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Show (aunqton by JameS Preston Observers are wondering, now that the elections are over, what will become of a quiet trend that had been taking place among the Washington planners for many months before the election. What was In progress looked to informed dopesters like a flank attack on freedom of speech and the press, and It raised this question: What are we arming to defend If certain men among us should succeed in wiping out or seriously restricting the basic liberties of which Americans Amer-icans are so Justly proud? For example: The National Labor La-bor Relations Act (Wagner Act) is supposed to control the labor policies of business engaged In Interstate commerce. So far, the Labor Board has not gone after the smaller newspapers. But In a recent ruling, it took a long step toward control not only of the suburban and rural press, but also of thousands of small businesses. The Board decided that it had jurisdiction over one employer who it conceded put only seven-tenths seven-tenths of one per cent of his pro- over the newspapers, he has only to look at another statute the Wage-Hour law. That law specifically speci-fically exempts weekly or semi-weekly semi-weekly newspapers with a circulation circula-tion of less than 3,000. If the planners felt they had to exempt these newspapers, then they certainly cer-tainly feel they could have authority au-thority to control their wages and hours too, if they wished It. Thus, by eliminating only 36 words from the Wage-Hour law, and by applying the Labor Board's yardstick to newspapers, every paper In the land could soon be under Washington control. Any editor who dared to disagree with what the planners planned could be driven out of business. The small town publisher has limited financial resources; the government govern-ment could easily, if so minded, prosecute him into oblivion. The planners like the radio because be-cause it already is under government govern-ment control. Every station in the land has to have its license renewed renew-ed every six months. Radio stations sta-tions try their best to be fair and impartial, But that is extremely difficult under such circumstances. circumstanc-es. On the other hand, with only a very few exceptions, the newspapers news-papers were fair during the election. elec-tion. In nearly every newspaper, the reader could find speeches by Roosevelt and Willkie right alongside along-side one another. Thus being able to see all the statements by both, the voter at least could make his own decisions. But on the radio the same par-, par-, allel can't possibly be completely true, despite the vigorous efforts of broadcasters to keep themselves impartial. Two contestants for public office do not broadcast simultaneously over the same station. sta-tion. Listeners hear either one or the other. So the citizen cannot get both sides of the story in as brief a time as he can from, a newspaper. An interesting sidelight on what happens to newspapers when they come under complete government control is given by recent news from France. This is to the effect that on Paris news stands, the German language newspapers all occupy the front row while the French papers have been pushed into the background. Why? Because Be-cause the German papers tell the people exactly what Hitler wants to tell them. The American people theoret-icaally theoret-icaally are arming to defend their free republican form of government. govern-ment. All thinking men, regardless of political belief, therefore, are duct into interstate commerce. It held that since 75 per cent of the goods he used were shipped to him through interstate commerce, the amount of his product which crossed state lines was of no importance. im-portance. Now take the corner grocer or druggist or the weekly or small town newspaper. A great proportion propor-tion of what they sell is shipped to them across state lines. So by this same yardstick, the druggist, the grocer and the newspaper also can be controlled by the Labor Board. If anybody thinks the planners believe they don't have control zealous to guard the basic freedoms free-doms guaranteed by the Constitution Consti-tution and the Bill of Rights. |