Evening star., 1932-08-02
ROOSEVELT TALK
RAISES PROBLEM
Governors Failure to Men,
ton Public Ownership
Plank PuzzIing.

Another platform mystery has de-
veloped. Gov. Roosevelt, in present.
ing the Democratic national platform
over the radio Saturday night, did not
include the public ownership plank of
the Western progreSSives.
Whether this was an oversight or
the Democratic presidential nominee
intends to throw it overheard is a
matter of conjecture and will be until
word comes from Albany as to the
meaning of the omission. Here is the
plank that was omitted from the print
ed text of the Governors speech as
published in all the newspapers Sun
day morning:
I'VE advocate: The removal of the
Government from all fields of private
enterprise. except where necessary to
develop public works and natural re-
sources in the common interest
Dill Proud of Plank.
Senator Dill of Washington, Demo-
crat. was one of the Western progress
sives who took considerable pride in
that plank and he pointed out after
its adoption by the convention in Chi
cago that it was a step forward in the
development of liberal policy.
1t is believed that Senator Norris of
Nebraska, Republican, was to no small
extent influenced in his decision to sup
port the Roosevelt ticket by the plank
omitted last Saturday night, Tor INTO
it may be read an Endorsement of the
Muscle Shoals fight which the Nebraska
Senator has made for the last decade.
Gov. Roosevelt may have made MS
error by taking the platform text from
one of the New York papers, which hap
pened on the day after the convention
to have omitted the same plank. The
other New York newspapers published
1t and it was, of course, in the mlmeo-
graphed sheets given to the correspond
ents on the night the convention
adopted the platform.
May Ask Definition.
If the New York Governor intends to
abide by the public ownership plank,
and it is assumed here that he does,
then the Republicans are preparing to
ask for a definition of his policy. They
take it for granted that Government
enterprise in developing natural re-
sources" means public ownership OF
coal, oil, copper and mineral wealth
generally.
There has been movement to permit
industries affected with a public in
terest" to combine and be exempt from
the operation of antitrust laws, but
this contemplated giving privileges to
private enterprises with some measure
of public control No suggestion has
hitherto been made by these basic in
duStries that the Government should do
any more than regulate, though one
suggestion from the coal regions last
year was to the effect that the Gov
ernn1ent should issue bonds and buy
some of the surplus mines and thus aid
in program Of curtailed production.
At the moment law suit is being
tried in Asheville, N. c., between the
Department of Justice staff, headed by
Assistant Attorney General John Lord
O'Brian of Buffalo, and representatives
of many coal companies in an effort to
determine whether a cooperative SELL
ing agency plan would or would not
violate the antitrust statutes.
Would Surprise Industry.
If Mr.. Roosevelt's Endorsement of
the public ownership plank put into
the platform by the Western Pro-
gressives were to include Government
ownership of coal mines, it would come
as a great surprise to the coal industry,
which thus far has insisted 1t can work
out a solution provided the antitrust
laws are liberaliZed.
Inc interesting tnlng ABOUT the puD-
lie ownership plank of the platform is
that it was originally announced under
the heading Antitrust Laws" and so
appears in the subdivisions of the Off
cial text given out at the time of the
convention. So does conservation.
Mr.. Roosevelt did read the conserva-
tion plank which is as follows:
Conservation, development and use
OF the Nations water power in the pub
lie interest"
There has been nothing said as to
whether this involves Government own
ership of transmission lines, but since
MIR. Roosevelt in his New York State
policies has never included such a pro-
posal, 1t is taken for granted here that
he does not favor Government COM
petition with private enterprise in
the field Of electric energy distribu-
ton. D.L
(Copyright, 1922