| Show 0 0 national topics topic interpreted ed by william bruckart washington senator of wyoming h has a s prepared a bill for or introduction early to r control jn in the new con business busness gross gress that w will ill set up it if it becomes law a comprehensive mechanism to control and regulate some of the principal activities of business corporations po rations it is a far reaching proposition ion as it now stands and it cannot be passed off lightly there is support for it in a number of quarters while it undoubtedly will not become law in its present form it must be regarded as the opening wedge the wyoming senators principal idea is to require businesses of an incorporated character to take out a federal license it if they do not comply the proposed law would deny them the right to ship goods into retail trade between states while the main theme of the proposition does not seem anything about which one should get excited it is the things that can be done behind behind such a general requirement that must and will be examined by congress and the country before it takes a step of the kind advocated by senator for example if the federal government is permitted to require businesses to obtain a license or charter from washington those businesses may be compelled to meet all manner of requirements before such a license or charter is granted in the reverse if after they have the license they fail to observe the provisions laid down either by congress or bald headed bureaucrats revocation of the license is the penalty that may be exacted it should be added that exaction of a penalty of this kind once the license provision is established as a federal government right becomes a powerful weapon and the limit to which that power may be exercised is scarcely to be forecast while as I 1 said the legislation may not be expected to become law in its present form its terms and provisions give a hint of what can be expected of any legislation of a similar character take this provision for example rates of pay shall be increased and hours of work shall be reduced in accordance with gains in the productive efficiency of the industry arising from increased mechanization iza tion improvements in technological methods or from other causes to the end that employees shall have an equitable participation in the output of industry and that employment and mass purchasing power may keep pace with industry it seems quite qui te obvious jbv ious that under such a basic statement of pr net ples pies a business dictatorial could easily be b e powers made to agree to collective bargaining among its employees to establish minimum wages and to follow the dictates of some bureau or commission in washington in actual management and promulgation of policies indeed it is set forth in the draft that the federal trade commission would be authorized zed to obtain all relevant and detailed data as to production costs prices and profits As I 1 see sort and from the views of experts with whom I 1 have consulted I 1 cannot escape the conclusion that such legislation simply extends to the federal government dictatorial powers over virtually all private bus business iness i it means moreover that politics poetics and politicians would be the guiding force and that if union labor leaders were in control of the agency having supervisory powers over business or if communists or conservatives or any other class were in control business would be directed d in accordance with the economic views of that school of thought since our nation frequently hands the responsibility of government control from one political party to the other the implications of such legislation as this are tremendous dous to say the least constitutional questions enter into this legislation and it may be that the basic theory ad advanced by the wyoming senator will not hold at all As I 1 understand it senator is holding no pride of authorship as to the language of his bill but to the principles he strongly adheres so it is made to appear at least as I 1 said above that this proposal constitutes an entering wedge on an entirely new theory of governments relation to private business for that reason it is one of the most significant propositions to come forward in recent years more significant I 1 believe than the ill fated it certainly is a proposition that should be watched closely by all citizens 4 affairs of the heart are all right privately Iriva tely our american department of state mixing in in holds but it r e affairs serves the right to hom into any love affair li t a involves an american foreign service officer it is all perfectly open arld arid above board the department of state has put its conclusions into writing into an official regulation and hereafter no foreign service officer can marry an alien while he is in the foreign service unless he gets the consent of father state department it is immensely interesting but not significant in an international way that the state departments order concerning international marriages should have been promulgated during the heat of the british constitutional crisis over king edwards determination to marry the american born wallis warfield simpson it simply happened to come along at the same time but since all the world loves a lover in washington one hears reference to the simpson edward affair mentioned many times in the same breath with the state stata department decree this obtains because nearly all of our foreign service people have relations or friends in the national capital and the decree forbidding international marriages set many tongues to wagging but the state department ruling ought to be treated with utmost seriousness and sincerity it is important por tant it is necessary to stretch the imagination a great way in order to assume that international marriages of the type banned by the state department would shake an empire after the manner of 0 f international marriages among royalty on the other hand it seems to me to be quite fair to say that international ter marriages among official representatives of a nation can very easily prove embarrassing to the government by which the foreign service officer receives credentials in fact there are instances on record where such marriages have proved to be serious obstacles in the settlement of disputes between governments then it epst must be considered that there is a genuine possibility of war in europe in the next few years A tremendous tragedy is being prepared there while obviously any governmental decision that has the effect of keeping lovers apart arouses antagonism a sympathetic feeling amborg all with tender hearts in this circumstance the rule seems well justified in addition to following the lead of other nations on the point our state department has banned these international marriages i largely in order to keep our nation free from any possible en tangle ments in event of that european tragedy that looms like red fire on the horizon of the future I 1 marriages heretofore contracted a acted of course will not be disturbed by the new ban but elimination of that source of potential difficulty for the future is regarded as likely to be valuable I 1 I 1 have heard criticism of the state departments order on the ground that affairs of the heart are private aff affairs airs which indeed they are but it must be remembered that where an individual accepts the rights prerogatives and privileges of official position he accepts at the same time certain definite responsibilities in the case of a foreign service officer his acceptance of the government title makes him at once and the same time a part of that government in a most peculiar way because foreigners do not understand our government any i better than we understand foreign governments when an american foreign service officer speaks he speaks actually as the american government one need not amplify this further than to say therefore one of that officials responsibilities is to carry out policy national policy can be arranged only at its proper sources namely the president and the department of state so while budding romances may be blighted heartaches may arise soft lights in the eyes of men and maidens may be dimmed by the cruel and cold words of official regulations it needs must be said that thai the welfare of a great nation must supersede the personal desires of a lonel lonely Y man for a mate thus where any of our american i diplomats or consular officers hereafter feel they cannot tread lifes highway without the accompaniment t of a foreign born princess of their dreams they simply will have to resign from their jobs and bring the I 1 lady home a G western newspaper union |
