Evening Star Newspaper, March 19, 1935, Page 13

RICHBERG LASHES PUBLIC INFLAMERS Declares Vital Question Is| Whether Emotion ory Reason Govern. (Cortinued From Twelfth Page) . the primary test of ability to com- | mand a national audience? Do they | realize, although these vaudeville | artists have their value and useful- ness, that as molders of public opinion | they are a grave menace to our na- | tional sanity? It was not the incidental fact, or | fiction, of Nero fiddling during the | burning of Rome that destroyed the | empire. It was the underlying fact that the people of Rome were becom- ing accustomed to look upon their government as the provider of bread and circuses, and were forgetting that sel{-government and self-support are | a serious business, to which the | masses and the leaders of the people must give their serious attention most of the time if they are to prosper and to survive as a nation. Emotion or Reason? The critical issue of 1935 lies in this question: Is public opinion to be formed, and the leadership of busi- ness and politics to be guided, more and more by unreasoning emotion, or | shall we see a revival of the rule of | reason? Are the shouters, the ex- horters and the wise-crackers going to dominate public thinking, or, before | long, will a bored and noise-weary | people turn off the radios, turn away | from the bellowing, in the press and on the platform, of obstructionists and destroyers and listen to progres- sive-minded leaders in business and politics who, on the basis of long ex- | perience and practical knowledge, are known to be sincerely working for the greatest good of the greatest number? | Of course, every one will listen to the President. But it takes thousands of | lesser voices to create and maintain | & sound public opinion in a nation | of 125,000.000 people. | Let me concentrate this critical | fssue for a few minutes upon the | future of the N. R. A. | Nearly two years ago the President | asked the Congress for authority to | launch a great adventure in the re- | construction of our industrial sysmmA' He proposed to establish co-operation within trades and industries, between | industries, between management and labor and between business and the Government, so that all could work | together more effectively for the com- | mon good. The Congress passed the | law. The National Recovery Admin- istration was created The N. R. A. has accomplished a great deal in the re-employment of labor, in improving wages, hours and working conditions. in eliminating un- fair competition, in protecting small enterprises, in balancing production nzainst consumption, in establishing + better, fairer industrial system cap- | thle of greater and more sustained | rvice to the general welfare. The N. R. A. has made many mis- | t&kes, as was inevitable. But its most | dmgerous and dubious policy lay in th effort to accomplish a far-reach- iny reorganization ef business in a | fes months, and in the resort to co- | ercoyn and emotion in order to drive mamgement, labor and consumer | into the acceptance of sweeping charzes in customary methods of do- | ing lisiness and in the relations be- tweer industry and Government. There were many valid reasons for +apid, vigorais action. Many good results were ychieved by speed. excitement and cwmpulsion. Idle workers were empltyed and wages were advanced to an extent unprecedented in the re- covery from any previous depression Hostility Generated. But & the same time hostility was generatel, along with much sullen acquiesercy instead of willing co-op- eration. Rusistance to methods were begotten 2wen when principles and purposes vee approved. The vast complexity o the operations of the N. R. A. heeased the difficulty of understandiig Many of those who sought to lan something about it became exasterated with the difficulty of learning emigh about it for intelli- gent criticismard became emotionally ! inspired with an unreasoning an- tagonism to the whole performance. Now we face an accumulation of hostilities to the N. R. A, which, as expressed, presents an insane incon- sistency. Spokesmen for big business charge the N. R. A. with restraining their monopolistic efforts to dominate their field, Spokesmen for small en- terprises charge the N. R. A. with control by big business and with the oppression of the “little fellow.” Em- ployer associations claim the N. R. A has been administered for the benefit of organized labor, while labor organ- izations complain of employer control and failure to protect the interests of the employes. The truth is that the principles and purposes of N. R. A, support none of these charges. But the methods and procedures in special cases give some support to all of them. The law it- self and the fundamental, flexible means of its administration offer every economic element ample pro- tection and aid in the promotion of | its just interests. All these interests must be conserved and brought into co-operation in any industrial sys- tem which is to provide security of investment, security of employment, the maintenance of profitable busi- ness and the payment of good wages. We have trieé without success in the last 50 years to accomplish these results through hampering co-opera- tion and encouraging undisciplined competition. - Monopolies have grown, small enterprises have been extermi- nated. investments have become more insecure, unemployment has been chronic, millions of wage earners have suffered from long hours of work at starvation wages. There is no hope whatsoever of removing these evils by. going back to the old, unregulated system which fostered them. The whole problem presented to the Congress, as a deliberative body of intelligent men ‘representing all the people, is how shall the framework and administration of the N. R. A. be improved and strengthened, so that through it our indystrial system may be improved and si:ength!ned. Hope for the Future. The thorough-going reactionary, who wants to return to &4 discredited sys- tem, who wants to lead us back to chaos. is of course, beyond the reach of argument. He dogs not want any planning, or self-gové&rnment, or dis- cipline in_our economic system—just an anarchistic struggle to survive. God pity him—and these who follow him! He and his kind have written most of the bloody pages of history, moved by and glorifyipg the most brutal, selfish instincts of the human animal. The Destroyers will stand with the Old Guard against the appeal to reason and co-cperation in that self-service and’ public service which are the in- separable aims and obligations of pri- vate business. they want industrial warfare they scorn an agency of peace. But the remainder of the Congress, the large majority, must be relied upon to determine how should the law be rewritten to preserve its demonstrated and | power for good and to safeguard the public interest against weaknesses or abuses of power in its administra- tion? Every just criticism of the act or its administration has been met in the proposals of the administration for its extension and revision. Who that is sane would tear down a house to get rid of bugs in the kitchen or rats in the cellar? The lessons of two years have been learned by those who have lived in daily contact with the work of the N. R. A, Business men operating big | and little enterprises throughout the fields of trade and industry have voted by overwhelming majority for the ex- tension of the law. Organized :1abor without a dissenting voice has called THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 19&35. for its continuance. Economists and political scientists may have criticized this or that policy, but they have gen- erally conceded the far-réaching gains that may be realized in carrying for- ward the principles and purposes of co-operation, in the adjustment of producing and consuming power and in the elimination of unfair competi- tion. ‘The last stronghold of an irrecon- cilable opposition appears to lie in legalistic arguments over the powers of the Federal Government. Here again public opinion is confused by sound and fury emanating from the bench and bar, instead of light. When judges and lawyers loudly proclaim that the power of the Federal Govern- ment to regulate interstate commerce does not authorize the regnlation of manufacturing or mining or trade within a State, they are not stating the law. They are simply dodging the law, and repudiating the express and repeated rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States. Law Absolutely Settled. The law has been absolutely settled long ago that the Federal Government can regulate trade and commerce within a State whenever that is nec- essary for the protection and regula- tion of interstate commerce. The ac- tivities of organized labor in mining coal before interstate commerce began, and in cutting stone after interstate commerce had ended, have been held subject to Federal control. Would any one venture to argue that a strike can be prevented by the Federal Govern- ment, but that the conditions which produce that strike canot be remedied. Let the Supreme Court itself an- swer. I quote from a recent opinion (291 U. 8, 293): “But we need not decide when in- terstate commerce ends and that which is intrastate commerce begins. ‘The control of the handling, the sales and the prices at the place of origin, before the interstate journey begins, or in the State of destination, where the interstate movement ends, may operate directly to restrain and mo- nopolize commerce. * * * Intrastate acts will be enjoined wherever neces- sary or appropriate for the protection Like the Old Guard. | | of interstate commerce against any | restraint denounced by the act.” | The quibblers and evaders of the | Jaw should not be allowed to confuse | opinion as to the power of the Fed- | eral Government to restrain unfair | competition in business practices or in labor conditions for the protection of interstate commerce. There is no question of the power, There is only the question of how and where that power should be most widely exercised. That is a question that cannot be answered by a demagogic appeal to prejudice or class interest, or by the wise-cracking of national comedians. 1t cannot be answered by personal at- tacks in the language of the bar room. Progress Under N, R. A. It cannot be answered soundly by emotional exhortations to protect the | liberty of men to make money out of the sweat and sorrow of underpaid, overworked men and women. It can- not be answered soundly by the | clamor of monopolists to be free from governmental interference, or by the wailing of sweatshop operators for the same liberty. It can be answered soundly only by Don’t Cut Corns Peel Them Off The toughest, hard and painful eorns soften up when you use E-Z Korn Remover. 1t kills the roof relieves soreness, ends pain an makes troublesome corns peel right off. Rapid in action. Safe, Seldom fails. 35c at drug stores. —Advertisement. ~{ O Skl Priey Reserve Your o Case Tooar | Phone WE. 0435 for name of nearest Dealer 1 ore than 4,100 Washington Businessmen !'llid It Pays to Advertise in the Classified Telephone Directory © The N 'l'elephgne Today for lulonnx_flon‘on This Popular Buyer’s \d:lldL. Just Call MEtrepolitan 9900 The Chugpoiko and Potomac Telephone Company 723 13th Street, N. W. (fl,n %’;!; ' ew nirqcltiry Closes Soon © } © A e Po) : \ a sober, sensible review of the great progress made under the N, R. A, and by gathering together the progressive leadership of the Nation in a common purpose to support the program of the President, who has led the way out of the depression and has pointed out where the road leads on to a lasting Tecovery. When men of honest purpose and genuine devotion to the public good begin to close their ranks against the pulling and hauling of the Old Guard and the destroyers on either side of them, when they begin to pass the word on down the line: “Fall in be- hind the President. Steady ahead!™ there will run through the Nation & thrill of confidence that will restore comfort and security to millions of troubled homes. May that day not be long delayed. —_— U. S. PROBES COLLAPSE Chicago Firm and Agencies Sold to 30,000 Investors. CHICAGO, March 19 (#).—A Fed- eral grand jury yesterday began an investigation of the operations and collapse of the Trustees System Serv- ice "Corp. and 35 subsidiaries, which sold $22,000,000 in stock and so-called gold notes to more than 30,000 in- vestors throughout the country. The Government will seek indict- ments against officers of the system, charging use of the mails in a scheme to defraud, prosecutors said. One of the subsidiaries was a loan company for property owners and wage earners. The Trustees System went into bankruptcy on October 28, 1932. Re- organization of the parent company and some of the subsidiaries was sought under section 77-b of the | amended bankruptcy act. COUPLE CONVICTED “Philadelphia Estate” Basis of U. S. Action. SEATTLE, March 19 (#).—William W. Renick, 63, of Auburn, Wash., was sentenced yesterday to serve six years, and his wife, Frances Ruth Renick. two years and two days, on mail fraud conviction in Federal Court. The Government charged they defrauded several persons by persuading them they could obtain shares in the myth- ical $150,000,000 “estate of Col. Jacob Bajer, in the heart of Philadelphia.” Renick also was fined $1,250 and Mrs. Renick $500. He will be sent to the Federal prison at McNeil Island, she to the West Virginia Industrial Institute for Women. Mail Is TWO CHILDREN DIE IN POISON MYSTERY | Mother and Son Also Ill as Offi- cials Seek Source of Fam- ily’s Ailment. By the Assoclated Press. BATTLE CREEK, Mich, March 19. —Two children were found dead and their mother and & third child crit- ically ill in their home late yesterday as a result of what Coroner Willard Putnam diagnosed as poison, mysteri- ously administered. ‘The dead are Dorothy Case, 11, and her sister, Marion, 9. Their mother, Mrs. Marje Case, 35, is in a serious condition, An 8-year-old brother of the dead girls, Donald, is believed to be recovering. It was Donald who disclosed the family’s plight, at 5 p.m., by inform- ing Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Brady, next- door neighbors of the Cases, that his mother wanted to see them. Coroner Putnam immediately began an investigation. Mrs. Case was un- able to account for the condition of| the four, he said. 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