NULL AND VOID

Another sledge hammer blow has fallen on the New Deal and section 7A has been declared null and void. Of course an appeal will be taken, putting more work on the already overburdened shoulders of the Department of Justice. But this appeal will take some time before it is settled. Meanwhile the bill to extend the life of N. R. A. awaits passage.

A very considerable problem thus arises. Shall the new bill be rewritten to circumvent if possible the constitutional objections, or shall it be passed in unchanged form and reliance placed on the ability of Mr. Cummings and his assistants to get a reversal in the Supreme Court?

The provision of N. R. A. at stake is no minor portion of the recovery legislation. True, that insistence on the right of labor to organize in non-company unions may not be as important to business revival as certain other measures. Nevertheless, it would be a distinct step backward in our progressive legislation if labor is to be abandoned to the mercies of company unionism.

Furthermore, far sighted business men should realize that it is to their interest not to press labor back into a state of irritation. If an attempt is made by the Administration to rephrase Section 7A it is to be hoped that the change will not sacrifice the right of free association by the workers.