There followed one of the bitterest and most amazing constitutional struggles in United States history since the Civil War. After a five-months fight and. within eight months of winning.a great electoral triumph the President was crushingly defeated. The reasons for this defeat will provide an everlasting topic for future historical debate. One logical inference can be drawn, however. If the people of the country had been wholeheartedly in favour of the Presidents suggestion few Congressman would have dared oppose it.
In attacking the Supreme Court, however, the President was attacking the one body in the country which had a greater emotional hold on the people than he had himself. The Supreme Court, and the Constitution Which it guarded, occupied much the same position in American life as the Throne in English. It stood above party and was the symbol of the country's unity.
The President also committed several tactical errors. He failed to consult his party leaders before proposing the plan and thus several senators who might have been kept in line by feelings of party loyalty felt free to join the opposition. He argued that additional members of the Supreme Court, were needed because owing to the age of six of its members it was behind in its work, an explanation which appeared to be lacking in candour since the Court had kept abreast of its docket for many yetrs. Moreover on ' several occasions during the course of the long battle he rejected offers of compromise confident that pressure from the voters would finally bring a majority of Congressmen into line.
Turning Point in Domestic Policy The fight: over the Court bill marked the turning point in the President's strength, at least so far as domestic policy was concerned. Before the struggle his authority was supreme in the legislature, and opposition was tantamount to political suicide. After the struggle plans were no longer accepted merely because they emanated from the White House and Congressmen no longer feared to voice their criticism because of the damaging politico. effects it might have.
Owing to the.protracted Supreme Court debate Congress passed none of the reform measures which the President had planned. A Special Session was therefore summoned on November 15 to pass a farm bill a minimum wage and maximum hour bill, a government reorganization bill and a regional pk: nning bill. It soon became evident that the turmoil of the preceding session had left its marks. Congress was disorganized and divided and those same elements which had opposed the President on the Supreme Court measure found a new rallying ground in a drive to abandon the reform programme for a programme specifically designed to aid business and check the severe decline in industrial production.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.