Evening star., 1933-07-24
The Political Mill
By G. Gould Lincoln.

1 W. VV0sO LsVCOtus
The Federal Government tried its
hand at prohibition Of alcoholic bever-
ages and found that 1t did not work
1t looks as though the Government
would be compelled to take Q hand In
the wild gambling which large num-
Der OF Americans others-partici-
pate in on the stock and commodity
exchanges In this country. Whether
the Federal Government will be any
more successful in controlling the
gambling instincts of the people than
II was IN controlling the appetite Of
the people for liquor Is question. The
Government will be in better position,
however. to deal with stock and COM
modify gambling for the simple reason
that exchanges where the gambling
goes on are and must be widely known
and are comparatively few. II the
Government shut down on them,
clamped hard-and-fast rules on them,
1t would be very dificult for the Rar1-
blers to pull the rough stun which has
been in evidence in the last few weeks
in Chicago and New York. Gambling
on the exchanges Is made possible be-
cause OF the huge volume of trading
done openly. It Is dificult to see Just
how anything comparable to bootleggine
In the liquor trafic could be undertaken
BY the stock and grain gamblers II the
Government actually undertook to curb
their operations.
The Chicago Board Of Trade, after
consultation with the Secretary of Ag-
riculture and with the approval OF
President Roosevelt. has itself under
fAkan IN v1pohikif vy}lA ~ra,,,l.kt>. a.
wheat. corn and other Rrains which has
been going on for weeks entirely with
out restriction. which shot the price OF
wheat up to $l.28 q bushel and which
dropped 1t to about 80 cents In the last
few days. The gamblers, those who
hope to make something out Of moth
ing but their ability to bet correctly
on whether the prices Of grain are GO
Ing up or going down. will find when
the Chicago board opens again, either
today or later, that no trading will be
permitted below the closing prices OF
last Thursday and that there shall be
no fluctuations Of more than cents
. bushel for wheat, and for other grains
In proportion.
The farmers have always been at the
mercy OF the gamblers in the wheat
pit. Every one knows that the buying
and selling OF wheat, for example, in
the pit Is done on a tremendous scale
and that the sales average In a year
many times the whole output and con-
sumption Of the grain. And by the
same token. it is entirely clear that
this vast number of sales is made not
to persons who have the slightest in
terest In wheat as wheat. who would
not know what to do with it If the
grain was ever delivered and whose only
interest is whether their gamble is a
good one or not. OF course, the grain
and stock exchanges serve useful pur-
poses. But the duty of the exchanges
is to see that they serve only useful
purposes-if they are to be allowed to
continue. II they are to continue to
be merely the principal gambling houses
OF the country and of the world. ther
1t is time that the Government tried
its hand at new kind Of prohibition
4 x
There is suspicion that the ap-
pointment Of the members Of the Board
Of District Commissioners for the Ma
tional Capital may be made before the
week Is out. If Postmaster General
Farley can find time to sit down and
talk the situation over with the Presi-
dent IN the next few days, this matter
Of Commissioner appointments may be
settled The appointments are more
than two months overdue At one time
the thing was practically settled, but
something came along. 1t is said, and
upset the apple cart, at least temporarily
the Postmaster General, who is the
Presidents right-hand man when il
comes to recommendation for appoint
ment to office, has recently, in a maga-
zine article, laid down the promise tina,
a Democrat who was a supporter Of
President Roosevelt before Chicago" il
he is qualified, should have the drop on
other Democrats who opposed Roose-
velt for the presidential nomination OF
threw cold water on the proposal that
he be named the party standard bearer
Perhaps this rule is to be made to
apply to the Democrats and their back.
ers who are seeking these ofdces Of
District Commissioner.
4 \
While the Democratic organization ir
the District, headed by John B. Costello
national committeeman. and John B
Colpoys, chairman of the Democratic
Central Committee, gave its support u
the Roosevelt candidacy for many
months before the Chicago convention
and stuck to Roosevelt in the conven.
ton, 1t was only over vigorous protest.
Of lot Of other Democrats in Washing.
ton, who sought earnestly to turn some
at least, Of the Districts six delegat.
votes away from the New York Cover
nor and to other candidates in the hec.
tic sessions Of the convention. 1t Is tru.
that these District Democrats leapec
aboard the Roosevelt band wagon-aftel
Roosevelt had been nominated. But
whether Mr.. Farley will be inclined tt
give them the same measure Of consid.
GRAFTON in the selection of District Com.
, missioners remains to be seen. The fna
say rests with the President himself
| However, there is no doubt that Chair
man Farley's recommendations vii
carry lot of weight.
| +k*
President Roosevelt is going on th'
air tonight to appeal to the Ameri.
can people-and particularly to en-
ployers and to labor-to cooperate II
putting across successfully his indus
trial recovery program. The President
has been signally successful In his ap.
peals to the country and in the cleal
manner In which he has been able t.
set forth what his administration i
seeking to accomplish. He was par.
ticularly SO when he undertook to tel
tlc pcOplc Wudt le WAS SccklLk W az
for the banks which had been closeG
Immediately after he took Office. Th'
President is facing a big task today
he is seeking to line up all the EN-
ployers Of the country-and the work
ers. too-in support of his blanket cod
of fair competition, with increased
wages and shorter working hours. AL
ready his call for volunteers to see thi
campaign through has met with heart,
response. The final success of tn,
plan, however, depends upon the man
ner in which the great majority o
the employers 60 forward with the pro
posal, pending the adoption of NOR
permanent codes for their particula
industries.
| X
There Is no politics involved in thi
drive of the administration for indus
trial recovery. The President will re