Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-31
BY ALvA JOHNSTON.

Political war is certain TO be declared
sooner or later on the Hoover commits
sionS. So far, however, the Presidents
enemies have not agreed on their line
Of attack; some contend that the COM
mission is mechanism adopted by a
negative personality for lodging issues;
others that it is the device of an auto
crat for encroaching on legislative au-
thority.
In the words of Representative Will
liam B. Bankhead of Alabama, Congress-
is already sick and tired of commits
sions." One Senator in a committee
meeting said flatly. Commissions are
bunk" The prevailing witticism at
Washington is "A man was found wan
dering about the streets who could not
remember his name, address or what
commission he belonged to-" A typical
wiSecrack was made on the floor of the
House byrRepresentativ d. d. Glover
Of Alabama, who, discussing the COM
mission to study the public lands ques-
ton, said: rs the gentleman not afraid
that a large commission of this kind
made up of IS people, who are to have
from now until December, 1880, to walk
over this government grass they are
talking about, which is being damaged
by the stock going over it, will do more
harm than the cattle?"
Idea Applauded by Smith.
Not that commissions are a new SUBJ
Ject. AS far back as 1911 some legis-
lators were tired of hearing of them
In that year John Sharp Williams in
troduced bill for Commission to In
vestigate Commissions. The commits
sion idea is not monopoly of the Presi-
dent. The House of Representatives was
reported few days ago to have So bills
before 1t for the creation of commits
sions. Another fact which embarrasses
the effort to launch an attack on the
Hoover commissions is that former Gov
Smith in his campaign eloquently ex-
pounded the commission idea--told oil
the splendid governmental results
achieved In Albany and achievable in
Washington by calling in the best and
ablest minds to supply facts which the
executive had no opportunity to dig UP
for himself. So far the skirmishinp
with the President on commissions is in
the testing stage, tentatively emerging
now and then into charges that the
President is weak and that the Presi-
dent Is domineering; that he is failine
TO measure up to his responsibilities and
That he Is vastly exceeding his respon-
sibilities.
The National Commission on Law
Observance and Enforcement (the
WickerSham CommiSsion) has caused
the opponents of the President to fear
that he Is using the commission to
shift responsibility. That commission
did, as a matter of fact, enable the
President to handle a difficult situation
without exposing himself to hostile at
tack. Mr.. Hoover would have made q
target OF himself, If he had, Of his own
initiative, asked Congress to abolish trial
by jury in minor Federal cases and to
create lower Federal courts. Demo-
cratic and wet forces would have united
in ridiculing mining engineers happy
thoughts on law reform. Coming from
IL distinguished juristS Of both parties
however, the recommendations could
not be treated as political propaganda
or as an itinerant gold prospector's
naive ignorance of American institu-
tons. In this sense, the commission
may develop to some extent as bomb
proof shelter for the President, but that
does not necessarily mean that he is
lodging responsibility.
49, Sentiment Creating Agency.
caHy in another way. 1t is an agency
for creating public sentiment. The
Presidents commission on public lands
for instance, is expected to paint 9
vivid picture of that situation, q pic
ture OF the vast damage done to q con-
tinent by the failure Of government To
grapple with a great problem. After
the facts have been brought to light
and public attention focused on them
the old Ignorance on the problem can
never be restored. PoStponementj may
take place, but the subject must be
dealt with in the light of knowledge
have to find other subjects. It happens
that in the public lands case all parties
interested are eager for its solution
The only opposition that seems likely
to develop is routine minority oppose
ton to achievement by the party In
power.
The commission here is expected not
only to flnd good remedies for the pub
lie lands evil, but to create public sem
timent in favor Of action. The emf
nence of the persons on the commit
tee. the fact that all parties and all
interests are represented, are expected to
influence public demand for legislation.
In this way commissions may develop
as a presidential method of putting
pressure on Congress. In the public
lands case most of the members of
Congress, Republican and Democratic,
from the regions where the subject Is
burning issue, would welcome public
opinion which would hasten the Solu-
ton Of the problem.
AS Secretary of Commerce, Mr.. Hoo
yer had 1900 commissions and confer
enceS of various kinds and types. AS
President, his commissions have been
comparatively few in number, but he
has limited that there will be many
more. The facts of many neglected sit
uations will be developed. The Hoover
theory is not to use commissions as q
means of trying to force the Presidents
pre-conceived views on Congress, but to
bring out the truth and trust largely to
the truth to make its own way in shap-
ing national policy.
The President, for instance. has no
Haitian policy; he does not profess to
understand the Haitian situation; he
does not know whether the truth lies
with those who say the Marines are
making Haiti wilderness or those who
say they are making it a paradise; he
believes that when the facts are OBJ
tanned by impartial investigators there
will be no difficulty in deciding on an
intelligent course.
The fact-worshiping philosophy of
the President was developed most fully
president emeritus of Ohio State Uni
verstiy.
His Philosophy Of Facts.
"No real believer in democracy queS-
tons the sureneSs of public Judgment