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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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necessary. It's the most extraordinary thing. It's like a treaty between sovereign states.

There is a decision of the Supreme Court with regard to the treaty making power of the United States that a treaty supersedes all other law. The United States could today make a treaty with Guatemala which would put the United States in the position of doing by law something which is entirely contrary to something which is covered by a federal law. The likelihood of their doing that with their eyes shut is very small, but the compact theory rests on that. It's a treaty between sovereign states in a matter over which they have, as sovereign states, control. They haven't delegated this particular part of their sovereign power to the United States. The ability to make labor laws and control the operations of industry within their states has never been delegated by the sovereign states to the United States, who can only interpose in matters that have to do with interstate commerce.

We canvassed it a good deal quite seriously on the theory that something like that might be done. It had not occurred to us that it could be done. I often think that before I came to the federal government I was in the same state of mind with regard to Washington and the federal government as most people in the country are. I think still today, although not as much so as then, Washington is a





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