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Show National Topics Interpreted JL L by William Bruckart fluS Washington. The department of Agriculture lias laid down another barrage of accusa- Picking on tions against a the Packers Group of large meat packing concerns, con-cerns, but the fight thus started promises to transcend the charge of crookedness on tlie part of ten corporations cor-porations cited. From the undercurrent under-current of Information around Wash-Inton, Wash-Inton, one can readily believe that questions of policy may become the focal point of tlie current controversy. contro-versy. While the packers may fold up their tents, admit some of the charges and not fight back any further, fur-ther, the situation Is fraught with possibilities of politics that lead directly di-rectly to an attack on Roosevelt administration ad-ministration New Peal policies. Fundamentally, these questions Involve In-volve determination of how far tlie people want their national government govern-ment to manage business affairs. It Is unfair, of course, to hold that the ten big packers are guilty of combined effort at manipulation of prices or machinations to drive out competition In certain sections of the country, solely because some officials of the Department of Agriculture Agri-culture made the charges. It is likewise like-wise unfair to hold the packers have clean records because the charges were made by some of the officials of the department that was described by members of congress as being "full of Communists." It is a fact that the packers have been dragged into court before on similar charges, and it is also admitted that there are some officials in the Department De-partment of Agriculture who are so radical as to be desirous of seeing private business destroyed. With these facts in mind, It is well to recall also that in the last several months there has been smoldering smol-dering sentiment that the federal government is going too far in di recting the affairs of private individuals. indi-viduals. A good many observers here believe that the charges now renewed against the meat packers, after fifteen years of comparative quietude in this direction, will precipitate pre-cipitate a political fight over the main question of how far the government gov-ernment ought to go. That is to say, some think the packer controversy contro-versy will bring the larger question to a head. There was a plain disposition on the part of most persons to withhold with-hold criticism of the Department of Agriculture all through the early months of President Roosevelt's administration. ad-ministration. Whether one agreed with the New Deal program or was definitely opposed to it, the disposition dispo-sition was to avoid attacks on the Department of Agriculture because of the sad plight of the industry it was supposed to help. But differences differ-ences have arisen among the farm leaders and among the members of congress from agricultural districts as to the way things have been run at the Department of Agriculture, and these differences are not concealed, con-cealed, any longer. Consequently, it appears just possible that Secretary Wallace' and tire professors on whom he has leaned so heavily may soon find a swirling storm around their hends.v which, ; once started, surely will, go beyojid just that, phase of the -Presidents New Deal program. For instance, there is a bill pend-: pend-: 'Ing" that-" proposes to.-make the fed-7"' fed-7"' i": eral government Far-Reaching supervisor of the Proposal .security exchanges", ex-changes", the stock markets. It is far. .reaching; of ' that there ican ,ba no . doubt. But differences of opinion are sharp, and,,- generally,, speaking, they may be traced back to one's basic belief as to the., extent the federal government gov-ernment should go In managing your business and mine. It is held by all observers to be a perfectly normal and natural line of cleavage. This legislation would attempt to control the sales of all shares of stocks and bonds whether on the floors of the . trading exchanges or across the counters of brokers. The operations would be directed from Washington through the Federal Trade commission. Its scope and the fact that administration of this phase of business, like so many others, would be centered In Washington, Wash-ington, causes concern among that school of thought which clings to the idea of a policy permitting individuals in-dividuals to conduct their own business busi-ness without having to bow and scrape before a bureaucrat in Washington. Wash-ington. The activities of some of the NRA leaders In dictating business policies poli-cies and practices is well known, but those opposed to them are none the less opposed because they made less noise in the last few months. They will join in any movement that promises to overturn the program of business dictatorship that has been set up. The same is true respecting re-specting the attitude of business men and women on numerous other phases of the New Deal. It is an opposition that thus far has not been allowed to blow off steam. Thus, in many quarters of Washington Wash-ington and from many business leaders who have come to Wash-lr,j,ton Wash-lr,j,ton '.hose days to iron out even small details with tlie numerous administrators, commissions, big dictators dic-tators and small dictators, and other governmental ngencies. I hear the expression that the battle with the meat packers may result ln an alignment of those forces who find the New Deal to have dealt them a hand with a ten-spot as the high card. In reporting that circumstance, circum-stance, however, It seems to me one should call attention to the possibility possi-bility that the Department of Agriculture Agri-culture may have "the goods" on the meat packers. If that be the case, lt is obvious that opponents of the New Deal will have to look elsewhere else-where for a peg on which to hang their hats. Further, it appears here that if the President succeeds in his plan to get congress out of town before It reaches the stage where it has idle hands, the chances of a frontal attack on his program seem materially mate-rially less. When the legislation for control of the security exchanges passes, as, of course, it will Supervise pass, since it is SecaritySales an administration proposal, the Federal Fed-eral Trade commission will be placed in the position of virtual supervisor su-pervisor of all transactions in the issue and sale of securities, whether wheth-er they be stocks or bonds, notes or any other form of corporate indebtedness. indebt-edness. Tlie circumstance has directed direct-ed considerable attention lately to the relationship between that federal fed-eral agency and business interests, as well as the treatment business may expect from the commission as now made up. Through the period in which I have watched Washington, the commission com-mission distinctly has had its ups and downs. I believe that, in most instances, business .has looked upon the commission with more or less favor respectively as it has pursued pur-sued an economic policy of reasonableness reason-ableness or radicalism. Passage of the law that required registration of all security issues with the commission before they were offered for sale the so-called truth in securities act was expected by many to place in the commission's hands a weapon which lt Would use in carrying out many radical ideas. There was doubt, and still Is doubt, as to the efficiency of such legislation. There were claims, and still are claims, that passage of the law cuts down the availability of funds for corporate financing and, consequently, restricts business development. de-velopment. The information available to me seems to Indicate there is some truth in these claims, but there is also some truth ln the assertion that restrictions were necessary in order or-der to protect investors from unscrupulous un-scrupulous individuals .who Issue and sell fake stocks and bonds. Each group probably will be found to be partially wrong after the commission com-mission starts on No Job for its new job. I ". Theorists hear comment, however, to the effect that the commission must wTatch its step in selection of personnel per-sonnel in connection wtlh stock exchange ex-change supervision. That job will be highly technical, and the danger that has been pointed out is that untrained theorists may be appointed appoint-ed to do much of the work. It is hardly necessary to say that most theorists enjoy trying out their ideas at other people's expense, and surely sure-ly administration of the country's trading marts is no -place to "try it on the dog." The stake is too high. Through some eight or ten years past, the commission has followed a course of citing a business for alleged al-leged violation of fair practice rules and offering no statement except the charges. The result was a stigma stig-ma on the particular business. Oftentimes, Oft-entimes, complaints were made by competitors just to gain the advantage advan-tage of that stigma. Last month, however, that policy was changed and hereafter, the commission will Issue their citations and will tell why the action was taken, thus affording af-fording full publicity for anyone to examine the case. It is an action that probably will reduce the number num-ber of mischievous complaints, because be-cause competitors won't attempt so freely to gain an advantage by smearing the reputation of another business when their own part ln it Is disclosed. My conviction is turn adoption of a rule of that kind may have the effect of fending off some of the fire that the commission naturally must expect from the school of thought opposed to the principles upon which the agency was founded. found-ed. And, lt is well from the commission com-mission standpoint for lt to watch outl Itfa present state of recrudescence, recru-descence, after a period when its appropriations ap-propriations were cut to the bone and its life threatened, may not go on as now, If it leans too far to the radical side Business interests inter-ests are not radical and they are ' not going to co-operate "with any ageucy, governmental or private, ! that is radical. by Western Ncwpci Union. |