Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-08
CALDWELL SCORES
CONGRESSACT|ON
Former Radio Commissioner
Flags Political Attitude To-
ward Complex Problems.

1ambasting Congress, the favorite
sport of o. H. Caldwell as a Federal
Radio Commissioner, is being resumed
with added zest by that engineer editor
since his return to private life, freed OF
the restraints of public office.
The trouble with radio is Congress,
Mr.. Caldwell AYERS editorially in a
sizzling denunciation of the Nations
legislature. Mr. Caldwell left the com.
mission, of which he was an original
member February %, ending two years
direction of a leading radio publication
and in no uncertain terms Is giving
vent to his views.
The political Vaccinations" OF Con-
gress and the rank discrimination"
against radio principles and radio en-
gineering are singled out by the former
commissioner to support his oft-ex-
pressed argument against a commission
form of radio regulation. Here's the
way he expresses it:
After two years experience 1t Is
thoroughly proven that any commission
plan inherently is not adapted for
handling administration work in COM
pick situation like that Of radio.
Commission Stifled.
But when Congress, through incom-
petent radio leaders, further Weakens
an already unsound structure, STILES
the independent action Of the commits
sion. hobbies its membership in per-
sonnet and funds, discriminates against
engineers and expert radio advisers,
and generally seeks to reduce the
boards functioning to lowest political
levels, with radio considerations ignored,
il is time the whole Radio Commission
idea is booted bodily out of the window
and radio administrative authority
placed once more in the executive
branch of the Government, where it
functicned so well under the Secretary
of Commerce Herbert Hoover) until
1925"
Unlike most men in public Office. Mr..
Caldwell spoke his mind" while radio
commissioner. He made repeated as
saultS upon Congress in general and
Senator Dill of Washington and Repre-
sentative Davis of Tennessee, radio
leaders. in particular. In his editorial
Mr.. Caldwell shows Enthusiastically that
he believes these legislators still are
rnisinformed. Rank discrimination
against radio principles and radio en-
gineerS still persists in the minds OF
some Congressman. led by men like
Even Davis and c. c. Dill. and is re-
fiected in harmful legislation" he
charges.
Failure of the Senate to confirm
Arthur Batcheller of Boston and Prof.
c. NJ. Jansky jr., of Minneapolis, as
radio commissioners is scored sharply
by Mr. Caldwell. These men, he says,
are highly capable radio engineers"
and would have rounded out the COM
missions personnel with much-needed
technical knowledge.
Confirmation Failed.
After long delay the Senate failed
to confirm these men because they were
not politically acceptable. The poll
ticians thus served notice that not
radio skill but political considerations
govern the confirmation of radio COM
miSsioners"
The amendment to the Watson-White
bill, adopted at the fag-end of the last
session of Congress, cutting the terms
of all the radio commissioners to one
year, instead of the terms Of two to six
years. for which they were appointed
under the original radio act of 1927,
is characterized by Mr.. Caldwell as
another triumph of political machina-
ton at the expense of radio efficiency"
"A public officer, safeguarded with a
four or six year term, can be expected
to exercise his judgment and conv1c-
lions in the broad public interest. But
as matters now stand any radio COM
missioner who wants his job next year
faces daily in his duties the jeopardiz-
ing of his whole future if in serving the
national interest he treads ever so
lightly on the toes of this or that poll
ticians 'favorite' broadcasting station
or radio interest.
THE passage of this one-year term
provision was threat and warning to
the radio commissioners that no con-
Structive progress was wanted during
1929, and that one year hence the ak
would be waiting for any commissioner
so rash as to put the general public in
terest ahead of subservience to demands
OF the politicians as to how individual
cases should be dealt with"
(Copyrisht. 1929. by the Consolidated Press.)