Show New York York Whirligig y The New News s B Behind e h i n d' d t the h e N News 81 S 5 POLITICS FINANCE FINANCE By JAMES McMULLIN NEW YORK YORK YORK-An An angle hardly 1 mentioned may have a decisive bearing on o-n the supreme court test of ot the Uie Guffey acts act's constitution constitution- allty Various coal operators at various arious times have obtained Injunctions in injunctions injunctions In- In junctions against striking miners from federal courts on tho the ground that such auch constituted constituted constituted an interference with interstate inter inter- state sLate commerce Tho The real reason they went to federal judges was wa-s. because they were surer of favorable action than in state state- court courts But their own legal argument returns to plague them now that opponents of ot the act want so urgently urgent urgent- ly Jy to prove that the coal business business' is not interstate Their lawyers are aware of the weak spot pot and will do their best to cover it up But John Lewis of the United Mine Workers and nd the department department depart depart- ment of justice know about it too Other Industries vitally concerned concerned concerned con con- that tho the Guffey act should be thrown out out for for fear similar control might be applied to them could of course claim that this aspect of the case is b peculiar to the coal business business' Yet other Industries in industries industries In- In h have vo a also been aLso o been known to get injunctions against strikers from federal judg judges s Tho The Republican party in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York state is privately split into no less Jess than five factions First you ou have a group headed by State Chairman Mel Eaton and Ogden Mills the latter behind the scenes It comprises most of the theold theold theold old g guard guard but but ard-but but not all 1111 It railroaded railroaded railroaded rail rail- its own candidates into the jobs of speaker and floor leader of the assembly and all the other factions are sore soro at it Second is a group led by Charles D. D RUles Hilles and Congressman Jim Wadsworth This bunch is old guard too But they resent Ogden Ogden Ogden Og Og- den Mills' Mills intrusion on tho the scene they fear contamination contamina contamina- tion and especially they are furious furious furi furl ous oils because faction No 1 refused the floor leadership to Jim Wadsworth's Wads Wads- worth's son Third is Js Congressman Ham Fishs Fish's personally conducted pro- pro Borah few group group few few in number but right on the job Fourth are ex- ex Chairman Kingsland Macys Macy's rival crowd of Borah boosters who sail under the liberal banner Last como come Edwin Jaeckle and his Erie county rebels who may hold the assembly balance of ot power Each Ench of these factions has its own and their relationships relationships relationships rela rela- to each other are as tangled as as a ball of ot yarn after a kitten has hns been at iL It This situation situation situation situa situa- tion has more than local cance The first four groups four groups groups' alt all have important national 5 If they cant can't team up in New York it doesn't augur well for a R. united Republican front when the thC cl election campaign reaches a critical stage I New York sharps figure figur that President Roos Roosevelt velt has saved himself a lot of trouble with congress congress congress con con- gress by qui quietly ab abandoning one of the original planks In his neu neutrality lieu eu- eu platform He no longer asks discretionary powers in the application of embargoes embargoes em em- under the proposed neutrality neu law Both Bolh in his message and in the draft prepared for congress it was made clear that I embargoes are to apply to all belligerents equally unless congress congress con can gress itself authorizes a distinction distinction tion Lion In treatment This brings us measurably closer to the Isolationist viewpoint viewpoint viewpoint view view- point and away from front the idea of or cooperating with the League of ot Nations New York oil men expect a a. alively alively lively 1936 In the first place the new Rodessa field has an allowable production quota of ot GOO barrels per day per well while the east ell Texas field not field not very far away away is is allowed only 23 b barrels That's ample amplo grounds for tor a 8 hot row between the states Experts predict further that additional oil fields will be opened up this year year particularly arly In New Mexico This would w uld be no help to the industry's earnest effort to raise prices But the recent acceleration of f gasoline dem demand nd is cause for cheer Gas consumption for the thelast thelast last few months of 1935 was bigger bigger bigger big big- ger than for the tho corresponding months monts in 1 1929 the 29 the previous peak and peak and tho the figure for the whole of 1935 may possibly have a 8 slight edge on 1929 The im improvement improvement Im im- provement Is ascribed d partly to the tho wider use of such fuel de vehicles as trucks buses and airplanes and partly to the greater consumption resulting from higher average speed for passenger cars Politicians in both parties are arc busy writing ance speeches these days Its It's all the rage to take a sock at spendthrift spendthrift spendthrift spend spend- thrift policies But cynical N New w Yorkers say anybody back home who is waitIng waiting waiting wait wait- ing hopefully for a a. scrimping orgy is due duo for tor disappointment The Tho public works program for forone forono forono ono one thing Is certain to go through It will start at OO- OO but but probably wont won't stop atop there F. F D. D R. R has seen to it that congress will have a hand handin in picking the tho projects Every state state and if possible every con- con district district Is is to get a slice Comment runs that the old pork may be dead dead but but it left heirs Five companies in the United States have obtained obtained obtained-by by arrangement arrangement arrangement ar ar- ar- ar with railroads and other sources of ot old metal metal metal-a a practical monopoly on scrap steel Their aggregate supply on hand handis is now now roughly 2 OOOO tons Recently Recently Recently Re Re- they had a would-be would customer customer customer cus cus- tomer who wanted to buy some scrap for reshipment to Italy All AH five firms virtually gave him the bums bum's rush They told lold him fr frankly that they didn't want tc to sell sel bec because us they expected expected'S S r prices to be 20 to 25 per per cent higher by Mar March h. h h.- h. He finally wangled a small purchase purchase but but only after some pretty pow high ered wheedling The incident Is rated a a significant significant significant sig sig- sig- sig barometer of or anticipated war demand It 1 looks as if most big big business businessmen men arc going to give most of ot their attention to polities politics this year ear Observers are moved to to wonder who's going to stay home and keep the business fires lires burn burn- ing Copyright McClure Syndicate |