Show I B r r N I 5 N III Pt I N rN R r f q I X t. t D- D Dm m e f W 1 S 'S st R 1 J I 9 O t Mi k ete t e x s t f W V f 1 J 4 t cl t t tp Washington On Washington On the eve of ot the opening of ot a new congress the sev seve fifth enty-fifth there is Hullabaloo great hullabaloo and Clamor and clamor about social and economic eco ceo nome legislation and particularly about the alleged necessity for constitutional constitutional constitutional con con- amendments giving congress congress congress con con- gress more power to deal with these problems Much of the noise emana emanates emanates eman eman- a ates tes from minorities highly organized organized organ organ- pressure groups and it is difficult difficult cult therefore to tell exactly what the attitude of ot the country as a whole may be There are those both In congress and out who contend that the overwhelming overwhelming overwhelming over over- whelming vote for President Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roose Roose- velt's re-election re constituted a mandate mandate mandate man man- date for immediate action on a number number number num num- ber of these highly delicate delica te and difficult difficult dif dif- questions There are others whose contention is that the great vote given President Roosevelt was in fact tact a tribute to his personal popularity and that it was In no noway noway noway way connected with the various problems that are now before the coun country in individual capacity Whatever Whatever Whatever What What- ever the answer to these contending forces the fact remains that we weare weare weare are due to hear something of them themon on the floors of the house and senate in on the next few months tOne One of ot the things about which we weare weare are hearing many many words at atthe atthe atthe the moment is a proposal for an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting prohibiting pro pro- child labor It is the argument argument ment that such an amendment should be annexed to the Constitution Constitution Constitution tion and that it should give congress additional authority to enact legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion setting forth the details of this new type of prohibition Yet while all of this raving and raging is going on how many people are there who are aware of the i fact that a constitutional amendment amendment amendment amend amend- I ment doing this very thing has been pending before the states for a littlemore littlemore little littlemore more than twelve years How many people are there who recall that this amendment has been ratified by twenty-four twenty states Whatever their r recollection is it Is a fact and it remains a fact that to all Intents and purposes enough states have refused to rati ratify y the amendment to kill it oft off William Green president of the American Federation of ot Labor being being being be be- ing alive to what he considers the meaning of the recent huge vote for President Roosevelt has attempted to revive the fight for ratification of that child labor amendment above mentioned He has written to the heads beads of the various state stale and local groups urging them to work for favorable favorable favorable fa fa- fa- fa action on the amendment in inthe inthe inthe I. I the states that have heretofore rejected rejected rejected re re- re- re it This brings up a 3 new legal questin ques- ques tin ti no Stated succinctly the question is whether a state New Legal legislature that Question has once rejected a proposition to amend the Constitution can reverse itself and approve the resolution after ha having ing once killed it Mr Green contends that this is possible The American Bar association takes a n contrary view So we are confronted with a problem problem problem lem within a problem and one thatis that thatis thatis is likely to be distorted and twisted and misrepresented by those interests Interests interests in In- that have hav sought for a long longtime longtime longtime time to make the Constitution appear appear appear ap ap- pear outmoded To become attached to the Constitution an amendment must be ratified under the terms of the Constitution itself by three- three fourths of the states That is thirty- thirty six Since twelve more states must ratify there is likely to be a hard drive to to gain some of the remaining states and to bring about reversal of positions already taken talen It nearly always happens in drives that there is much loose and many unwarranted and unjustified statements It probably will be so in this instance and the country must be on guard to sift the truth from the propaganda and must be prepared to make maize up Its mind whether it desires to place in the Constitution a hard and fast rule that no child under eighteen years of ot age may be allowed to work gain gain- fully tully For the sake sale of the record herewith here here- with is the language of ot the proposed amendment that is now pending The congress shall have power to limit regulate and prohibit the I labor of persons un under er eighteen years of age The power of the sev sm several eral cral states is unimpaired by this article except that the operation of state laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation enacted by the con con- gress From these words it t will be seen that an attempt is made to give give congress greater power power over the rights of states to legislate for them them- selves Such a purport brings up in my mind the old que question tion of whether er a sta state te or the federal government shall be supreme There certainly are times there are circumstances and there arc are conditions in which I the federal government alone can candeal candeal II deal with problems better than states can deal with them individual individual- ly But after alter all conditions are not the same in any two states of the Union and it seems to me that the states ought to give careful thought to any proposition that takes away from them forever whatever rights are are left to them them under the tion They ought to be free as far as they may be to handle their own problems on the basis of ot local re le re- re t The country cannot know definitely definite definite- ly until President Roosevelt delivers delivers delivers ers his message to Social the new congress Welfare dealing with the thesta sta state te of the Union exactly what his position is going to tobe tobe tobe be on on the so-called so social welfare problems of ot the country This is a general category and involves such things as the so-called so social security security security ity legislation and legislation giving the federal government greater control control con con- troi over private business The two phases go hand in hand and as far faras faras faras as I have been able to discover it will be impossible le to deal with one without i in 1 some manner dealing with the other For example the present social security statutes have n a direct effect upon business through their taxation provisions While basically they are are designed to protect against the sufferings sufferings sufferings suf suf- of ot unemployment and the destitution of the aged who are arc without without with with- out resources it can be readily seen that somebody m must st pay the bill The Roosevelt administrations administration's theory theory theory the the- ory is that private employers mean- mean int business as a whole shall be the logical source from which to draw the financial protection that is conceived conceived con con- to be necessary But in this theory there is involved very definitely the right of ot the federal federal federal fed fed- eral government to enter into the fields that are now occupied or may maybe maybe maybe be occupied by the states It is largely a taxing proposition that the federal government must use i if it is going to reach those classes able to pay But the Constitution federal laws and traditional practices of our people have built buill up certain lines of demarcation between federal federal federal fed fed- eral and state rights The question therefore becomes simply one that requires determination by the people people people peo peo- whether they arc going to allow v the federal government to encroach further upon the fields that hitherto have been reserved for the states slates We hear much talk about a 3 revival of a revival of it on on a basis that will make it constitutional and andone andone one with provisions provis that will reach a greater percentage of business than was reached by the original Organized labor seems to be beIn bein bein in favor of this proposition and naturally naturally naturally na na- na- na will exert considerable power pow pow- er in in congress but bu some lawyers among the representatives and sena senators senators sen sen- a tors tell me that they do not see how the purpose can be accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac without a constitutional amendment On the basis of all of the information information tion and opinion that I have been able to gather my guess would be that before this session of congress Is over something tangible in the way of ot a 3 new constitutional amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment will be offered It would seem on the basis of the present trends that it will be possible for the different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent schools of thought on this subject subject subject sub sub- to get together only upon a 3 constitutional con con- constitutional resolution My guess is further that It is utterly impossible for all of the groups and blocs to reach an understanding on legIslation legislation legislation legisla legIsla- tion along these lines Few of them are willing to compromise and without without with with- out the attitude of ot compromise on highly controversial legislation nothing except stalemates results S-me S observers even now hold the belief bellet that it will be impossible for any agreement to be reached within with with- in congress on any of these social welfare propositions simply because the range of ot views as to what is good for the country is so wide that there will be no surrender on the part of any majority group and unless unless unless un un- less concessions are made as I 1 said above it is entirely possible that the first session o of the seventy fifth congress will be a do nothing session There are certain bits of ot evidence now to be seen that indicate a 3 more determined p po o s i. i TI L t A i. i What About tion lion on the part of ot Business business itself I 1 think it could be said without equivocation that the business have been the target for political demagoguery Inthe in inthe inthe the last few years to a greater extent extent extent ex ex- tent than ever In history Of course business has not come forth with cean clean hands Yet it Is made to appear now that business busness has taken about all of the maltreatment to I which It is entitled and ond It would seem therefore that the time has arrived for it to be given some consider consideration consideration con con- sider tion by the government which has supervision over it as well as os us as individuals c 0 Western Newspaper 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