened on the inside was even more significant It seems that Mr r. r Ickes' Ickes young liberal lawyers in the P W A were hot against the court action They wrote a confidential memo to Mr Ickes outlining an attack upon the court ana anc pointing out the harm wrought by the delay They suggested Mr M. Ickes issue it in his own name He revised it to apply to the power companies companies compa compa- nies riles instead of the court and then gave gave- it out Courses The incident illustrates a growing growing growing grow grow- ing unannounced s sentiment e n t i m men e n t among new deal authorities Most of the top liberals have come to the conclusion they are not going going going go go- ing to accomplish their purposes by court attacks or in fact by constitutional amendments They are looking for other more practical practical practical methods such as the step now in progress in the national labor board case against the steel companies The idea behind that case o of course is to help John JohnLewis JohnLewis JohnLewis Lewis organize the steel industry and thus to effect maximum hours and minimum wages without without without with with- out legislation court tion or constitutional amend amend- ment Inasmuch as returning southern Democrats in congress also are going on record privately against a constitutional amendment there seems to b be little prospect that the question wIll will be considered seriously unless a new new situation arises An exception to the current trend o of the well-informed well was the action taken by the National Consumers' Consumers league It went on record for fora a constitutional amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment to permit without question effective federal and state labor and social legislation Two officers officers cers of that league are Mrs F. F D. D Roosevelt and Professor Felix Frankfurter Fear Excellent lawyers around the court are perturbed nevertheless They are convinced the court will have to hold unconstitutional the state of Washington minimum wage law for women Such ac action action ac- ac tion they fear will lead to a new liberal uproar Their perturbation seems to be justified The lawyer for the state o of Washington admitted in inthe inthe inthe the arguments that some aspects of the law were invalid under the Adkins case decision His contention contention contention conten conten- tion that the case applied only to hotel chambermaids seemed to tobe tobe toe be e somewhat weak The i is issue 5 S sue U e involves a suit brought by a chambermaid to re recover recover recover re- re cover the difference between the state minimum wage and what was actually paid her The lawyer lawyer lawyer law law- yer argued the hotel business is public and subject to state regu regu- lation Stuck No less an authority than the No 2 man of the new deal in inspired inspired inspired in- in those recently published predictions that there would be beno beno beno no resignations from the cabi cab net However he was speaking only about the other nine nin members members mem mem- bers hers and not about himself He would not comment about his own plans which still call for his resignation resignation resignation res res- res- res ignation January 1 The reason there will be De few resignations is that it would take a team of horses to get any cabinet member out They like it here Suppression Chemists in the agriculture department department department de de- de- de conducted an investigation tion of what wines may be drunk with certain foods and prepared a pamphlet It will never be of assistance to dining outsiders Everyone okayed it until it reached Agriculture Secretary Wallace He pocketed it Easing More than one congressman Is taking inside steps to have Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney General Cummings tone down h his Is belligerent crime catcher J. J Edgar Hoover It seems that Mr Hoover by working working working work work- ing hard at it has made nearly every Washington authority a potential potential potential po po- po- po enemy Understanding The supreme court may be a frequent target for criticism from outside but never from attorneys appearing before it That is al almost almost al al- most never Assistant Attorney General Toner of Washington state stale told the court the other day I must confess that sometimes I read what your honors say without without without with with- out being able to understand the meaning He was not fined for contempt the justices presumably taking the view that the fault lay with Mr Toner Copyright 1936 for The Telegram |