VITAL ISSUE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 210, 3 June 1935, Page 9

VITAL ISSUE

Amending Constitution of United States HINT BY PRESIDENT Legalising Reforms Begun Under N.R.A. OR BACK TO BUGGY DAYS By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright (Received June 2, 5.30 p.m.) Washington, May 31. The decision of the Supreme Court on the N.R.A. as a vital political issue facing the American people was dramatically presented bv President Roosevelt in a 1 ress conference to-day lasting an hour, in which he said in effect that the Government must either acquire the right to regulate economic and social conditions o- the nation must go back to the "horse and buggy days of 1788. Without saying so in as many words, the President made a clear bld tor amendment to the Constitution to legalise reforms undertaken under the N.R.A. h ... To substantiate his argument Mr. Roosevelt frankly admitted that he had feared that the Agriculture Adjustment Act, the Securities Act, and the stock market control legislation were unconstitutional, and that in fact the whole new deal was dead unless the Constitution was liberalised to mee, present-day economic conditions. He made no mention of the reform legislation pending in Congress, such as the Social Security Act, his banking legislation, the Wagner Labour BiU, etc., but the obvious implication was that there was no use in parsing them unless constitutional objections could be met. Historic and Informal.

The President presented no concrete outline of what he wished for in reform of the Constitution, but stated that he believed such changes were imperative, and he was prepared for a five or even a ten-year fight to bring them about. The discourse to the newspapermen was historical, for it was the first time in the memory of any of those present that a President of the United States had outlined without reference to any manuscript an issue so important to the nation. He spoke casually and usually with a smile, but this did not mask the serious trend of his thoughts. Only once he made a direct criticism of the Supreme Court, pointing out with some asperity that the court on one occasion had! seen fit to recognise mining as an industry In inter-State commerce when it supported injunction suits against the miners, although it now ruled differently when the question of miners’ wages and working hours was raised. Plea For N.R.A. President Roosevelt showed newspapermen a bundle of telegrams from business people, pleading that something be done to preserve the N.R.A., and to protect their businesses against price-cutting and other unfair trade practices. After reading some of them the President quietly said he considered the Supreme Court’s decision was the most important one made since the Dred Scott decision which precipitated the Civil War. Much of Jlr. Roosevelt's argument centred around the socalled inter-State commerce clause and the limitation which the Supreme Court put upon it. He contended that the interpretation had been progressively widened under changing conditions under which the “whole country had become completely interdependent.” Under this lie said the N.I.R.A. had been drafted, hoping that the reorganisation of its jurisdiction would be permitted so that harmful practices by one section could be prevented by Federal action on the grounds that they would Im harmful to another section. Avalanche of Protests. While the President was making his extraordinary statement, Congress, the N.R.A. offices and other branches of the Government received an avalanche of protests that wages were being cut, hours of work increased, and pricecutting was spreading. Garment and textile workers added n strike threat to that already voiced by miners. Leading employers appealed for voluntary continuation of the code standards, but apparently there are enough “chiselers” completely to unbalance the price, wage and hour structure. The President’s suggestion that the (Agricultural Adjustment Act might be unconstitutional sent commodity prices tumbling, cotton losing four dollars a bale, and wheat almost a cent a bushel. Security prices are also lower.