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BRISBANE
THIS WEEK
A Pretty Good Christmas
Germs Travel High
We Are Coughing Better
Prairie Dogs, Catacombs
Jt was a satisfactory Christinas, the
best since the depression began. The
nation at least knows that the depres
Sion Is here and that attending to It,
Instead of talking about things “Just
around the corner," is the program.
The government knows that money
was made to be spent In emergencies
and that helping the people Is cheaper
than revolution. The government Is
spending and helping.
Colonel Lindbergh proves, after
transatlantic (lights, that bacteria can
travel across the ocean by air. The
winds of the north Atlantic carry
microscopic germs of life through the
upper air. Disease germs might trav¬
el, thus, across either ocean.
That interests anybody planning to
make war more Interesting by adding !
disease germs to poison gas and high
explosives. |
Scientists already believed that,
since life cannot he created on the
earth, except supernaturally, life he
gan on this planet probably with
germs that had traveled millions, per¬
haps billions, of miles through space
at absolute zero. They started life on
the earth when It had sufficiently
cooled off, and may have been brought
in the wake of flying meteors.
Heat destroys microscopic life, cold
does not.
Cheerful optimists, telling you that
conditions are getting better, remind
you of .Meyer Heeht’s benevolent friend
who told each tuberculosis patient,
"Yon are coughing better tills morn
Ing."
We all are "coughing” a little bet¬
ter. It has been the best, most free¬
ly spending Christmas season since the
depression began. .Merchants testify
to that. The season of grand opera
©turned in New York with every seat
sold and a demand for seats nonexlst-
«nt.
Mr. Hull, able secretary of state,
wants freer trade with foreign coun¬
tries. Those that shut their markets
to the outside world are like "animals
which burrow In the ground,” says Mr.
Hull. That might be true, without
proving that protection is unwise.
Animnls burrowing In the ground-
prairie dogs, etc.— would regret it If
they came to the surface and sat
around inviting coyotes to eat them.
Early Christians burrowing In tiie
catacombs were better off than they
would have been on tiie firfuce,
thrown to tiie lions.
It is better for this country to bur¬
row under protection than lie thrown
to the lions of free competition of la¬
bor nnd manufacturing.
Occasionally you hear what Mr.
Field called “a sour note" in the hope¬
ful chorus of “Happy Days Are Here
Again.” Senator Dickinson of Iowa—
Republican, of course—says NBA
plans have collapsed. He finds that
"monopoly” Is being encouraged, prl
vate Initiative Is being depressed and
the small business man driven to the
wall—“The rich are becoming richer
and the poor poorer."
That will be news for some of the
rich—they had not heard it. You may
bear many of them say now, “If I can
get together nnd keep enough to take
care of my family, that Is ail I ask,”
and they mean It.
Projects thus far proposed by con
pressmen and executives in Washing¬
ton would cost Uncle Sam, in addition
to money already spent, $.30,000,000,000,
ami would double the national debt. If
tiie money were wisely created, wisely
spent, the country would lie better off,
with many employed in useful work.
But if it is found necessary to Inflate
with interest hearing bonds, instead of
simply printing tiie money and later
retiring it as bonds would be retired,
the $ 30 , 000 , 000,000 would cost tiie conn
try $60,000,000,000.
Is it really necessary to force on
taxpayers that extra load of $30,000.-
000,000 for Interest, when Interest
bonds are just so much “inflation
money,” in no respect different from
greenbacks?
According to dispatches from Nan
king. China’s killing methods make the
efforts of Stalin or Hitler seem feeble.
Gen. Kiang Kai-Shek gives proof in
Klangs! province. Six million people
tisve been driven froni their homes
•tnil 1,000,000 killed in eo%l blood by
"Red Communist" troops.
The killing championship is now
with China, naturally one of the most
peaceful countries on earth.
Mr. Irenee du Pont, munitions man¬
ufacturer, who knows about war, since
he produces “the goods," tells the muni¬
tions committee "the only way to wage
■ war is to have an absolute monarch
at the head of the government"; also
“we shall have a h—1 of a time in case
©f war.”
No question about the last statement
Mr. Baruch, entering whole-hearted¬
ly into tiie President’s campaign to
prevent profits for munitions makers
In wartime, wisely urges preparation,
says the country should buy and store
thousands of tons of tin for use in the
event of war. “I think we ought to
tiuy tin Just as we would invest in
• battleship, and keep it in storage."
£ King Foeturre WNu Syndicate, Inc.
Service.
PISS IS REVIEW
INTERNATIONAL ARMY IN THE
SAAR—COLD SHOULDER FOR
ELECTRIC POWER PEOPLE.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
©. Western Newspaper Union.
QOLDIKUS from Croat Britain, Italy
O Sweden and Holland, to the ntnn
her of 3,300, under the command of
MaJ. J- E. S. Brind, a British vet-
v . eran of several wars.
P marched into the Saar
| * from flying north colors, and south and
with
t i. were stationed at stra
tegfc points throughout
the area, prepared to
maintain order until
after the plebiscite of
January 13 which will
determine whether the
Sit« Saar shall again be
come a part of Ger¬
Major Brind many or remain under
control of the League of Nations. The
arrival of the troops was watched by
the league authorities with consider¬
able anxiety for there had been fears
that Nazi enthusiasts there might cause
trouble. But the Inhabitants of the
basin remained quiet, none of them
showing either enmity or enthusiasm
for the league’s armed forces.
Under tiie terms of the treaty of
Versailles any person living in the
Saar at the time of the signing of the
treaty Is eligible to vote In the plebi¬
scite, and tiie Nazis of Germany made
great efforts to gather as many of
their adherents as possible from other
lands to which they had migrated.
From the United States 352 Saar Ger¬
mans traveled hack to their old home
aboard tiie liner Bremen, and were wel¬
comed with feasts, as was another
large contingent from South America.
The German government denied that
It was [laying the expenses of these
voters from abroad, asserting they
were financed by private donations.
IJEACE in central Europe was pro-
* united by two events. The Jugoslav¬
ian cabinet resigned arid a new cabinet
was formed with Bogoljub Yevtitch as
premier. As foreign minister he had
conducted the case of his country
against Hungary before the League of
Nations and accepted the compromise
decision, and he is a close friend of
Prince Patti, head of the regency, who
is Inclined to n moderate course.
The Austrian government refused the
extradition to France of Colonel Per-
Chevieh, Croat exile, who was accused,
along with Dr. Ante I’avelich, of insti¬
gating tiie assassination of King Alex¬
ander in Marseilles. Italy had previ¬
ously refused the extradition of Pave
licit. It is said in informed quarters
that further examination of these two
men would have revealed faets that
would have endangered peace in Eu¬
rope.
Tf ANY doubt existed that Japan
4 would denounce the Washington
naval treaty, it was dissipated by the
action of the privy council. That pow¬
erful body of statesmen, meeting with
all ceremony, unanimously recommend¬
ed abrogation of the pact to Emperor
liirohito, whose speedy approval was
given.
Baron Kiiehiro Hirnnuma, vice pres¬
ident of the council, read the report to
tiie emperor and afterward said to tiie
press: “The imperial government de¬
sires continuation of clauses of the
Washington treaty relating to limita¬
tion of fortifications and naval bases
in t^ Pacific ocean, but, If such
clauses are terminated, the govern¬
ment is prepared to cope with tiie sit¬
uation.”
In plain words, then. Japan wants
equality on tiie high sens with the
United States and Great Britain, but
wants the United States to remain re¬
stricted as to its Pacific ocean de¬
fenses.
SENATORIAL investigators of mu-
NJ nittons and tiie War department
clashed when (’lark of Missouri sug¬
gested, in a committee hearing, that
the war mobilization plans of tiie de¬
partment. long held secret, should he
laid before congress in peace time to
he debated at leisure. He held that,
under the army’s plait, the eight bills
embodying tiie scheme to mobilize the
nation’s resources would be rushed to
congress to “pass under whip and
spur" without proper consideration.
War department witnesses replied
that the war policies commission be¬
lieved certain legislation might he held
unconstitutional In peace time but le¬
gal in a war emergency.
Senator Clark also sought to learn
what degree of control was contem¬
plated by the "censorship” [dan of tiie
army. This calls for an administrator
of public relations who would mobilize
“all existing mediums of publicity so
that they may be employed to the best
possible advantage." He also would
he charged with co-ordinating public¬
ity, combating disaffection at home and
enemy propaganda, “establishing rules
and regulations for censorship” and
“enlisting and supervising a voluntary
Censorship of the newspaper and peri¬
odical press.”
Lieutenant Colonel C. T. Harris of
the army said he never heard of a
plan to license the press.
The eight bills which the army has
ready for presentation in case of war
would authorize a military draft, per¬
mit government control of material re¬
sources and speedy condemnation of
property needed in tiie war. set up a
system of marine and war risk lnsur-
DADE COUNTY TIMES: JANUARY 3. 1935
afire and create an administration over
war trade, a war finance corporation
and a committee to supervise capital
issues.
I pul.. CHARLES A. LINDBERGH, bj
v> his flights across Arctic regions in
1933, has enabled tiie Department of
Agriculture to demonstrate conclusive¬
ly that the spores of plant disease can
tie borne on remote air currents.
With a spore trap of his own devis¬
ing, which he called "the skyhook,”
Colonel Lindbergh obtained specimens
which confirmed Hie previous theories
of government experts that plant dis¬
eases may be carried even across con¬
tinents by air currents.
That was announced by Fred C.
Meier, the department expert who in¬
terested Colonel Lindbergh in the
work.
Colonel Lindbergh devised his “the
skyhook," a light, strong contrivance,
easy to operate and well adapted to
protecting sterile glass slides from con¬
tamination except for the time they
were exposed. Mr. Meier prepared the
slides and has examined and photo¬
graphed them. He credits Colonel Lind¬
bergh with careful work.
J OSKPH BROWN SANBORN, war¬
time commander of tiie One Hun¬
dred Thirty-first infantry, formerly the
Illinois “Dandy First,” and wearer of
six war decorations from four nations,
died in Chicago at his home. He held
the rank of lieutenant general, retired,
in the Illinois state guard.
As commander of the One Hundred
Thirty-first regiment Sanborn was ex¬
traordinarily active, though then sixty-
three years old. He distinguished him¬
self on the Britisli front.
A FTER winning tiie handicap prize
Ex in the England-to-Melbourne air
race, the giant American-built plane
Uiver, pride of tiie Royal Dutch Air
Lines, started on a speed flight from
Amsterdam to Batavia, Java, with sev¬
en persons aboard. During a thunder¬
storm it crashed in the desert ten
miles from Kutba Wells, Irak, and
burned to cinders, all its occupants
perishing.
rM.RCTRIO utility companies of the
U United States, worried by the pow¬
er program of the New Deal, appealed
to President Roosevelt to abandon the
movement toward pub¬
lic ownership which
threatens, they say, to
deprive millions of se¬
curity holders of their
savings. The plea
was presented to the
President personally
by Thomas N. .Mc¬
Carter, president of
jdJplI tiie Edison Electric in-
_ _
s,itnte - That gentle¬
T. N. McCarter man promised that
, fie U (||j t j es would ef¬
fect tiie reforms in financing that Mr.
Roosevelt has called for, and then re¬
quested that the government join with
the Institute iri a suit to test the con¬
stitutionality of the Tennessee Yalley
authority.
In tiie memorial he handed to the
President, Mr. McCarter gave it as his
own opinion that the government in
tiie TV A experiment is exceeding its
constitutional powers and infringing
the sovereign rights of the state. He
cited the joint opinion of Newton D.
Baker, Democrat, and James M. Beck,
Republican, that TVA is unconstitu¬
tional and the “similar conclusion” of
Unietd States Judge W. I. Grubb in a
recent tlecision.
Mr. Roosevelt turned the memorial
over to Frank It. McNinsh, chairman
of tiie federal power commission, and
lie and Ids aids speedily prepared a
sharp reply rejecting tiie proposal of
co-operation in carrying the matter to
the Supreme court.
“In all the history of the American
people,” it said, “no parallel for such a
proposal can he found. . . . The call
is not for the government to halt, but
for tiie industry to catch step and move
forward along progressive lines.”
“The Edison Electric Institute has,
of course,” it continued, “a legal right
to promote litigation to test the act
creating tiie Tennessee Valley Author¬
ity or any substantial progress toward
placing the industry on a sound and
permanent basis until it cleans Us own
house, reduces excessive rates to con¬
sumers and eliminates the malpractice
and abuses which are responsible for Its
present condition.”
Attacking McCarter’s contention that
rates are reasonable, Mr. McNineh said
Canadians pay on an average 2 1-5
cents for a kilowatt hour, while Ameri¬
cans pay 5% cents. He said the Cana¬
dian figures cover public and private
plants, the latter supplying ”46 per
cent of the consumers."
“It is tiie purpose of the adminis¬
tration," he set forth, “to narrow this
excessive gap between what the con¬
sumer pays for electricity in this coun¬
try and what Canada has proved It can
be generated and sold for. This pro¬
gram does not Involve either ’destruc¬
tive competition or strangulation’.”
rv U. HUGH S. MAGILL, president of
tiie American Federation of Util¬
ity Investors, entered the utility con¬
troversy with a hot attack on the fed¬
eral trade commission, charging that
it is throwing out a smoke screen to
befog the public mind in its desire to
win approval for tiie entry of tiie fed¬
eral government into the electric light
and power business through such ef¬
forts as tiie Tennessee Valley Author-
Ry-
Tiie smoke screen, he declared, was
the pronouncement of the commission
to the effect that public utility com¬
panies had boosted pre-depression
prices In a market in which investors
afterward lost millions of dollars.
I
TJUSINESS leaders of the country
LJ who met in conference at White
Sulphur Springs, W. Va„ drew up a
long <ist of things they want tiie gov¬
ernment to do or not to do, and then
created a "business conference com¬
mittee’’ that will have headquarters in
Washington and maintain “liaison ’
with tiie administration.
The conference’s recommendations
to the government are phrased in in¬
offensive language and the idea is con¬
veyed that the bus' less men earnestly
desire to co-operate rather than criti¬
cize. The things they ask are substan¬
tially the same as those sought by the
National Association of Manufacturers
and tiie Chamber of Commerce of tiie
United States, previously summarized
in this column. The essence of it all
is that government should attend more
to its traditional functions and permit
business to put men and capital back
to work.
/'MIMS’l'MAS in tiie White House
was a season of jollity and noise,
especial attention being given to the
entertainment of tiie younger members
of tiie large house party. First, on
Christmas eve, tiie President, lighted
tiie community Christmas tree in
Lafayette park, and then lie read Dick¬
ens’ “Christmas Carol” to the assem¬
bled family. Early next morning the
children gathered in Mr. Roosevelt’s
room and opened their gifts, and then
had a frolic around the tree in the up-
! stairs corridor.
Mrs. Elizabeth Dormer Roosevelt of
Philadelphia, former wife of Elliott
Roosevelt, was a guest at the White
j House with her small son, William
Dormer Roosevelt.
VfARTlN J. INSULL, brother of
^ * Samuel, was given a Christmas
present by a Chicago jury in the form
of a verdict of not guilty of embezzle¬
ment from the Middle West Utilities
company. Tiie money, $344,720, was
used, according to the prosecution, in a
desperate effort to recoup Insuil's per¬
sonal losses in tiie stock market
rN»R tiie first time tiie RFC has un-
* dertaken tiie management of a
railroad. John W. Barriger, chief ex¬
aminer for tiie interstate commerce
commission, announced that nominees
of tiie RFC would he placed In charge
of operation of the Denver & Salt Lake
railway, which has received large
; loans from the government agency.
The railway is a short road which
has leased for 50 years tiie railroad
bore of the Moffat tunnel from the
Moffat Tunnel Improvement district
OVERNMENT ownership of the
NJ arms and ammunition Industry
was vigorously opposed by the War
1 department in a prepared statement
j submitted to the senate munitions com¬
mittee.
Several of the committee members
have proposed such a course as a
means of “taking the profit out of
war." The War department contended
that such a policy would fail in war
and therefore does not appear logical
in peace, but its statement added that
it does not oppose in any way a pro¬
gram of licensing the munitions in¬
dustry.
/''CARRYING on its anti-crime cam-
| 4 paign, tiie Department of Justice
caused tiie indictment and jailing of
two attorneys on etiarges of complicity
in the kidnaping of C. F. Urschel, Okla¬
homa oil magnate, in 1933. Tiie two men
represented the defendants in the kid-
1 nap trial. They are James C. Mathers
of Oklahoma and Ben I.aska, veteran
member of tiie Denver bar. The men
are charged specifically with handling
part of the $200,000 ransom loot that
went to Albert Bates, one of the actual
kidnapers, who is now serving a life
term at Alcatraz island prison.
A RMY and navy officers are con¬
i’* eerned by the attempts of Com¬
munists to spread dissatisfaction, mu¬
tiny and rebellion among the armed
forces of tiie nation, and have asked
the house committee on un-American
activities to approve a law permitting
punishment of those who urge any sol¬
dier or sailor to violate his oath of
allegiance.
Commander V. L. Kirkman of the
navy told the committee that the Com¬
munists’ campaign was planned and
supervised from headquarters in New
York city, and he submitted a num¬
ber of pamphlets and leaflets eircu-
| lated in the navy which, he said, “ac¬
tually incite to mutiny, sabotage arid
assassination.” He described how the
propaganda work is carried on, good
looking girls taking an active part.
J7MNAL estimates of this year’s crops,
” just released by the Department of
Agriculture, show that agricultural
wealth, based on farm prices Decem¬
ber 1 of the five leading grain crops,
exceeded that of last year by $314,-
000,000, despite the fact that total pro¬
duction of these crops was 1,248,000,-
000 bushels less than in 1933 and the
smallest in 40 years.
lVl \ fits. MARY HARRIMAN ItUMSEY,
! who fought valiantly but not alto-
j gether successfully to protect the In¬
i' terests of the consumers against the
contentions of Industry and labor, is
! dead in Washington. Always Inter¬
ested in sociology and public affairs,
this daughter of E. H. Harriman nnd
| | inheritor active of some of his millions, the took
an part in promoting New
Deni and was made head of the Na¬
tional consumers’ board of the NRA.
Two men of note who died were
Eugene R. Black, former governor of
the federal reserve board, and Mar¬
tin W. Littleton, New York lawyer,
who appeared in many sensational
cases and for a time served as con¬
gressman.
National Topics Interpreted
by William Bruckart
Washington.—Time after time since
President Roosevelt entered tiie White
House, many observ-
Again at ers have insisted
Crossroads that lie had reached
a crossroads ami
that on those occasions he necessar¬
ily had to choose between tiie right
and tiie left. They contended with con¬
siderable justification that he either
had to lie conservative or radical. But
somehow the President arranged to fol¬
low both roads at once. At least that
conclusion has been reached by those
who classify themselves as liberals.
Now, observers are saying again
that the President has reached the
crossroads and must choose between
the right and the left. With the con¬
vening of congress there has come for¬
ward the usual number—perhaps 1
should say more than tiie usual num
her —of proposals for radical or con¬
servative legislation as the case may
be. There are dozens, almost hundreds,
of bills advocating nostrums and crack
pot ideas which cannot possibly do
more than take up time and keep the
government printing oitiee busy at the
expense of the taxpayers in printing
the bills themselves. There are in all
of tills mess as well many pieces of
worthwhile legislation as well as the
proposals hearing earmarks of draft¬
ing under White House guidance.
In addition there are close to six
dozen presidential appointments upon
which the senate must act. Some of
these names are of individuals of
known radical tendencies. Some others
are recognized as equally conservative.
It will be the senate’s job to pass upon
these nominations which, some observ¬
ers insist, represent perhaps the widest
variation in economic views that has
ever been sent to the Capitol for con¬
firmation of appointment.
As a corollary for this confused state,
there are the growing differences of
opinion, based on presidential policy
proposals, as to whether the govern¬
ment should attempt to provide relief
through work as Mr. Roosevelt desires
or should turn to a plain, unadulter¬
ated dole. There is the demand from
the White House for legislation put¬
ting the federal government further
into competition with business by ex¬
pansion of publicly owned power facil¬
ities and tiie question of liquidating or
continuing to expand such programs as
that of loans to home owners and ex¬
tension of NRA.
Summed up, it would appear, superfi¬
cially at least, that Mr. Roosevelt is
definitely at the crossroads. I am told
by legislative leaders, however, that
tiie administration program thus far
advanced again does not commit Mr.
Roosevelt definitely to follow either tiie
radical or conservative pathways. They
point out that there is an unusual ad¬
mixture of two schools of economic
thought represented in legislation bear¬
ing presidential approval and tbeir
thought seemed to lie that Mr. Roose¬
velt wlli avoid being forced into either
camp at tlite time.
* * *
It has been most interesting to ob¬
serve the fluctuation of temperature
among the various
More Action New Dealers. Prior
Than Results? to the last election
they were very low
In spirit. Many of them were saying,
In private at least, that Mr. Roosevelt
was getting out of hand as far as they
were concerned and was turning cer¬
tainly toward the conservative school
of thought. At the same time among
conservative members of the admin¬
istration and in congress and to a con¬
siderable extent among business lead¬
ers, there was a growing feeling that
they had witnessed the phenomena of
having tlieir own ears pinned back just
when they thought they were on the
upgrade.
Following this change of trends,
along conies the mass of White House
legislation, some of which [ileuses the
New Dealers and some of which pleases
the conservatives. Each finds fault
with that portion of the program that
is reasonably satisfactory to the other.
This contrariety of opinion extends
into the ranks of members of the house
and senate. Consequently, the question
to which the observers are now seek¬
ing an answer is whether Majority
Leader Robinson in the senate and the
Democratic wheel-horses in the house
are going to be able to keep thatr tre¬
mendous numbers in line. Thus far,
there has been no word from the ma¬
jority leaders either in the house or
the senate indicating any doubt on
their part that the administration whip
will fail to drive recalcitrant members
into the proper alleys. Unbiased ob¬
servers are taking the position, how¬
ever, that time alone will tell. And
it may be added with some emphasis
that if the wild horses break loose
from the hitching post once, the cur¬
rent session of congress may provide
much more action than results.
* * *
Present plans of the Republican lead¬
ership, if there are enough Republicans
left to make theR
Soldiers * presence felt, indi-
Lobby Strong cate that the Demo
cratic commanders
need not expect any help from that
quarter in pulling hot chestnuts out
of the fire. For example, I understand
that the soldiers’ bonus question will
be used by the Republicans as a sort
of prod with which to disturb the ma¬
jority party. It seems definite that the
house and senate will pass legislation
for immediate payment of the bonus
It may not be a program for full pay !
ment of tiie sum that is not due until
1945, but the pressure is so strong that
some action will lie forthcoming.
If Mr. Roosevelt sticks to his guns
and vetoes any bonus legislation ex¬
cepting that proposing to care for tiie
destitute ex-soldiers, sailors and ma¬
rines, there is enough strength in con¬
gress to pass the legislation over his
veto. Tiie soldiers’ lobby is strong; of
that there can be no doubt. The mem¬
bers will be thinking of tlieir political
future, not Mr. Roosevelt’s, when the
question is put before them. Then is
when tiie Republican minority could he
of distinct help to the administration
but, apparently, that is just the thing
the Republican minority is not going
to do.
The administration is now examin¬
ing various avenues of a possible com¬
promise on the bonus payments and
it is through this course that a hope
exists on the part of administration
leaders to avoid the showdown men¬
tioned above. Knowing that it cannot
count on the Republican minority for
any help to carry through its [dans,
the administration may make some
concessions to the bonus advocates.
These most certainly will be made un¬
less a count of noses by the leadership
shows a little later that the support¬
ers of a full bonus payment can be
whipped—-and right now that is gener¬
ally considered by observers as being
impossible. •
Here again the views of radicals
and conservatives clash. There will
be some radicals supporting tiie bonus
payment in order to force the Presi-
dent into a position where he must
inflate the currency further. That
group thinks inflation of the currency
will boost prices anti provide the nec¬
essary hypodermic injection to get us
out of tiie depression. Opposed to
these are a considerable number of
house and senate members who fear
inflation and its results like they fear
the poison fangs of a rattlesnake So,
when the bonus question Is Joined as
an issue it seems to me we will see an
interesting exposition of how politics
makes strange bedfellows.
* * •
President Roosevelt is about to open
up tiie federal treasury for loans to
Federal cities to provide
funds for construe-
Loans to Cities tlon of municipal
light and power
plants. He has announced definitely
that he favors this procedure and,
therefore, in effect lias Invited cities
to join the march on Washington for
more federal loans.
The newest development in the ad¬
ministration program of loaning money
here and there seems to have resulted
in repercussions of a more important
nature than objections voiced to oth¬
er types of federal loans. Here in
Washington considerable discussion
lias developed as to the wisdom of this
policy and this lias been followed by
speculation as to the ultimate end of
a program of tiiis kind. Opinion
throughout the country apparently has
not been definitely crystallized yet but
from all Indications it appears we are
due to hear much debate on the new¬
est New Deal idea.
Objectors to the program of provid¬
ing loans to cities for construction of
municipal light and power plants in¬
sist that .Mr. Roosevelt has taken the
longest step toward state socialism
thus far to be made a part of his New
Deal. They contend that Mr. Roose¬
velt has gone beyond his recovery pro¬
gram and lias embarked upon a plan
representing part and parcel of his
scheme for public ownership of all in¬
dustries impressed with a public In¬
terest through service of a monopolis¬
tic character.
Opponents also argue that the Pres¬
ident is placing privately owned indus¬
tries under a severe handicap by forc¬
ing them to compete with what should
be private industry but what actually
-is their own government.
In some quarters also I hear expres¬
sions of a fear that if any substantial
number of cities borrow federal money
to build their own light and power
plants, the federal government will
have expanded to that extent its dom¬
ination over those cities. Through
loans to banks, to agriculture and to
many other lines, federal influence daily
is being exerted upon the private life
of the country until, some observers
declare, states, counties and munici¬
palities are gradually sinking into ob¬
livion insofar as tlieir own self-gov¬
ernment is concerned.
On the other hand, such advocates
of public ownersidp as Senator Nor¬
ris of Nebraska, are elated over Mr.
Roosevelt’s decision to proceed along
public ownership lines. Senator Norris
believes Mr. Roosevelt has authority
now under public works and recovery
act provisions to promote publicly
owned light and power plants about any
place he pleases. The Nebraska sen¬
ator, it will be remembered, was the
spearhead of the movement that re
suited In creation of the Tennessee
Valley authority and the program for
development of electrical energy from
the Muscle Shoals dams in the Ten¬
nessee river. Already, privately owned
light and power companies in many
sections contiguous to the Tennessee
river plant have been virtually forced
to sell their properties to the TVA.
©. Western Newspaper Union.