Evening star., 1932-08-28
!P|NCHOT UTILITIES
| FIGHT 10 YEARS OLD
Pennsylvania Governor at
Last Gains Control of
State Commission.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa, August 27-For
the second time in his two terms as
Governor, Clifford Pinchot has forced
an investigation of the Public Service
Commission, one of the Nations first
utility regulatory bodies.
Pinchot, an Independent Republican,
has been a persistent aSsailant of the
State and national Republican organ
izations, and especially of the Hoover
administration.
His issue on both State and national
stage has been domination of govern
ment by concentrated capital, chiefly
electrical utility ownership. In the at
tack that precipitated the inquiry, he
charged that in Pennsylvania utilities
control the commission by bribery, ex-
tortion and corruption" which saddle
home owners with unjustly high rates.
The utility issue has been a favorite
with Pinchot for the last 10 years, and
few acquainted with State politics doubt
that he will stress it in 1884. Although
he has carefully guarded his intention
and refuses to discuss it at all, Pinchot
is generally believed to look with long
ing eye on David A. Reeds seat in the
United States Senate.
Has Run Twice Before.
He has tried to land there twice be-
fore, first in 1914 as a Bull Mooser
against Senator Boies Penrose, and
again in 1925 against William S. Ware
and George Wharton Pepper.
In spite of several previous defeats
on the issue, Pinchot launched his cam
paign against the board six weeks ago.
In series Of rapidly moving events he
forced the Republican organization to
approve the inquiry and put himself in
position to control the personnel of
the commission, 4 to 3, at once and by
5 to 2 October l.
But, although he precipitated it, the
Governor declares the investigation is
foreordained to failure because the or
ganization" spurned his attorney gen.
eral, William A. Shanader, Philadel-
phia, as committee counsel.
In warning to the investigators he
asserted that the State will be dissatis-
fed unless they show who bribed who"
and what the bribery is costing home
owners in higher rates.
Six weeks ago Pinchot had only two
members on the board, Frederick Cru
enberg, Philadelphia, and George w.
Woodruff, BerWyn. Then the term of
j. w. Brown, Lancaster, expired and he
retired
Opens Fire on Chairman.
Pinchot opened fire on w. D. B.
Ainey, Montrose, for II years commits
sion chairman. In two sudden and
ate he offered photostatic copies of rec
ords which he declared proved Ainey
accepted rewards from utility interests.
The aged chairman quit as Senate
committee was gathering to investigate
the charges. Emerson L. Collins re-
signed a day earlier, effective october
l. The Governor demanded he retire
because he had been too i'll to act for a
year and half.
When he fills these three posts, Pin
chot will have five supporters among
the boards seven members.
Pinchot'S assault on the commission
and utilities may be roughly divided
into three phases.
In his first term, in 1925, he tried
to effect giant power plan, and sum-
marily removed James S. Benn, Phila-
delphia, and S. Ray Shelby, Union
town, from the commission without pre-
ferring any charges.
The giant power plan proposed huge
generating plants at the mouth of
PennSylvania's coal mines, and distri-
button of power at low rates throughout
the State. 1t was objected to by legis-
lators as too nebulous and met defeat.
Commissioners Restored.
The Supreme Court meantime re-
stored Benn and Shelby. 1t held that
the Governor could appoint and re-
move only with the consent of the
Senate
In his second gubernatorial campaign
the start of the second phase
Pinchot campaigned on the basis of
substituting an elective fair rate board
Tor the commission. When the Legis
lature met, it found the Governor ad-
vocating board he could appoint and
remove, and bills providing for such
body were quickly defeated.
The same Legislature split with the
Governor over legislation to bolster up
the commissions control over utilities.
The opposition n-controlled Senate start
ed an investigation for which Pinchot
refused to approve funds. The Pinchot-
controlled House launched its own in
quiry, also privately financed. The net
result was passage of several bills in
each House, which were killed by the
other House.
Pinchot took advantage Of the special
session OF the Legislature, called last
June to provide unemployment relief,
to start his new, and so far successful,
attack on the board.
a