Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
ASKS QUIZ OF SALE
OF BOSTON HERALD
rorris Requests Commission
Probe of Purchase by
"PoWer Interests"
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Political dynamite for the Republic
an party in New England, according to
some of its spokesman, is believed to
lie imbedded In the recent sale OF the
Boston Herald and Traveller to the
International Paper Co. Those classic
organs of stalwart Republicanism-for
decades the mouthpieces of the Cabots
and the Lodges, and, in later times, of
the Coolidges, the Buffers and the Hoo
! vers-have now passed under the con-
tFpl of interests commonly denominated
! as "the power trust"
The power interests have for the
past year and more been under heavy
I fire at the hands of the Federal Trade
! Commission, and still are. The commits
| sion has now been asked to include
within the scope of its investigations
the Herald Internationa transaction.
Senator Norris, Republican Progressive,
/ of Nebraska, archfoe in Congress Of
the power barons," formally moved IN
that direction during the past week.
The inquiry is expected to embrace
! not only the Boston deal, but the ac-
QUESTION of other newspapers by the
power group, notably an evening paper
! in Chicago According to the Nation,
weekly organ of advanced American
( liberalism, the Boston and Chicago pur-
chases typify deliberate policy on the
: part of power" to possess itself of its
own newspaper organs. The Interna-
/ tional Paper Co. officials contest this
theory. They state that the Boston
| papers were secured "as profitable in
vestment in an allied business closely
! related to the manufacture of newsprint,
in order to insure permanent outlet
for newsprint."
/ Before Nations Editors.
In addition to exciting the interest OF
| Washington politicians and arcusing the
opposition Of Senator Norris, the Boston
| sale was brought prominently before
the annual meeting of the Society OF
American Newspaper Editors in Wash
ington on April 10. Willis j: Abbot,
contributing editor of the Christian
Science Monitor. which is also published
! in Boston, declared that the implica-
tons of the Herald international affair
/ are such that the society might well
turn the searchlight upon 1t in the in
| terest of American journalistic ethics.
1t is to the safeguarding of those ethics
! that the editors association particu-
1arly devoteS itself.
It is because the Boston Herald since
time. immemorial has been the voice OF
Washington politicians, especially from
/ the New England States, view the In
. ternationl transaction with undiSguised
| alarm. One Massachusetts, G. o. P.
leader, who was a candidate for the
senatorial nomination in 1928 and who
expects to seek it again in 1880, declared
at the Capital during the current week
end that his opening gun will be to re-
nounce the support of the Boston Her
IL al IL col vyk1
| the backing of these papers in the past
/ has practically been guarantee of sue
| cess at the polls, their approval in the
I future-under the circumstances which
I have just come to pass-will be poison"
The politician in question goes the
length of opining that If the Republicans
Of New England want to retain caste
with voters there will have to be an
unmistakable understanding that the
Herald, under the new ownership, is not
an off1cial spokesman of the party.
Noted Lawyers Involved.
According to New England infor-
nnants, the international bust
ness was in its purely legal aspects the
product of the famous Boston 'Har-
ward Republican" law firm of Ropes,
Gray, Boyden & Perkins. At least Two
of the members Of this firm have repu-
tstions that extend far beyond the COLI
fires of Back Bay. They are Roland
w. Boyden, the unoficial representa-
tive of the United States on the original
German Preparations Commission and
mentioned a few months ago as pos
Sible Hoover Secretary Of State, and
Thomas N. Perkins, now one of the un-
official American representatives On the
experts commission at work in Paris.
The firm is understood to be the legal
representative of Charles Francis Adams
of Massachusetts,, Secretary Of the Navy
in the Hoover administration.
Another power" tie-in Of New Eng
land Republicanism is j. Henry Rora-
back, G.. 0. p. boss" and national
committeeman of Connecticut. Mr..
Roraback, who is one of the factors in
Republican affairs throughout New Eng
land, is president of the Berkshire
Power Co., of the Connecticut Light q
Power Co., of the Connecticut Electric
Service Co., of the Middletown Gas Co.
and Of the Ousatonic Water Power Co.
The State of Maine is one of the
vast power reservoirs of the Northeast
ern United States. It's harnessed water
resources are under the control of the
Samuel insult interests. The Pine Tree
Commonwealth has a law prohibiting
the export of power beyond the States
borders For some time vigorous ef-
fort has been afoot to have the Legis-
lature repeal the anti-export law. In
order that the vast hydro electric energy
generated by such big rivers as the
Kennebec and the Androscoggin can be
diverted and distributed throughout
New England. Practically all power in
the New England States outside OF
Maine is controlled by the New Eng
land Power Co., of which a young and
brilliant Boston lawyer named Frank
Commerford has been made president.
The New England Power Co.'S interests
are generally considered to be closely
affiliated with various other power
groups scattered throughout the United
States.
An editorial in the Boston Herald
and Traveller, after concurring in the
statement of the International Paper
Co. that the sale deal springs from
desire for "a close contact between
great producer and great consumer
of white paper" asserts that is the
whole significance of the transaction, y
and adds: "A plain, open, above
board arrangement, long contemplated,
has been finally effected, and made
known in a plain, open, above-board
manner. Any inference that the pur-
chase of stock in the Boston PUBLISH
ing Co. by the International Paper
Co. means a change in the policy OF
the Herald and Traveller is altogether
false. The internal affairs Of each
paper will remain the same. The poll
cles will remain the same. The aim
viii remain the same-to produce hrst-
class publications day by day"
BE all these things as they may, the
Invasion of fremont streets newspaper
row by the power" group is one OF the
most discussed events Of the Spring
ublitical season in Washington. Every
ublitician in position to know thinks It's
Notifications are illimitable and full OF
possibilities for the Republican party
III New England, especially in next
wars elections.
Copyright. 1927