More than half a century ago, when I was a young, enlisted man stationed at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington D.C., I contacted former Montana Senator Burton K. Wheeler. I introduced myself and asked him if I could have a visit with him. He replied that he would love to have a visit with me and invited me to join him for dinner at his home. I borrowed a car and located his address in a trendy neighborhood of spacious brick houses which I remember was located on Fox Hall Road.
The Senator’s wife had passed sometime before, and I was greeted at the door by the Wheelers’ longtime family servant, whom they had hired on a trip to the Philippines, whose name was Simeon, but who went by the nickname of Simi. Simi’s constant and devoted care made it possible for Wheeler to remain in his own home. I believe he was about 89 at the time I met him.
Wheeler’s eyesight was poor, and Simi positioned a bright lamp directly over his plate. Wheeler never lost his Massachusetts accent, and I remember it well, articulated in his sharp, raspy voice. Our conversation was wide-ranging, and Wheeler was firm and direct in his opinions. He was pointedly critical of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Democrat F.D.R. was supported by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress, and he was hugely popular among the American people. The part of the government he didn’t control, however, was the Supreme Court. To correct this, and cement his control, Roosevelt proposed to Congress a plan to enlarge the Supreme Court by allowing the President to appoint new Justices to essentially balance out the ones who had been ruling against his “New Deal” programs.
This is remembered in history as the “Court Packing Scheme.” Wheeler, a Democrat, was a consistent supporter of the New Deal, but his belief that our Constitution requires three independent branches of government meant clearly to him that our system as outlined in the Constitution would be ruined if the Presidential and Congressional branches of government could succeed in taking over the judicial branch.
Well, the Montana Senator didn’t just have misgivings about the court packing plan, he stood up on the floor of the Senate and took it on. Roosevelt had not lost a single proposal before Congress, and Wheeler appeared doomed. When I asked him about that in our conversation, Wheeler’s response was that if you are a U.S. Senator, you hold a unique position to speak out about your beliefs. “What is the point of being a United States Senator if you don’t have the guts to do that,” I remember him growling, his still penetrating eyes flashing. I can imagine that in his prime, Wheeler was a Bengal Tiger of an adversary. Wheeler was pleased and gratified also, that a majority of the U.S. Senators did stand up to the powerful President when they recognized that the Constitution required them to do so.
I remember, too, that Wheeler was generally critical of his Senatorial successor, Mike Mansfield. In Wheeler’s opinion, Mansfield “never takes a stand on anything.” Wheeler felt that if Mansfield was really opposed to the Vietnam War he should have spoken out directly and forcefully against it, instead of meekly going along with President Lyndon Johnson.
There is more to the Senator Wheeler story than I learned from my time with him. The performance of today’s Senators, though, brought to my mind the story I’ve shared with you here.
John McCain was probably the Burtin K. Weeler of our time. Now, in this extremely critical time, we need leaders with the guts and brains to save our sinking ship of state from its maniacal and clueless captain. Does anyone reading this article think there is the slightest chance that Montana’s current U.S. Senators possess the qualities of character and leadership to be a Wheeler or a McCain? Let’s hope, for the sake of our beloved country, that there is still that chance.
Bob Brown is a former Montana Secretary of State and state Senate President. He lives in Whitefish.