The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-02
National Topics Interpreted

| Witnessed me move by freSiueHt
Roosevelt to gather
People Trust to himself another
Roosevelt armful of authority
In his broad program
to put the nations business back on
its feet. In the legislation to encour-
age national recovery and provide for
construction Of public works as u
stimulant to the economic machinery,
the President asked for authority to
use in his discretion second in amount
only to that accorded him in the in
fation provisions of the farm relief
program.
1t might be assumed that the dele
CATION Of so much power to the Pres
ident would create a distrust among
the people of the nation, and that
probably would be the result In any
country save our own. Here, however,
1t appears that the great masses of
the people would rather have that
power vested in Mr.. Roosevelt than
in the 5O0-odd representatives Of
their own selection who sit in the
two houses of congress. / find in my
rounds in Washington that the opinion
of observers is virtually unanimous.
Their information comes largely from
back home" as the politicians say,
and so everybody seems to believe the
President is more capable Of doing
things in this crisis than congress, ex-
cept congress. might add par
enthetically the reason congress has
granted so much is because individual
iy and collectively it is afraid to go
against the wishes of a man who has
caught the imagination of the cleo
torate as President Roosevelt has
done.
| Although the legislation accords the
President the sweeping powers only
for two years. his rights during that
time to form a partnership with COM
merce and industry are almost limit
less, albeit they depend upon volun-
tary cooperation by commerce and
industry to a certain extent. But by
the system of licensing which is set
up, it is made to appear without much
analysis that business had better CO.
| operate or else.
In the first instance, all the long
standing antitrust laws are abrogated,
kicked out of the window, so to speak.
Upon the application of any associ-
alton that is representative of trade
or group or business, the President is
empowered to arrange with that or
ganization and its individual members
for a code of rules governing its COM
petition. In other words, he is en-
powered to say in substance that
prices may be set high enough to af-
| ford all of them a reasonable return
of profit. 1t is obvious, of course, If
there is a fair return factories will
open and normal channels of trade
will begin to flow. That means en-
ployment, and employment means Gre
alton of buying power. But the agree
ment must be within the bounds of
reason or the President will not ac-
cept it.
There are only two restrictions to
the Presidents power In this direc-
ton. Let me quote
TUo them: The Presi-
Po.tx:.f:on. dent may agree to
those codes Of COM
petition if he finds ed that such as
sociations or groups impose no in
equitable restrictions on admission to
membership and are truly represent
alive of such trades or industries or
subdivisions thereof, and (2) that such
| code or codes are not designed to pro-
mote monopolies or to eliminate or
Cypress small enterprises and will not
operate to discriminate against them"
1t is the plain purpose Of that pro-
vision to see that such things as chain
stores do not swallow up the corner
grocery and that great corporation
may not drive lesser ones out of bust
| ness.
Thus, we see the government fos-
| tering a program that is designed to
assure for business a living wage and
in providing that, it is the hope of the
President that there will be a living
wage for workers, too. To see that
his policies are carried out and that
| the code is observed, the President
has the right to revoke licenses which
| he has given with his approval of the
competition agreements or codes.
But the program is not all a bed
of roses for business. The President
may, as a condition of his approval
of the codes, impose such conditions
(including requirements for the max
ing of reports and the keeping of ac-
counts) for the protection of consum-
ers, competitors, employees and 9TH
ers" as he may deem necessary in the
public interest. That provision is
touchy spot. In effect, of course, the
President will take little part in adj
| ministration of the law. 1t will be
done by those to whom he has given
| the administrative duty. And 1t new
er has been and probably never will
be that any group of government off,
Gals see things the same way. Con-
sequently, one hears many predictions
that commerce and industry will be
making reports in such detail and In
such numbers. and investigations will
be going on to such an extent that
industry will be engaged in going over
its books in one way or another about
all of the time.
Further. it never has been popular
among American business men to have
all of the facts about their affairs dis
closed. 1t is predicted now that this
condition, developed highly by the fed
eral trade commission. will be very
much worse and that one factory will
probably know all about its competi-
tor, including the so-called manufac-
A1,,- SacrofS Excxa,