Show Bruckart a Washington Digest Would Force Public Ownership O on Nation in Spite o of Voters' Voters Wishes Power Commission Appears as Spearhead of Minority I With Socialistic Tendencies Niagara Falls Investigation Investigation M 1 May l ay Bring Out Some New Facts By WILLIAM BRUCKART Service National Press Washington D. D C. C WASHINGTON PublIc WASHINGTON Public Investigations investigations investigations always hold some fascination for lor me whether the Inquiry is conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted b by a congressional committee commit commit- tee or by some agency of govern govern- ment My interest however seldom lies in the sensational testimony or muckraking that may be among the results I care little for the smearing of individuals and that sort of or thing The thing that attracts me to these ditch ditch digging digging activities is a desire always to know mow what motives lie beneath beneath beneath be be- neath the apparently earnest effort in behalf of the pee I do not mean to impugn the motives motives mo mo- tives fives of all and sundry individuals who set about unearthing facts Far from tram it But whatever the results may be in the public interest it remaIns remains remains re re- re- re mains as fact that in most instances there will be found an individual or two who are seeking to capitalize upon the reputation they can build for themselves in a 3 good knock down out drag Investigation Now Itma it ma may be that this is just a product by-product like some of the poisons that come from beautiful ul flowers Dowers But it does come and that is why I always want to smell around a bit for a see look-see at the full stor story of an investigation There is no doubt for instance that the federal power commissions commission's investigation of the use of Niagara Falls water for generation of electric electric elec elec- power may produce some new facts A great natural resource of i I that kind should not be allowed to become a thing in which public Interest interest interest In in- terest is Ignored But there should be and there is a 3 limit to public interest interest in in- terest just as much as there is a limit beyond which private control controls s should not be allowed I In the Niagara case however the power commission is made to appear as the spearhead of a loud- loud speaking rough-riding rough minority which for years has sought to saddle sad sad- saddle dle dIe public ownership on the whole United States That group makes no bones of at Its purposes It is for public ownership a socialist venture venture ven ven- ture whether the voters of the nation nation na na- tion want it or not Indeed a good guess is that this group wants to force public ownership of ot all utilities ties ties power power water transportation transportation- upon the country countr despite the refusal of congress to create a network of electric lines throughout the nation such as has been established in parts of the South under the creeping creeping creeping creep creep- ing paralysis of TV TVA A. A Bound to Destroy Property Value of Private Plants This conclusion is borne out as asfar asfar astar far tar as I am concerned by the public public public pub pub- lic pronouncements of those charged with making the policy of the power commission and therefore the pow pow- power er policy of the Roosevelt adminis adminis- The conclusion is accepted by many also because of the unending unending unending ing efforts of Secretary Ickes of the interior department Mr Ickes as asis asis ass is s rather generally known has urged municipalities wherever he could find one to borrow federal money or accept an outright gift of funds lor Sor the purchase or construction of publicly publicly pub pub- owned electric light plants He even has gone so far as to pour millions millions mil lions out on the plains agricultural areas as he did in Nebraska where there is no market for more than a thimbleful of ot electricity Such a course was bound to destroy the property value of ot private plants which did not have a b bottomless treasury from which to make up operating op op- crating losses When one has a knowledge of all of this background the Niagara Falls story changes its aspect con con- The power commission has been kicking the Niagara Falls case around about 10 years Suddenly Sud Sud- Suddenly denly a couple of ot months ago a hearing was ordered on a great number of ot charges of violation of license They are too technical to tobe tobe tobe be of much concern here but it is plain to see that if ff the commissions commission's views are sustained in the courts a wedge has been driven by the government gov itself Into the structure of private ownership In other words a n federal agency has bas carved national national national na na- na- na policy by use of ot regulatory power and has done so by the simple process of enforcing its views rather rath er than the wishes of ot the people which are expressed through laws of congress Clearly Illustrates How Investigations May lay Turn Out Thus It seems that the Niagara Falls case can be used as an illustration illus illus- of ot what investigations may t turn rn out to be even though such an inquiry is properly conceived In the public Interest The use of them for or trl the purposes that appear in this one surely must be deplored for foe or itis it iti itis i is bureaucracy run riot There is yet et another phase of the Niagara Falls case to which attention atten tion Lion should be drawn It relates to the utilization o of Investigations for or personal promotion Oh Ohl I reckon there is no crime in promoting ones one's sell self el or ones one's political ambitions Anyway I do not infer any crime I Iam Iam Iam am am merely criticizing the thing as something that does not make for good government It Is a species of demagoguery this campaigning I Ion on ona a vehicle set up for other pur pur- poses poses So So we come to the case of Casa I March 28 years old a Texas citizen citi zen and an attorney for the power I commission which Is a federal a agen agen- en cy From a all appearances Mr March is politically ambitious He HeIs HeIs Heis Is convinced it seems that Texas ought to have him as governor inthe in inthe inthe the next few years Prosecution of ot some great corporation is a political political cal horse that will gallop far and well weB over the plains of ot the great state of ot Texas Of course Bourse Mr March would be aboard that horse I understand that he even has a campaign slogan He would herd the voters of Texas under his banner banner ban ban- ner with Forward March With March I am not Informed as to Mr March's qualification for the office of governor of Texas Sometimes these young whippersnappers have what it takes and Mr March may maybe maybe be ae one of them In any event he heis heis heis is determined to win the power commission commission commission com com- mission case against those four tour families that have pyramided one corpora corporation tion on top of another until until un un- til Niagara Falls water must be crushed under the burden The four families are named by Mr March Marchas Marchi as the Morgans the the Mellons the and the Carlisles Wonder if Private Persons Any Longer Have Rights One look at the stenographic record record record rec rec- ord of the hearings in the Niagara Falls case rather causes cause one to question whether private persons any longer have rights even under our constitutional form of govern govern- ment There were apparently no rules of law followed in that case and the statement is the same regarding regarding regarding re re- re- re garding the usual cong congressional committee investigations The fellow fellow fel- fel low ow who gets on the witness stand in n one of these cases Is worse off than the Negro boy behind the canvass canvass canvass can can- vass at the county fair The boy boycan boycan boycan can duck He has that sporting chance even though his head is the he target for well-aimed well throws Not flot so with a witness in a public investigation tion Nor or does there seem to be any limitation imitation on the kind of charges that hat can be hurled at a person or ora ora ora a firm or a corporation once they are in the toils of an investigation The constitutional provision seems to o have been reversed You are guilty until you are proved innocent inno inno- cent that cent that is if you get a chance to submit proof Of course such names as the Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Alu Alu- minum Company of ot America and J. J P. P Morgan and company and the Carlisle power interests and the others others others oth oth- ers are well known They are big names Without them most investigations investigations investigations are arc a flop sop Being wealthy and well known when those people are attacked they make headlines Almost anything that Is done about them or by them is printed Besides Besides Be Be- sides many many speeches can be made about trust busting I Perhaps such tactics pay Think of Hugo Black He rode roughshod d over anybody and everybody in his airmail investigation several years ago an investigation con conducted by him as a United States senator Mr Black now sits as an associate justice justice jus jus- tice Uce of the Supreme court It will willbe willbe willbe be a long time however before most people will forget how Mr Black used powers of the securities and exchange commission to force the Western Union and Postal Telegraph Telegraph Telegraph Tele Tele- graph companies to deliver thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of personal telegrams to his committee for use in the investigation tion Jackson Tried It Too Toot See What Happened I There was Robert Jackson too Mr Jackson as chief counsel for forthe forthe forthe the bureau of internal revenue battled bat bat- battled the late Andrew W. W Mellon over his Income taxes He was appointed appoint appoint- ed soon thereafter as the assistant attorney general in charge of antitrust anti trust prosecutions Promptly he started an trust anti-trust suit against the Aluminum Company of America but buthis buthis buthis his political star was was' not in the right transit Anyway he did not get to be governor of New York He did not even get the nomination as did Thomas E. E Dewey as a public public pub pub- lic lie reward for or striking at malefactors tors of great wealth or racketeers- racketeers one type being as good as the other for Cor political cal purposes Or we may advert to Senator La Foll Follette's tte's crusade with his senate civil liberties committee Now 1 I Iam am none too sure o of the meaning of the phrase civil liberties but Senator Senator Sen ator LaFollette surely tried to con convince convince vince the union workers especially the C. C 1 0 O. O members that h he w. w was protecting them protecting them against those sinful employers who would grind wurl workers er into the grime and grease ase o of their then overalls as well as obtaining much publicity for ur the senator tor by Western newspaper N Union |