\ m— by William National Press Bullding SATO Bruckart LEE oP aml ST 0 Washington, D, C, Washington.—It has always been said that politics makes strange bedfellows. Histo- Strange ry has shown this Bedfellows statement to be true because in every political battle one can note unusual combinations, odd types working together, personal enemies fighting side by side—in truth, bed- fellows for the time being. Never has the truth of this old adage been better demonstrated, however, than in the current politi- cal fight that was precipitated by President Roosevelt's demand that congress pass a law which will al- Jow the Chief Executive to add six new members to the Supreme court of the United States. The real con- gressional fight on the President's bold move has not yet gained full headway. But time enough has elapsed since Mr. Roosevelt offered his history-making demand for power to add enough judges to the Supreme court, judges of his own selection, to give him a majority, that those close to the congressional scene are now in a position to pre- dict probably the most heated con- troversy since the days immediately preceding the Civil war. Already, it can be stated, one can see senators and representatives who are known for their liberal views standing side by side with hard-boiled conservatives in opposi- tion to the President's plan, which they describe as a move “to pack the Supreme court.” Likewise one can see conservative Democrats from the old South following Presi- dent Roosevelt and joining hands secretively with the wildest radicals in the senate. One will see Demo- crats and conservative Republicans in earnest conversation planning ways and means to halt the Presi- dent's drive for control of the court and at the same time one can see radical Republicans planning with gram-—strange bedfellows, one, While this conditi it is by far less st the proceedings ti bitterness that While, as I said, the co hardly under way, there now personal animosity the senate to a degree that I nev have seen before. I had the privi- lege of observing the famous League of Nations fight at close range. There was personal bitter- ness in that battle. friendships were crushed and close relationships torn asunder. Yet, I think that the current controversy is likely to cause the League of Na- 1s even er senate nificance. In other words, there lies ahead for the congress a raging fire that is bound to destroy political lives and political ambitions. Which lives and which ambitions depend. 1 think, upon the answer which the country’s citizens give to the now direct question: Are we to have a system of courts and judges, independent and free of politics, or are we to have puppets that will do the bidding of political masters? . * » I said above that the result of the will be deter- mined by the atti- tude of the coun- try. It is vital that the citizens realize this fact. Since President Roosevelt made no men- tion during the campaign for re- election in 1936 of plans to reform the Supreme court, there has been no public expression on the subject. There will not be another opportu- nity for the voters to express their views until November, 1938. The only way, then, open to those who want to express an opinion for or against the court change is by send- ing their views to their congress- men and senators. Conversations that I have had with members of the house and the senate convinces me that the representatives and senators will appreciate word as to how their constituents feel. Further evidence of the desire of congressmen and senators to know the feelings of the voters is given in the tremendous propaganda that is going on. Friends and foes of the Supreme court reform program are on the air nightly; scarcely a day goes by that some senator and usu- ally several of them and numerous congressmen participate in debate or issue statements concerning the great controversy, and from the tre- mendous source of propaganda sup- ply at the command of the Presi- dent come countless statements and interviews and radio speeches prais- ing the President's plan. Even the President himself has made one of his famous “fireside chats” telling why he should be given the new power. In the meantime—and some more strange bedfellows—we find the most peculiar cross currents operat- ing. Among some of the religious groups, there are many who fear that the court packing plan will void constitutional guarantees of re- ligious freedom. They fear even- tual control of the churches by the stale, having in mind, no doubt what has happened to religious Up to the People groups in Germany and Soviet Rus sia. Editorials from the Catholic press are being circulated privately among many legislators and against these are some Protestant preach- ers who take the position that the Supreme court is out of date and ought to be reformed. Numerous Jewish leaders are opposing the re- form but among the Jews are many who feel that President Roosevelt is right. Then there is the split among the farm leaders. I refer to farm or- ganizations with national spokes- men. some against it, the opponents seems to be a funda- mental fear that to change the court will open the door through which dictators may walk. reputation as regards this point, I pression by the distinguished colum- nist, Westbrook Pegler. Lately he wrote: “All of a sudden, Mr. Roosevelt discovers that the Supreme court is largely senile and demands quick ed, would create an easy precedent for the most cynical packing of the type of Huey Long or Warren Hard- come. It might not be many years either . All dictators pack the courts by legal means as a pre- liminary to the promulgation of their dictatorial laws. After that it is comparatively easy to take over, because the courts belong to the dictator and do as he orders.” There can be of course, that the Roose- velt proposes to have congress do | for him is legal. Since, however, it | is legal in this instance, it will be of course, for someone else to come along after Mr. Roosevelt | and pack the court with men of his own choo: who will decide then President de- n to decide. There is no once the Senator Wheeler, Montana Democrat who has { long been outstanding in the liberal character of views he holds, has } added to this thought the expres- sion that if the door is to be opened, the people must do it—not the con- gress that was elected without vot- ers having heard the proposition mentioned no question, thing Mr. ng | legal, men | sires vhat may come if . » » As the fight of packing the Su- preme court waxes warmer, one can not help not- They Make ing how De Mistakes clever politicians make mistakes. There are many who believe that Mr. Roosevelt made a grievous er- ror in proposing revision of the Su- | preme court in the fashion he chose while there are others who say that he was elected by such a tremen- dous majority that he will have the people behind him regardless of the character of proposition advanced to congress. It is interesting to note how many congressmen and senators are dodg- ing the issue. Their silence is posi- tively thunderous because they do not know how the people back home feel about the general proposition. There are others who have come out boldly for one reason or an- other in support of the plan and senate who have determined their fight to the finish to stop passage of such a law. Then there was the mistake which Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the ate the other day. He vigorously the President's plan. He called at- torial comment in opposition and ac- cused all of those people indiscrimi- nately with being part of a gigantic conspiracy against the court pack. The humor of the Robinson out- ator whom I very much admire. What he did by an hour-long attack in the senate was to re-emphasize all of the criticism of the Press dent's plan. One might refer in this conneo- tion also to the explosive type of speech made by Harry Hopkins, re- lief administrator. Of course, ev- eryone knows that Mr. Hopkins has made his life’s work that of looking after suffering humanity. He is on the government pay roll in such a job. Mr. Hopkins attacked all op- position to the President's plan be- cause he said it was in the interest of humanity to do so. The relief administrator made his appeal di- rect to all of those receiving federal money through relief rolls and that obviously will be taken up by oppo- nents of the President's plan who undoubtedly will say as some al ready have hinted that Mr. Hop- kins is trying to muster relief classes to bring pressure upon con- gress. © Western Newspaper Union. AE SCE Zhimks about Twilight of Knee Pants. ANTA MONICA, CALIF, — Since our diplomatic group must shed the half-portion breeches they've been wearing at official functions abroad, quit mistaking them for foot- men and start in again mistak- ing them for waiters, as for- | merly. But the under-rigging doesn’t make so much difference anyhow. In the best plenipo- tentiarying circles, it's the top dressing counts — the gold - plated cocked the dress coat the bosom crossed the lapels and the throat latch so deco- rated with medals that, alongside one thus costumed, Sol- Irvin 8S. Cobb * * * End of the Holdout Season. HE baseball season couldn't start off properly unless a cer- tain catastrophe impended before- Every self-respecting player who made a hit last year insists he'll never spit in the palm of an- other glove. This makes him a hold- out. The manager declares the play- er will take what's offered him and not a cent more. This makes him a manager. But fear not, little one. all be in there when the or the mayor or somebody and tosses They'll governor winds up to launch the first the ball general Nr 4‘ ANOorin game thteen feet in the f the nearly ei; direction « America. Changing Style Capitals. H OLLYWOOD now the wor 5 ions, if you can believ any style creations + circles, fre mann ninate, tly make the women and the men look ef- naybe that's the desired oldtimer wouldn't know look fer effect: about that. - However, there's a new hat out here for masculine wear which fas- cinates me t is a very woolly hat ~—a nap on it like an old family album - and the crown peaks up in a most winsome way, and there's a rakish bunch of tail-feathers at the back which makes it look as though it might settle down any minute and start laying. 1 think they got the idea for it from the duck-billed platypus. * - » Civilizing Ethiopia. ONQUERED Ethiopians attempt 4 to assassinate their new over- lord, Viceroy Graziani. Nobody is killed, but several individuals get bunged up. So the conquerors arrest all na- tives of Addis Ababa in whose huts weapons are found. They round up 2,000 “"suspects’ out of a total popu- lation of 90.000. So promptly 1,800 of these black prisoners are put to death in batches. In former days the fir- ing squads would have worn them- an of this sort, but no — well, who would deny that the machine gun the crowning achievement of white culture? Poison gas is also much favored for pacifying rebegl- and plane-bombing The Public's Short Memory. FINANCIER, whose exposed de- vices are as a bad smell in shape. A little time passes, and, lo, in a new setting, he bobs up, an envied if not an exalted personage. So-called exclusive groups welcome him in: newspapers quote him on the sunshine of folks’ tolerance—— yes, the admiration of some. No evidence that he has repented of his former practices; no sign of intent to repay any broken victim of those fiduciary operations. The private fortune which he took with him when he quit is still all his. And maybe there's the secret of this magical restoration to the fa- vor of the multitude. IRVIN 8. COBB. ©--WNU Service. Budapest Catacombs The Budapest catacombs date back to the days when the Fort of Buda was held by the Turks, mark- ing the farthest fortified advance of the forces of Islam into Christen dom. They were probably intended as avenues of escape for a belea- guered garrison, but they also have fresh water wells in them, and some of the chambers were used as re- positories for great numbers of hu- man skulls and bones, as in the «ase of the catacombs at Rome. ARARAAA RAR AR RAR RAR K STAR DUST Movie « Radio * *%% By VIRGINIA VALE kk% X20 20 20 00 0 2 0 0 0 2 32000 2 2 HE biggest sensation of the year in motion pictures is the success of Ritz Brothers, those three wild-eyed comics who rush into “On the Avenue" like a tornado and break up the show. They work with such whirlwind speed that in a stunt utes on the screen, they use up more genuinely comic material Expert dancers rave about the eratic training: actors suspect that they played in stock for years to their line delivery. to Harry Ritz himself—he's the hardest working one in all their sketches—they have never had a dancing or singing or elocution les- son in their lives. wn Wonsnsn For days Joan Bennett had all of her friends in a perfect fever of ex- citement while made up her mind about going to New York for a stage en- gagement. Back in New York Margaret Sullavan had an- nounced that she was going to with- draw from the cast of “Stage Door," be- cause she is going to play a mother role in real life soon. The producer thought it would be a grand idea to get Joan to take over her part. She was quite Walter Wanger, to whe is under con- tract, said he was willing to go. But that wily Walter showed Joan the costume for “Vogues of 1837" and that set- tled it, 3ut according she Joan Bennett interested, and m she let her Wanger sketches a If you have been wondering what Arthur Tracy, the Street Singer so long popular on the radio, has been up to, you'll soon see for yourselves. In “Backstage,” a picture he re- cently made in London, he plays opposite Anna Neagle, the Gan- mont-British star. Tillie Losch is in it too, the exquisite dancer whose hands writhed so seductively in a Clark Gable, who thinks that Rob. and Robert Taylor who thinks that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to let them make a picture together. The story tary story by Percival Wren. wn There is a serious shortage of beautiful chorus girls in Hollywood right now, because all the studios are making big musicals. Girls who could not even get a few days extra work while the studios were all busy on dramatic pictures, are now sign- ing ten-week contracts calling for as much as $200 a week. Samuel Goldwyn's chief complaint about the beautiful girls who come to Holly- wood seeking work is that they in- lar star, instead of being beautiful in their own way. The one sure one of his pictures is to have some- one tell him that you look just like Virginia Bruce, or Carole Lombard. ws enue When Kathryn Witwer, popular MBS prima donna, first came to Chicago to win fame and fortune, she had exactly $5 in her purse and some secretarial training which she traded for music lessons. First prize in a Na- tional Music Clubs federation contest ge erick Stock and also Kathryn with Mary Garden Witwer at the Chicago Civie Opera. After her successful opera debut her home town of Gary, Ind., sent her to Eu rope for further study. en ODDS AND ENDS—Marlene Dietrich ie 4 Two Blouses From Making One's Mark He who influences the thought of » n ’ J, £ One Smart I attern his times influences all the times that fellow. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers