Evening star., 1921-02-20
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.


eress, and is worrying not few Of
the business interests that may oe
affected, Concretely, the question
arises before Congress in the eHor'
to nut through the Kenyon bill regu'
latine the meat packing business anu
the Calder bill regulating the coal IN
dustry.
Although these bills have not ye'
become laws, should the congress
enact them either at the present ses-
sion or in the next Congress, anu 'he
President approve them. how long
would 1t be before a drive was maze
for the government regulation Oh the
clothing industry, the building "a'e
rails required for housing purposes
and the foodstuffs?
The next i've years, in the opinion
of some members of Congress VIM
have given thought to this questlon'
vfll see a great economic struggle IN
the United States to bring about the
government regulation, or super
vision at least, of industries oeaiihs
with the necessaries Of life.
u~<H c.vtt.l and Labor Concerned.
On the other hand, a conflict OF in
terests is massing the opposition TO
government regulation in a manner
that threatens the entire movement.
CAPITAL, for instance, meaning pusl-
ness, Ia strenuously opposing govern
ment regulation of industry. Inc
United States Chamber of Commerce
has thrown down the gauntlet TO
those intent upon putting through
the bill regulating the packers. II
has announced great campaign to
defeat the measure. The Calder coal
bill will undoubtedly be fought Just
as vigorously by business
Organized labor also is aking
fling at government regulation-par-
ticularly at the Calder coal bill at
preseut-just as 1t did at the Esch-
Cummins transportation act. 1t sees
in the Calder bill an opportunity Tor
the regulation Of wages, prevention
Of strikes, etc.
On the other hand. there are plenty
of people-the people who must buy
fuel and food and clothing-favora-
bio to regulation Of both capital and
labor: the latter SO that their sup
plies of food and fuel may not be
cut OF. with disastrous effects upon
them.
The attitude Of capital is friendly
to the regulation Of labor. and the
attitude of labor toward the regula-
tion of capital. is favorable. In other
words, it merely depends upon whose
bull IN gored.
Popular Demand.
It is this opposition to regulatory
Hesitation from 80 many sources
that is giving the friends OF gov
ernment regulation in Congress SO
much worry. But 1t Is the f1xed con-
viction Of some Of the senators and
representatives backing the packer
and coal regulatory bills that the
American people win not stand-for
long the unregulated monopoly of
things they must have to keep body
and soul together.
The people have already forced
the enactment Of laws. federal, state
and municipal, relating to transpor-
tation by railroad. street cars. the
water supply and gas and electric
lighting. These activities have been
nut in a class by themselves and
dubbed ~public utilities" and it has
become recognized that the public
has a peculiar interest In them.
But food. clothing and shelter are
public necessities. If not utilities. and
tho men who handle them might as
wen take warning, sa~ the proponents
of government regulation, from what
has happened in the past. The rail-
roads and their operators ran wild
for a time: they are well regulated
today. While there has been no at
tempt by the government, except in a
certain degree during the war. to
regulate the. n n. foodstuffs, yet
the pure f~o Enacted by Con-
gress ~ he ciassed as a
aegulat I"e.
All OF in, . regulatory measures in
the past have been fought bitterly by
the men engaged in the activ ties pro-
posed to be regulated. And the con-
tests in the future will be no less bit
ter or protracted. in all probability.
Pending Negotiating Bills.
In this connection il may be well to
survey briefly the regulatory meas
ures y process OF enactment into law
First, the bill to regulate the meat
packers. 1t has passed the Senate by
a substantial vote-the majority was
13 for the bill. 1t has been reported
to the House from the committee on
agriculture with an amendment in the
nature of a substitute. which places
in the hands of the Secretary of Agri-
culture'certain duties which the Sen
ate bill gave to - federal live stock
commission. So far the opponents of
the measure have been able to pre-
vent action in the House itself
Second. the Calder coal bill to regu-
late the coal industry. 1t has the ap-
proval of the Calder committee on re-
construction and production. and. it
is expected viii be favorabiy reported
to the Sena:e from the committee on
manufactures by Senator La Toilette,
chairman of that Committee. There is
practically no chance of getting ac-
tion on the bill in the Senate or the
House at the present session of Con-
gress.
Third. the bill regulating the cold
storage business. limiting the time
which foodstufYs may be kept in cold
storage and then put into interstate