Show Washington i iy iJ Digest A Ab y b 5 fir fir- ox J c Q Washington Some Some years ears ago when New England's tongued sharp George H. H Moses Like Sat in hi the Old Ola Times kig ing officers officer's chair chairas as president pro tempore of the senate I used to toc c marvel at the speed with which he hee got rid of legislation Th The e Republicans Republicans Beans were in control of the senate The late Senator Charles Curtis of Kansas was the Republican leader leoder Between the astute Curtis and the witted nimble-witted Moses the senate senater many times really ran in high gear bear r To me it was reminiscent of the theold old days das therefore when I watched Vice President Jack Garner operate op- op crate erate in the senate the other day to get the judiciary reform bill through that body without permitting a n deluge deluge deluge del- del uge of debate I think Mr Garner performed on that occasion with even even greater finesse than thon did Senator Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor Moses because Mr Garner did not wait for cues from the floor of the senate he simply took charge chorge d and knowing k what the job was saw to It that things were accomplished in record time But th the significance of this incident incident incident inci inci- dent should not be overlooked It was noteworthy of course that the senate should pass the Ule court bill and send it to the Ule house in a total of six hours It was noteworthy that the Vice President established a precedent by granting permission to senators to in include l in the Congressional Congressional Congressional Record speeches they would have made if the debate had been prolonged And y t It was the implication implication implication im im- of the senate action that I seems to me to be the most import important important t tant phase of that situation I The way I see th the picture is this The ease with which that tha t bill was put through demonstrates that those who opposed the original bill to add six new justices to the Ule Supreme court were objecting only to the court packing and not to the reforms reforms reforms re re- forms in procedure The bill it becomes law as pro pro- provides provides vides for a number of changes in court procedure to the end that adjudication adjudication adjudication ad ad- of controversy can an be accomplished accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac much more quickly than has hos been the case in the past It does docs not include any addition to the membership of the Supreme court and It does not include any provision provision provi provi- sion Sian for or sending picked hand-picked judges into the various circuits and districts districts districts dis dis- as the White House and the Department of Justice may decide In other words word the new law leaves the judiciary system independent and again establishes it as a coordinate coordinate coordinate co co- ordinate branch of the government equal in all respects to the legislative legislative legisla tive which is congress and the executive executive executive ex ex- which is the President and andL L 1 the executive departments There can be no doubt that this piece of legislation is worthwhile although to the layman the benefits may not immediately appear It must be reI regarded regarded re re- I however simply as a piece of legislation that cuts much legal red tape and those who must avail t themselves of the courts or those J who are forced under jurisdiction of courts will come more nearly obtaining justice than thon heretofore 1 I have said in these columns before before be be- fore that when the senate refused to accept the Presidents President's orders and pass legislation that would permit him to appoint six new justices to the Supreme court at one time the President suffered one of the worst political defeats he has ever en en- countered He probably will never meet with another such disastrous setback It was obvious to the vast majority major major- ity of senators and representatives and to observers here within six weeks after Mr Roosevelt submitted submitted submit submit- ted the court packing bill that he could not force it through He refused refused re re- o. o fused nevertheless to admit defeat In consequence it took nearly six months of bitter and futile wrangling wrangling wrangling wran wran- gling in the senate to convince the President that he was on the wrong 1 side of the question as far tar as public sentiment was v concerned S So congress has wasted nearly all of the 1937 session on a proposition tion for which it was not resson sible It may be said that congress 1 should remain In session under l. l those circumstances and give all of the time that is necessary to deliberation deliberation f of measures before it Yet facts must be faced One of these a facts is that through all of the months prior to adjournment scores of members were wearing themselves themselves themselves them them- selves down fighting against a proposition proposition prop prop- with which they could not agree In the meantime Washington's Washington's Washing Washing- tons ton's summer settled down WashIngton's Washington's Wash Wash- ington's summer is a completely hot and humid summer Most of the members of the senate and md house are no longer boys of college age They cannot withstand the physical rigors of heavy work under weather conditions that prevail In a Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington summer Thus it is not strange at all aU that as Jul July passe passed l and August wore on most of the members want wanted cd to go to places r more comfortable than the Capital 17 city and that constituted a terrific urge to get rid of whatever legislation legisla r tion lion was before them with the very minimum of effort In consequence there has been some very bad bod legislation legislation legis legis- lation lotion and congress is now wholly to blame for it A friend of mine a well-known well doctor who is not a politician k knows now s nothing New Yorks York about politics politics politics-a a Fight man in short who m minds i n d s his own business and tries to do the best job o of which he is capable asked me a n question the other day doy that precipitated this discussion He asked me why the newspapers throughout the country were giving so much space front page space at nt that to the political fight over the Democratic nomination for majorin mayor major In New York My doctor friend observed that which is true namely that the mayor may may- or or- of New York is only mayor of that city and has no jurisdiction or power anywhere else he observed as well that New York City is simply simply simply sim sim- ply a subdivision of the state of New York and ond that New York state is only one state out of forty-eight forty in our nation Further he suggested suggested sug sue I ested that he and he believed millions millions millions mil mil- lions of others could not possibly have any ony interest in whether Tammany or the New Deal faction of Democrats in New York City should win the nomination and their mayoralty candidate Superficially the doctor was right His th thoughts tights however do donot donot donot not touch the root of that situation F Fundamentally the battle bottle between Tammany and the Democrats in New York is a battle between the theold theold theold old line conservative Democrats throughout the nation and the New Deal faction of the party part which is headed by President Roosevelt Itis It Itis Itis is vitally important also to the Republicans Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans for the reason that the Presidential election of 1940 1910 is al almost almost almost al- al most certain to be a campaign In which we will find conservatives from whatever party aligned on one hand and radicals from r m whatever party aligned on the other side To that extent the New York primary and mayoralty election is the beginning beginning beginning begin begin- ning of the 19 1910 1940 0 presidential cam cam- The bitterness that is going to prevail prevail prevail pre pre- vail from here on has been given something of a preview by the charge by Senator Copeland the Tammany candidate that President Roosevelt was interfering in a purely purely purely pure pure- ly local fight Senator Copeland's activities in the senate have been almost wholly antagonistic to the President and the New Deal gener gener- ally Where the President has been sound as the conservatives recognize recognize recognize nize sound policies Senator Copeland Copeland Copeland Cope- Cope land has fought alongside of the New Dealers Otherwise he has not concealed his opposition to radical radical radical rad rad- ical New Deal proposals Thus when Senator Copeland broke openly and accused the PresIdent President President Pres Pres- ident of stooping to local politics he opened the way for conservatives conservatives conserva tives everY everywhere to strike back at atthe atthe atthe the political machine managed by Postmaster General Jim Farley in Mr Roosevelt's behalf behal As one house member suggested Senator Copeland has put fire into the tile fight The selection of Senator Copeland by the famous Tammany organization tion In New York City was the signal signal sig sig- nal for the New Deal faction action of the C great eat city to take toke off oIT their coats They promptly announced selection of New York Supreme Court Justice Mahoney as their candidate against Copeland There are four burrough organizations behind Mahoney There is only the Tammany group behind Copeland On the face of it it would seem that the senator cannot win The fact seems to be however that there will be a rather close race roce for the Hie reason that some of the four organizations behind Mahoney Mahoney Ma Ma- honey may moy not be able to control the Democratic vot votes s in their bailiwicks bailiwicks baili baili- wicks jus entirely as Tammany Hall Holl will control Democrats so long affiliated affiliated affiliated af af- af- af with that organization Certainly Certainly Cere according to the best advices I 1 can get the Copeland charge against Mr Roosevelt is likely to swing a good many Democrats to the Copeland ti ticket ket This will be so sob b because cause New York City alwa always s 's has resented outside influences in Its political battles Senator Copeland can be counted upon as well to broaden the charge so that fual Mr Farleys Farley's Farleys Farleys Farley's Far leys ley's tentacles in New York City politics where he has long been active active ac ac- tive will be made to appear like the strangling crushing arms of an oc oc oc- lopus In other words the conservatives conservatives who are supporting Copeland will not let the charge of interference ence by the President become of less consequence any time it is re re- re told True Secretary Marvin McIntyre of the White House staff denied that thai the President had talked politics with the Mahoney leaders But the denial was not accepted by Copeland Cope Cope- land as being sincere for he hc added I 1 am not afraid of Mr Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roose Roose- velt's reprisals The Thc President enjoys en joys a great personal popularity but buthis buthis buthis his political popularity is swiftly s disappearing dis db o appearing 45 e Western Newspaper Union |