Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-17
|SWOPE SUGGESTION
FELT IN POLITICS
Aid to Young Candidacy
Campaign Seen In lob
Protection Plan.
ny MARK SULLIVAN.

The apeeeh Ia New York last night
by Gerard t.wepe, president Of the Cen
eial Electric Go, on atabllization OF
Industry waa an event az iifat.fank Inns
pertanee, certainly IN tho field OF buBis
mesa and, according 10 common pre-
sumption, Ia the field OF politics, As
respects both government and blisinesa,
Il II not too much TO say MIR, Swopea
nfenesal Ia revolutionary.
As part of the minute care with which
Mr., Awope prepared his plan and
brought about Nationwide hearing FOR
Il he showed advance copies OF IL, or
submitted his ideas In adaviice 10 many
persons Ia Washington. New York and
elsewhere, The Judgment OF these Is
that this IL the most concrete OF the
multitude of plans" for the prevention
OF depression and for the control OF
industry that have inundated the coun-
, try since the present depression began
There is high admiration for the
clarity and close-knit definlteness Of
the plan, A further Judgment is that
MIR. Swope's plan is certain to cause
prolonged Nationwide discussion. in
Guiding much strenuous opposition. Yet
another Judgment, heard In a few
quarters, at least Is that political I'M
portance In 2 personal sense Will be at
tached to this proposal for an American
industrial "plan.
Young Pushed for 80.
MFR. Swope is president OF the same
company OF which the chairman of the
board of directors is owen ID. Young.
While Mr.. Young is not an aspirant for
the Democratic presidential nomination
in any sense that implies his own par
ticipation, 1t Is a fact that Mr.. Young
Is being most earnestly put forward
for that post by a considerable num-
Der of persons. One of the most ear
nest of those who wish to see Mr.
Young nominated by the Democrats Is
Mr.. Swope, author OF last nights
speech. In the current gossip about
such matters Mr.. Swope is credited
with eager zeal to see his business chief
elevated to the White House.
From this set of facts and surmises,
politics being what 1t is, differences
are certain to arise. The writer OF this
dispatch made inquiries of persons
very close to both Mr.. Swope and Mr..
Young and was convincingly assured
that Mr.. Young had nothing, what
ever to do with Mr.. Swopess speech. "
Nevertheless and inevitably, 1t will be
assumed by the ungodly and perhaps
by some Of the cody. that the presi-
dent of the General Electric Co. would
not conspicuously give forth ideas un-
acceptable to the chairman Of the
board of the General Electric.
From the point of view of this po-
litical innuendo. however much or little
there may be in 1t, there will be in
terest in seeing how Democratic leaders
in public life react to this proposal
for the sterilization of American in
dustry. Specifically, one would expect
disapproval from Democrats of the old
fashioned type. The plan Is pa
ternalistic to degree never before
seriously considered in America. How
ever. some Democrats, and some Re-
publicans as well, have recently moved
so far away from the old ideal OF
individualism that perhaps the present
proposal may not startie them.
Problem for Industry.
Mr.. Swope starts with the principle
that insurance of continuity of employ
ment is q matter for industry itself to
provide, and not the Government. So
far, that is identical with old-fashioned
Democratic doctrine and old-fashioned
American doctrine.
Immediately, however Mr.. Swope
says that business, in order to insure
continuity of employment, must have
immunity from the Sherman antitrust
law. He does not say this in so many
words and he does not mention the
antitrust law, but he, as well as law
yers who advised him in the prepara-
ton of the plan, understood perfectly
that the plan involves scrapping, or at
least modifying, the antitrust law
Some lawyers believe also, although
others do not. that the plan would re-
quire modification of the Constitution
Some critics of the plan are alarmed
to an extreme degree by Mr.. Swope's
proposed general board Of admins
tration" for each line of industry