Show I NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS Written for The Telegram m By R Ray y Tucker WASH WASHINGTON I IN N G T O 0 N President Roosevelt's intervention to prevent prevent prevent pre pre- vent the resignation of Robert H. H Jackson discloses the deliberation with which he has been chosen for the role of the new deals deal's political political po po- David S The story begins several months ago when Mr Jackson dissatisfied dissatisfied fied fled with official indifference to his tiis antimonopoly prejudices intimated in intimated intimated in- in to Attorney General Cummings Cummings Cummings Cum- Cum that he might resign The latter mildly opposed the idea adding that he himself would quit before his brilliant young aid When the news reached presidential ears Mr Roosevelt made Bob a regular Sunday night boarder at chafing dish suppers Subsequently F. F D. D R. R urged Jackson to stay on with the plain implication that he stood first in inthe inthe inthe the presidents president's political Bob had forced the showdown showdown showdown show show- down he wanted How to dramatize the fair- fair haired boy while he still occupied a s comparatively minor post was the next problem but it was easily solved by giving him command of af the administrations administration's new fighting sector the sector the onslaught on concentrated concentrated concentrated concen concen- wealth of all sorts Not since Teddy Roosevelt godfathered William Howard Taft has Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington seen a chief executive show such solicitude for his heir ap parent Industrial executives who have recently conferred with the president president president dent will swear on a stack of Bibles that he stands directly be behind be- be hind hind or or in advance advance of of Ickes and Jackson in their at attacks attacks attacks at- at tacks on corporations His privately privately privately expressed views match theirs word for word When General Motors Chieftain Knudsen accepted John Biggers' Biggers invitation to lunch with F. F D. D R. R he was informed that the chief executive would like to obtain hand first-hand information of conditions conditions conditions condi condi- in the auto industry also the prospect for improvement But when the automobile maker opened his lips the president immediately immediately immediately im im- im- im mediately halted him Then Ihen ensued en- en ensued ensued en en- sued a biting presidential lecture on the lopsidedness of the General General General Gen Gen- eral Motors system system its its capital structure profits prices and production production production pro pro- schedules Mr Roosevelt flung figures at athis athis athis his guest So when Mr K was asked ed by waiting reporters what happened inside he replied ur ur- ur- ur The president told us about the automobile business F. F D. D R. R prides himself on his fingertip touch with national problems problems and and it is amazing in more ways than one one but but sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times it prevents his taking more realistic inventory than fragmentary fragmentary fragmentary tary statistics provide Though automobile and gasoline gasoline gasoline gaso gaso- line interests lead the chorus inthe in inthe inthe the cry for a balanced budget they lost no time in arranging a counterattack against the presidents president's presidents president's presidents president's dents dent's request for a sizable reduction reduction reduction tion in highway appropriations A few days after F. F D. D R. R proposed proposed pro pro- proposed posed cuts averaging annually the National Highway Users' Users conference which is fi financed financed financed fi- fi by producers of cars and oil installed a new lobbyist in their Washington office He is Chester H. H Gray who mobilized the farmers behind treasury raiding bills for more than a decade Few men at the capital have had more experience in whipping into line the folks back home or their political He will presumably now go to work for more rather than less to market highways The effect of Mr Graye crusade against cuts will be cumulative probably insuring defeat of the retrenchment program His activity activity activity ity will arouse rival organizations to match his efforts lest they lose out in the shuffle General Dick Elliott has apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap decided to sacrifice himself himself himself him him- self for a cause that will bring him neither fame nor fortune fortune- honest and independent accounting accounting accounting account account- ing of public expenditures by the executive branch of the govern govern- ment The ex congressman from Indiana Indiana Indiana In In- diana has many friends on capitol capitol capitol capi- capi tol hill whom he befriended when he was public buildings and grounds chairman during Republican Republican Republican lican regimes With their personal person person- al backing he might be bo permitted permit permit- ted to hang on as acting controller control control- ler general indefinitely if he agreed to behave Indeed such suggestions have been proposed to him in nebulous and indirect form Instead he has disallowed many pet new deal outlays and his latest misbehavior was to denounce de- de denounce denounce de de- publicly the shabby accounting accounting accounting ac ac- ac- ac counting methods of various emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency agencies Henry Morgen- Morgen thau was so incensed that he has promised to defend his arithmetical ical integrity Mr Roosevelt has deferred appointment appointment appointment ap ap- ap- ap of a controller general pending action on his proposal to abolish the office In view of Mr Elliotts Elliott's revelations its it's a safe bet that congress will never sanction sanction sanc sane tion such a change Its It's also a collectible wager that Dick willbe will willbe willbe be displaced at the first He talks too much A pathetic untold story lies behind Tom Heflin's last political political political cal defeat in the recent Alabama primaries primaries primaries-he he is probably too old and ill to run again The man who really caused poor old Toms Tom's political bankruptcy now sits on the supreme court at ata ata ata a salary of for life life life-Jus- Jus Justice tice Hugo L. L Black It was in 1926 that Mr Black in order to win a senate seat felt impelled to join the Ku Klux Klan He signed up received a gold card of life membership membership and and won easily Mr Heflin who faced reelection in 1930 noted his young colleagues colleague's strategy and also became a klans- klans man The man who once made senators roll in their chairs with natured good-natured negro stories became became became be be- came a fanatic overnight especially especially especially espe espe- as Al Smith was then heading heading heading head head- ing straight for the 1928 nomina nomina- tion Even old friends grew disgusted disgusted disgusted dis dis- dis- dis gusted at his tirades But Tom kept in mind young Blacks Black's tactics tactics tactics tac tac- tics and never deviated By 1930 th the country country and and Alabama Alabama Alabama Ala Ala- bama had recovered from its 1926 insanity And poor old Tom was tossed aside while his political political cal cai preceptor achieved a reputation reputation reputation tion that eventually hoisted him to the sup rem est court Notes Several members of Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese parliament are in Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington studying American rearmament rearmament rearmament rearm rearm- ament probabilities Friends of Tennessee valley authority are making snaking every effort to head off a ahouse ahouse ahouse house investigation Its It's proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed by Representative Maas that congress create a navy general general general gen gen- eral staff Fight begins against proposal to cut down appropriations for C C C and highways Budget program provides for a navy general hospital at Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington to cost ultimately Naval expansion will require enlargement of naval academy at Annapolis Copyright 1938 19 for The Thc Telegram I |