Evening star., 1933-10-22
Continued From Third Page.)

Continued From Third Page)
only conceivably but readily and rea-
sonably. Any utterance by publica-
ton tending to impede the universal
acceptance and practice of rules laid
down by N. R. A. would clearly be an
activity contrary to the policy" OF N
R. A. Under the law as it stands. until
it o and unless the he our make
revoke the license of a publisher for
any utterance which may seem to the
President. wholly in his personal dis
cretion, contrary to the policy" of N
R. A. Already, as of today, any report
by a newspaper of speech questioning
N. R. A. could be interpreted by the
President as calling for action. II the
President refrains, it is because in his
discretion he deems it not best to act
thus. Exercise of the Presidents judg-
ment to act or refrain from acting Is
the only protection of the publisher.
This seems like an extreme statement
but it is borne out by the text OF
the law. 1t is clear that publishers OF
newspapers, periodicals and books are
affected by the licensing provision OF
N. R. A. in way that other industries
are not. In all industries, the provision
gives to a President the power which
n. r. A. Administrator Gen. johnson
calls economic death" To publisers
the peril of extinction arises not only
from violation of the code in business
sense, but from routine exercise OF their
function Of printing news Of speeches
to say nothing of printing editorial
criticism.
Gen. JOhnson's SLANT"
An apprehension that Gen. johnson
might, as conceivably he could, use N.
R. A. to suppress criticism of himself,
or of N. R. A., or of the Government
arises from a disposition he has to re-
sent and snap back" at such news
paper allusion to N r. A. as does not
completely share his enthusiasm for 1t.
Very early, last May when N. r. A.
was merely an unformulated proposal,
Frank Kent, in THE Democratic Balti-
more Sun" said that conformity to it
would not be. as was then held out,
voluntary" but would turn out to be
involuntary" Mr.. Kent predicted
further that 1t would include what he
designated as a boycott" At the time
Gen. Johnson devoted q considerable
portion of one of his radio addresses to
what extent Mr.. Kent's predictions
turned out to be accurate everybody
knows. Subsequently Gen. johnson, in
one of his speeches. quoted the whole
of a somewhat critical editorial In the
New York Herald Tribune. In Ms
latest address. made to the American
Federation of Labor, Gen. Johnson said
There are enemies Of N. r. A.. Yes
terday I heard that a prominent Wall
street journal was going to conduct q
survey of small employers for the pur-
pose of demonstrating that the Presi-
dents re- e-employment agreement was 9
failure. The idea Of a Wall street
journal going out to demonstrate
through the little fellow the faliacy OF q
great social regeneration Is one OF the
grimmest, ghastliest pieces OF humor OF
all queer flotsam Of our daily work"
Wall Street Journal has been rather
favorable to N. r. A., accepting it as
an expedient for emergency. and edi-
toriallv advising its readers to support
it Loyalty. 1t is true the Wall Street
Journal. in casual way, surveyed the
effect of N. r. A. on small Sh0pkeepers
and merchants in a few upstate New
York towns. incidentally the small
town merchant, the small shopkeeper
everywhere, has been pressed hard by
N. r. A. A man with two employees,
required by N. r. A. to add a third, has
a so per cent addition to his labor cost.
A great corporation such as one Of the
Standard Oil companies, can absorb the
additional labor cost caused by N. r. A.
with not more than q 10 or IS per cent
addition to its total OUTLAW for wages
Among the ranks of the little fellow"
in business N. r. A. has wrought no
small hardship.
Trait Due to Experience.
1t is easy to identify the origin of
Gen. JollnSon's feeling against critl-
cism, his insistence that all ought to
conform This trait in Gen. johnson,
like many traits in all men, flows
from his experience. All his life until
he was upward of 20 years Of age was
spent as an officer in the Army. Dur
ing the war he had charge Of the draft.