Show WASHINGTON W SPECIAL spEciA BY w i El r Elo LETTER t A sLONA NT NT Presidents President's Court Plan Divides Nation Into Two Great Camps c Certa t WASHINGTON WASHINGTON C e c t r a nothing in a n long time has shaken official Washington so deeply as the tempest raised by President Roosevelt s supreme court proposal It lS is s THE TIIE one issue now subordinating all others including Ing neutrality relief re- re relICt re relief lief and the tho budget And Arid as s the contro controversy ers wa-ces wa wa hotter hottel the arguments pro and con divide pretty much along these lins the opposition cries out against dictatorship of the tit and Congress and the proponent rail against dicta dicta- dictatorship dictatorship of the judiciary The charges of dictatorship agaInst the president are arc based in the grounds that Mr Roose Roose- Roosevelt velt tit Elt already controls Congress by n mc of patronage propaganda and 2nd political reprisals Hence the he opposition argues at gues it is alt alt- important all Important that the supreme court chin its independence as the only check on both Congress and the he president If It the president is allowed to six new judges the op- op opposition op opposition position argues the last safe sare- safe safeguard guard of ot the Constitution will e lave been swept away since undoubtedly these new judges would be subs subservient to the will of f the elicit cheit executive WHEY THEY THEY go e even e en beyond this these foes of the presidents president's plan Ilan They contend that the court is the main malO bul- bul bulwark bul bulwark wark of American independence Pack ItI it I or make it lt subservient lent either to Congress or the president president dent lent and you have cleared the way for tor a Fascist state they maintain Proponents of ot the Roosevelt plan on the other hand see a areal areal areal real danger in judicial dictator dictator- dictatorship dictatorship ship which they claim chum no I ex- ex exists exists ex exists in the high court Composed of many ny ardent aident conservatives cs the court it is argued argued hu has been inclined to knock out New Deal Deul bills because it opposes such legislation leg leg- legi leg legislation i and not because i leal ear con con- constitutional constitutional con constitutional barriers barners to it exist Proponents go on to point out that ample precedent exists for with the court to bring it into line with prevail prevail- prevailing prevailing ing political or economic philosophY philosophy philosophy phy Moreover that people will not long tong tolerate the court as as a dictator of economic and po- po political po political v policy Democracy they contend IS effective just so long as the people peo- peo people peo people s desires are met and when a court stands between the wilt of the people and its legislature democracy is endangered ered A ACOURT A COURT which would bemore bemore be more responsive to the desires de- de desires de desires sires of the electorate as e C pressed c pressed through Congress could and should become one of o the main mam bulwarks of our democratic system adherents of the preSident's president's president's dents dent's proposal contend On the Ule theother theother other ther hand they say if the court courtIS courtis IS to be blamed more and more for preventing solution of o the nations nation's economic ills it cannot In any case stand up long against encroachments of a dictator and protect civil rights And so it goes here in Wash ash Washington Washington ington I 1 The he COUl court t is 15 making history |