Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-04
Editorial Digest
Picking on the Packers.

oSA4~SS'
Government regulation Of the pack
ers. as proposed in the bill recently
passed by the Senate. has met with
small support from the newspapers
which comment upon it. Even those
who grant that perhaps the packers
have been guilty Of some economic
'.slns" show their sympathy for gov.
eminent Interference" with careful
restraint.
The ST. Louis Star Independently is
one of the few papers which say fatty
that 1.-The packers should be brought I'M
der federal CONTROL" Their power Is
too great" 1t declares. land they
have abused it." The New Orleans
Item Independently suggests that no
dered. apart from the economic as
poets, whether the United States
should let such a gigantic industry
grow unregulated to the point where
1t would be too powerful to regulate"
and. it adds. the packing industry is
not the only one raising this query in
thoughtful minds The Albany Ar
gus independent democratic), while
1t makes plain that it believes that
the development Of the packing in
dustry has been a public benefit"
concludes that. I'm view of the I'M
pleasant position which the packers
have held in the public eyes these
rather than oppose the law that is
now upon its passage in Washington
The feeling is widely held" that
the appointment of a commission for
which the bill provides Is "a further
intrusion Of the government" in pri-
vate affairs, the Buffalo Commercial Gn-
dependent believes and while the crea-
ton of such a powerful bureaucracy"
may not bother the packers, ut is a
delegation of power over private en-
terprise not to be lightly regarded"
1t is lin principle" that many others
protest the bill.
Says the Baltimore Sun Gnde-
pendent democrati0: when the
Senate voted in favor of the Ken
drick-kenyon packer bill. 1t was
only expanding and confirming the
Wilsonian policy as laid down seven
years ago. but in doing this it was
again revealing an instability as re-
CARDS fundamental conviction and
principle that makes the direction Of
economic policy in the United States
an almost hopeless task"
In defending this same argument the
that the packers. like all other pro-
motors Of big business" are guilty Of
many SINS" and notes the risk in
volved for newspaper which de-
tends them. but it adds: whether
we like the packers or detest them,
or small or any one who hopes to en-
gage in business should rise in protest
against this policy Of making every
body walk along a chalk line drawn
by government commission which
will seek to make it's pattern suit po-
lttica1 contingencies far more often
than 1t will try to accommodate the
public veal
The Post Dispatch independent
and the Globe-Democrat (repub-
lican) Of st. Louis agree that
law enforcement" not regulation,
in the packing business "or any
that demands correction in the inter-
est Of public welfare" The San Francisco
Chronicle Independently thinks that
should this bill become a law, it will
land Of liberty" The "fundamentai
objection" it believes. is the indica.'
ton Of a purpose in Washington
which in the end will result in the
regulation of everybody" The New
York Tribune (republican) considers the
Capitalization" Of doubtful value
when regarded in the light Of Federal
control Of oil products and tobacco
and the government control Of rail-
roads.
The possibility that "three SIC, ooo-a-
year men, picked by the President"
could run the packing industry with
its hundreds OF millions of assets" is
scoffed at by the Chicago Post Unde-
pendent), for the commission, eventu-
ally. at least, will be composed Of
politicians who have been gently
hoisted out Of other jobs by the low
ing public"
A few voices are raised in support
OF the measure, but even these with
qualifications. The Buffalo Express
'if a special watch is requir red on the
packers" probably the plan adopted
by the Senate lis as good as could be
devised" and the Richmond Times
Dispatch (democratic) calls the bill "a
long step In the direction Of govern
ment control Of a big industry, and
Its effect upon the interests affected
will be watched hopefully"