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Show Marquis Child V Fight Looms On Olds' . Third Term WASHINGTON An extremely ex-tremely interesting contest is shaping up that la bound to have political repercussions far into ths futurs. Ths two leading lead-ing figures could hardly have been more expertly east for tbs roles they are playing. On the one aids Is Lsland Olds, whose resppointroent to be a member of the federal power commission precipitated the dispute. Powerful and Influential In-fluential men In the Democratic party had warned President Truman that If hs sent Olds' nama to ths senate for confirmation con-firmation for a third term sa a power commissioner, he would have a fight on his hands. Olds is one of the comparatively compara-tively few Roosevelt new dealers deal-ers to survive In the Truman fair deal. Hie concern srlth the regulation and public ownership of power goes back? to his eon-" nection with the New York state power authority la 11. He haa tha ardent support of former new dealers and most of ths fair dealers who tend to regard him aa a symbol of the president's real Intentions. Insisted sa Pewers Probably Olds would never have encountered bis present difficulty If hs bad not Instated thst ths federal power commission, com-mission, under a recent supreme court ruling, hss both ths right and tha duty to regulate tha production aa well as ths distribution dis-tribution of natural gas. That brought him into direct conflict con-flict with Sen. Robert a. Kerr of Oklahoma. Kerr haa the expensive, genial manner of the eslf-enade millionaire and tha shrewd politician, poli-tician, both of which ba la He ia squally at home ia a Baptist pulpit or In the rough-and-tumble debate of Oklahoma politico. The Kerr-MeOee Co, which the senator esntroia, ia a large producer eaUural gas. Kerr also hss close connections with ths Phillips Petroleum Co. probably tha largest 'single produosr of gas. This, aa Kerr knows very well, makea his position a vulnerable one and eepectalry ta view of his ambition, which dose not stop short of the presidency. The meet effective Una that Kerr Ukes both publicly and Privately In his sfforts to Una up senatore against Olds goes ss follows: ; Why Dlserfanlaattea? "Tha southwest hss a great natural resource with Its gas. It can sell that gaa and raise the standsrds of everybody. But now cornea the federal government govern-ment saying that tha sale of thle reeuorce must bs regulated. That gaa goes to produce tha automobiles and the tractors trac-tors and ths other thing that ws ia ths southwest must buy. Ths production and tha sale of -tha things wa buy are not reguUted by the federal government. govern-ment. So why should we, tha hewers of wood and ths drawers of water, be discriminated against ?" Olds haa what seems to me an effective answer to this sgru-msnt sgru-msnt Hs points out, and It eesms to be generally agreed to by both sides, thst If Kerr's bill te Uks gss production out of regulation la paassd, then the price of gas will go up. This would mean that Industries Indus-tries seeking to locate la tha southwest becauee of the advantage ad-vantage of a low-cost, readily accessible fuel might be stopped from seeking a southwest location loca-tion where there la already a freight-rate disadvantage. Consequently, Con-sequently, the southwest would continue to he a suppusr of raw materlala to ths Industrial northeast hewers of wood and drawsra of watss. rtUIUss Balek Kerr Lined up with Kerr, aa might be expected,, are ths utilltlss. With Olds defeated, they sss a chance to get a power com-mission com-mission majority srlth a far mors leaient, states' right point of view. Some sanatora'seem to have given the impreeeloa that Preeldent Truman la Indifferent to the fate of Olds, having made a geeture of sending up his name. But members er tha asaate interstate eoenasrea eonamittee are discoveries' that that Is not true. .The Democrat! members are being- canvassed Seasonally by Cksrti Clifford, counsel to the president They say that set-tV set-tV J shown to behalf of a presidential sMtaUAMk, j- After waiting three months. Chairman Edwin C. Johnson haeat last called aommittes "rings ea the nomination of John Carson to - ths federal . ?mrau-,0- rVaen that Is out of the way, action on Olds la expected, with ths hash-bocd hash-bocd that his name will be reported re-ported favorably. But that will be merely the Prelude to a battle on the senate floor. Kerr is not easily stopped coos hs sets eat on a course. And, Meanwhile, Olds' term aa a commissioner hss expired and ha la out of office, which his ensenles msy count at least a temporary gala-Copyright, gala-Copyright, lM. UMtsd Feature. Syndicate |
