Show 4 e I Nati National nal Topics Interpreted by William Bruckart Washington D. D C. C National J Press esl Building Washington Change Changes in President President dent Roosevelt's Roosevell's policies have been coming so fast Changes lately that about Come Com Fast a aU I J am able to do this week Is to review review review re re- re- re view the situation I have gathered gathered gath gath- ath- ath ered cred information tion and advice from man many official sources in nn an earnest effort to understand what Is happening happen happen- ing but with all of that I am quite incapable of what I would regard as a complete analysts analysis As the air pilot would report while flying through fog the visibility is zero The proper basis for a start therefore appears to be with recollection recollection recollection lection that one of the cardinal policies policies poli poU- cies of the Roosevelt administration I was control of or agricultural production production 5 tion on to accomplish higher prices Another b basic sic plank is the foreign trade policies under which reciprocal cal trade treaties have been negotiated negotiated negotiated with numerous foreign nations These two planks were designed to tomake tomake tomake make markets available for what we e produce first through scarcity of or quantity and secondly to stabilize stabilize lize the world exchange of g goods on price lev levels 15 which we in this countr country country coun coun- tr try considered to be worth while Various other legislative acts and White House announcements came into inlo the picture also but we need not be he concerned with wilh them just now Well the higher prices began to materialize They came along to the point where eight or ten or-ten ten months ago there was genuine evidence of a speculative boom Mr Roosevelt said recently in a statement to the press that the outlook on this fuis circumstance cir cir- ci circumstance was a bit alarming Suddenly Suddenly Suddenly Sud Sud- denly however the depression settled settled settled set set- down on the country The President President President Pres Pres- ident took note o of it af after er a time and announced that prices had to come comedown down dorm in order to encourage buying by the consumers That was in in January of this year ear Early in February February Feb Feb- he told the press that fuat there had to be higher prices to bring the country out of the depression Subsequently Subsequently-it Subsequently Subsequently-it it was on February 18 I believe he took another position position tion lion on the price question He said in a formal statement It is clear that fuat in the fue present situation a moderate rise In the present price level is desirable and that this rise need not and should not extend to all prices So that now we are arc committed to toa toa toa a price rise on some commodities ties and pr present sent or even lower prices on some other commodities It is isto isto isto to be presumed because there is nothing to show a contrary view that all aU of the machinery of government government government govern govern- ment is to be used to io bring about price rises in some commodities but not all aU of them However to continue our review I reported to you in December 1937 and have mentioned several times since that fuat there is a trust busting drive on that is as big and as broad broadas as the famous big stick which Theodore Roosevelt used when he was President Twenty-nine Twenty cases against so-called so monopolies are arc pending now in federal fede-al courts and the federal trade commission has some others in process of tion The prosecutions range all the way from ladies' ladies size half dr dresses and against individuals ls who design styles through the list to Aluminum Company of America Now ow while th the trust drive has been on and some folks have been cruel enough to charge that the trust busting drive is to keep the folks from rom realizing we are in in a depression depression depression de de- de- de another thing has happened hap hap- I refer to the passage of the new farm aid legislation I have not been able to understand the law but Secretary Wallace calls it one of Gods God's blessings to the farmers farm farm- ers because he sa says s that it will reduce reduce reduce re re- duce or limit production and thereby thereby thereby there there- by force a greater return to the farmers In Mr Roosevelt's statement statement statement state state- ment on the general price situation however he spoke of the new pr program program pro pro- gram as follows Our program seeks a balanced system of prices such as will promote promote pro pro- mote balanced expansion in production tion This is not a p policy licy of restriction it ft is s a policy of d dare dance aT e. e I seem to recall some phrases of ofa a few years back which described the plans as leading first to higher prices for agricultural products through scarcity then there came the more abundant life lile and later balanced abundance e. e I assume assume as as- sume ume the balanced expansion must represent something taken in between the other policies but I frankly do not understand That is the reason why I have attempted this report to you by way of a re re- re- re view e p Although admitting that much of th the new program program m Is t too o deep for me meto w t to analyze there fuere Trade 1 raae are arc certain phases j I Treaties Treaties- of it which have b e a en operative and from which results have begun begun begun be be- gun to show Take the reciprocal trade treaties as an example I came across some figures down dO at atthe the Department of Commerce the theother theother other day and they were something of ot a revelation They showed that in 1937 this fuis nation of ours was im fin- porting more agricultural commodities ties than it exported I could not find when that fuat condition had obtained obtained obtained ob ob- before Certainly there have been few times In our history when that has happened The department figures showed that fuat the United States imported 18 per cent more commodities from the farms of the world than fuan it exported exported exported ex ex- ported from our farms Further examination examination examination ex ex- of those statistics reveals the disturbing fact tact that the bulk of those imports were things which our American farmers could have grown right at home I can find no other reason for the condition than that fuat the reciprocal trade treaties treaties trea trea- I ties which were to bring us prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- have taken prosperity to some other farmers I The circumstance caused me to wonder then whether these trade treaties are arc not slowly grinding the American farmer into the dust I have tried to find out how the new farm aid law which restricts production production production pro pro- further in the United States Is going to help this fuis situation Accepting Accepting Accepting Ac Ac- Secretary Wallaces Wallace's statement statement state state- ment meni that it will result in higher prices for our farm products will willit it not by bp the same token make a agre gre greater ter difference between foreign prices and our own O And if that fuat be betrue betrue betrue true Is not it to be expected that there will be more Imports of farm products from foreign lands My reasoning brings an answer of yes in in each case and so I cannot see where we are arc going to get balanced e expansion out of those factors Now as Al AI Smith used to say let letus letus letus us look at the record as It con concerns concerns erns the fue trust-busting trust drive and its relation relation relation re re- re- re lation to prices employment and the like I simply have no patience at all with the big business groups that ignore or forget their responsibilities responsibilities to the public There is no excuse and can be no excuse for crushing any individual who is trying trying trying try try- ing to run a business of his own Itis It Itis Itis is one thing however for a 3 business business business busi busi- ness to have grown big because it serves its public well and quite another another another an an- other thing for the same group to have attained its bigness through savage tactics 0 0 0 That brings me to the recent convIction conviction conviction con con- of the oil companies in a atrial atrial atrial trial that fuat was held Trust at Madison WIs Busting As f far r as s I have I read the record in that case the basis of the charge by bythe bythe bythe the government w was s that the oil companies had used a 1 pricing system system system tem which was fostered by the infamous infamous infamous in in- famous a policy laid down by congress Secretary Ickes of the Department of the Interior now one of the loudest mouths in in the chorus of bust the trusts insisted on the oil companies getting together He wrote letters to them to that effect Of course the was held unconstitutional unconstitutional unconstitutional un un- un- un constitutional but the decision was wa's based on the fue que question tion of congressional congressional congressional authority to delegate powers to the executive officers It did not declare that congress congress had no right to grant privilege of agreement on prices for purposes of stabilization WP We might also look at some of the tactics employed by bj the government govern govern- ment Robert H. H Jackson who was the spearhead and spokesman for forthe forthe forthe the trust busting drive lately has been promoted to the job of solicitor general of the United States Mr Jackson told a senate committee considering his nomination that he had picked the proper forum for forthe forthe forthe the oil case He said th the Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment of Justice would continue to todo todo todo do it They picked a New York court to hear the case against the he Aluminum company In order to get the proper kind of a jury as they did in the fue oil case The tactics used in the Aluminum case seem to me to be almost reprehensible rep rep- For instance the fue government government government gov gov- had been anxious to set a n date for the tri trial l and the fue Aluminum company counsel urged early carly ac ac- ac- ac tion The record of that tha t day incourt incourt in incourt court in New York revealed that when Judge Knox proposed a date early in April Walter Rice one of I Mr Jacksons Jackson's assistants admitted to the court that the government did not yet have enough evidence to prosecute This seems far afield from the price question I wonder if it is isso isso isso so far off ail the subject As As' I said earlier in this discussion legal action action ac DC- ac- ac tion against anybody individual or corporation Is destructive d demoralIzing demoralizing moral moral- izing and expensive I know nothing nothing noth noth- ing about the merits of the oil case or the aluminum case or any of the others beyond what I have picked up In inthe the records On the other hand band however it is plain for anyone anyone anyone any any- one to see no price structure can be arranged for Cor balanced expansion expansion expansion sion if the federal government is going to decree one course of action action action ac ac- ac- ac tion for business with one ne hand and write an obituary for the same business business business busi busi- ness with the other hand That isto Is Isto isto to say if the people arc are unable to know or understand what their government government government gov gov- policies arc are it is quite likely that those same people will continue to ask each other Where are we going and what Is the end going to be Western Newspaper Union J |