Show 1 NEWS BEHIND HIND THE NEWS w Written e for The Telegram ele By y Ray Tucker er y- y WASHINGTON WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-In In the midst of the monopoly football game scheduled to kick of off in a few weeks Quarterback Roosevelt has changed all the signals and rules for his antitrust halfbacks The teams team's captain realizes belatedly S that he cant can't smash American in industry industry industry in- in into fragments and mobIlIze mobilize mob mob- it for national defense on the same political play The original idea behind the monopoly investigation was to at attack attack attack at- at tack concentrations of industrial power and wealth in accord with the Roosevelt-Ickes Roosevelt theory But the motif behind industrial preparedness preparedness preparedness pre pre- for war is integration of all production units as the pact for mobilization of private power resources reveals The same need for mass production of automobiles automobiles automo automo- biles hues chemicals steel glass and oil exists in any elementary preparation preparation preparation prep prep- for meeting war require require- ments The simple fact is hat if Thurm Thurman Thurman Thur- Thur m man n Arnolds Arnold's break up vital industrial units they will weaken the system of national industrial defense War- War navy experts especially Assistant Navy Secretary Charles Edison have dinned this truth into presidential presidential presidential ears but F. F D. D R. R wouldn't listen until four men met at Mu Mu- nich Net result will be a washy monopoly inquiry more academic than aggressive and lasting asting from two to three years years- when the war scare may have blown lown over The threat of war has transformed trans trans- formed ormed the whole monopoly pIcture picture pic plc- ture both at home and abroad In a few weeks the federal communications commission must decide whether a radio or cable corporation shall have exclusive rights to transmission of news military and commercial messages from Scandinavia to the United States or whether they shall merge their facilities If they continue to compete compete compete-as as they do doin doin doin in other parts of Europe and South America American America American interests interests interests inter inter- ests will suffer The obvious course from the standpoint of trade and national defense is for forthe forthe forthe the F FCC C C to accord monopoly control to one system or the other A similar situation exists with re respect respect respect re- re to aviation facilities in South America Pan-American Pan Airways enjoys a monopoly though hard pressed by rivals begging for concessions before th the civil aeronautics commission Rivalry Rivalry Riv Riv- alry aIry among American firms abroad cuts their profits threatens threat threat- ens their investment and prevents them from becoming powerful national national national na na- na- na defense assets Competition tion gives foreign nations a bargaining bargaining bargaining bar bar- gaining weapon The Arnolds and and Cohens want to bust all monopolies monopolies olies dies here and overseas But the president stronger for 3 preparedness prepared prepared- ness than he is for busting monopolies monopolies monopolies mo mo- mo- mo probably will stymie them With him national defense comes first The next chairman of the house pensions committee will be a confirmed confirmed confirmed con con- firmed Representative tive Martin F. F Smith of Wash Wash- ington His quiet ascension to power over the pay-out-the-money bills may cause trouble for the administration especially in view of F. F D. D Rs R.'s indorsement of 30 30 month a-month candidates Ordinarily the chairman of the pensions committee would count for little in the enactment of schemes Because any measure proposing old age payments calls for raising revenue revenue reve reve- nue flue it would be referred normally to the conservative ways and means committee by Speaker Bankhead But the house can overrule the speaker by a majority major major- ity vote and in view of or orthe the prospective prospective prospective pros pros- bloc of in inthe inthe inthe the next house they may head the bill straight into Mr Smiths Smith's clutches If they do he will report it out pronto For the first time since the old folks went on the warpath warpath warpath war war- path the question of paying a federal pension to grandpa and grandma may come to a showdown showdown showdown show show- down vote in congress It would surprise nobody who knows political po po- po- po psychology if it passed with witha a whoop though a presidential veto may defeat it at least tem tern More about the men from Mars Marsand Marsand Marsand and and United States marines from the near-by near post of Quantico A Washington newspaper re reported reported reported re- re ported that Uncle Sams Sam's marines shivered along with thousands of civilians as they listened to the Wells Welles-Wells broadcast Day after the newspaper story 40 husky sea land-and-sea soldiers from Quantico Quantico Quantico Quan Quan- tico appeared in the city room of the Washington newspaper to protect their honor They threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened to beat up the staff from the owner Eugene owner Eugene Meyer Meyer down down to the last printers printer's devil Copyright 1938 for The Telegram |