U.S. JUDICIARY

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22032, 4 March 1937, Page 11

U.S. JUDICIARY

EFFORTS AT COMPROMISE IN CONGRESS

WHEELER-BONE AMENDMENT ENDORSED

(UNITED PBIS3 ASSOCIATION-COPYRIGHT.) (Received March 3, 11.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, March 3. The efforts of all factions of Congress to effect a compromise of Mr Roosevelt's judiciary proposals are increasingly apparent. Abandoning his earlier Republican strategy of letting his Democratic opponents take the lead, Senator A. H. Vandenberg (Republican, Michigan), in a radio address endorsed the WheelerBone amendment, designed to permit Congress to override a Supreme Court invalidation, his endorsement being conditional on the first 10 amendments to the constitution, the famous Bill of Rights being excepted from the purview of the amendment.

The way was paved for Mr Vandenberg's endorsement speech the day before, when Senator B. K. Wheeler (Democrat, Montana) said he was willing to except the Bill of Rights. A member of the House of Representatives, Mr H. W. Summers (Texas), indicating the desire of both sides for a compromise, spoke from the floor of the House urging that it was the patriotic duty of elderly justices to retire voluntarily in favour of younger men. He stated they could retire without shame, knowing that they were performing a service to their country.. [The Wheeler-Bone amendment was the second of two resolutions, proposing amendments to the United States constitution, which were introduced in the Senate on February 18. The first resolution, which provided for the voluntary retirement of justices on reaching the age of 70, was passed by both houses of Congress, and received Mr Roosevelt's assent on Tuesday. The second resolution, which was introduced by Senators Wheeler and Bone, provided an amendment in the constitution to permit Congress to re-enact by a two-thirds vote each branch of the law invalidated by the Supreme Court—but only after a regular election, in which members of the House of Representatives have been elected.]