Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-07

American comment on the defiance
OF the Federal Radio Commission by
the legal authorities of Michigan, un-
der the leadership of Gov. Fred w.
Green, brings the question of State
rights to the air into public debate
Michigan wishes to employ wireless
means Of tracing criminals and the
commission ordered hearing date in
May. Delay in making a decision is
not satisfactory to Gov. Green and he
has questioned the authority of the
Federal Government to interfere with
police powers.
Gov. Green made plain inference"
says the Jackson Citizen Patriot, when
he asserted that If the Federal Radio
Commission believes it is more impor-
tant that the ether be filled with jazz
music and advertisements than that
criminals be apprehended and punished,
That is the commissions privilege
However, it is not fair to assume that
the Federal radio control body feels ex-
actly that way. Probably the members
are favorable toward any reasonable aid
to law enforcement, as is the average
citizen. But they are ALSO intent on
upholding their authority over radio
broadcasting in this country. On the
other hand, Gov. Green is obviously
convinced that with the automobile
offering new possibilities of escape to
law violators, radio provides valuable
medium for the spreading of alarms far
and wide with minimum loss of time"
With the suggestion that should
Michigan be accorded an exclusive
channel, other States could make SINH
lar claims" the Wheeling Intelligencer
argues: THE engineers Of the commits
sion recommended that the application
be designated for hearing, because of
the large amount of power requested.
This it was stated, would mean that
the station would have to be accorded
an exclusive channel for its services,
whereas the commission has made spe-
cific provision for the doubling up of
numerous stations for police services of
cities on three channels"
ut is hardly likely" in the Judgment
of the Milwaukee Journal, that Gov
Green, if he pushes the battle to the
point OF decision, will be able to over
throw the powers of the Federal Gov
eminent to regulate radio. If he did
succeed, and if AZ other States built
stations and jumped whatever wave
lengths they chose, we should have
chaos of the air once more, just as We
had chaos before the strong arm of
government brought private broadcast
erS under control. What the governor
is more likely to succeed in doing is 10
create enough attention to the needs of
the States for this kind of service 10
force the Federal Government to make
provision for those needs"
This state of AFFAIRS remarks the
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, may result
in an interesting test of the commits
Sion's powers. Another day we never
thought We would live to see, but, by
golly, did, was one in which the question
OF State rights would hinge upon voices
in the air."
Gov. Green is perhaps right" COM
mentS the Chattanooga Times, "in his
assertion that the State of Michigans
police powers embrace the right to APP
prehend criminals through the use of
the RADIO but just the same he is in
defiance and violation of law of the
Federal Government which, latterly and
through the connivance of a needless
people, has been showing mighty little
regard for the sound doctrine of State
rights F"
Emphasizing the wide interest in an
issue which has been revived in the
present controversy, the Tulsa World
states, in reviewing history: Hereto
fore the serious State rights clashes
have been in other parts of the coun-
try. New England had the secession
idea very strongly in 1912, and the
Southern States made a real attempt
in 1860. A mighty war was fought