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| rage ~
had failed in its objective which
was the protection of the small
business man against advantages
to large firms created by the re-
covery act.
Joining the broadside against
Darrow with fiery criticism as
the 77-year-old attorney has evoked
since the day of his losing battle
against William Jennings Bryan
in the Tennessee evolution trial,
were Donald Richberg, once Dar-
rows colleague, and other officers
of the NRA.
Darrow was in his old role again,
the familiar mantle of counsel
for the defense. His defense of the
small business man was an indict-
ment of the NRA.
The counts he brought against
the NRA were that:
Big business dominates the NRA,
allowing the growth of monopoly
and choking of small businesses.
Each of the NRA codes studied
suffers due to poor administration.
The NRA oppresses consumers
through sanction of higher prices.
Darrow recommended transfer of
all code enforcement and fact
finding to the federal trade COM
mission. At the same time anti
trust laws should be restored.
Then, he believes, industry should
be socialized and resources admin
istered under planned, collective
control.
Immediate reaction from those
who were instrumental in obtain
ing creation of the board headed
by Darrow was not forthcoming
Senators Gerald p Nye, N. D., and
william E. Borah, r., Ida, who
had criticized the NRA for op-
preston of small business said
they wished to study the bulky
322 page report and the answers
by the NRA.
One board member joined Dar-
row in recommending socialization
and planned industry. Others signed
with him a withering report against
NRA as a source of industrial mon
opoly. One member scoffed at his
colleagues findings.
johnson Smacks Back
The 77-year-old Darrow, this
time defending the small American
business man instead of Leopold
or a Loeb, challenged the NRA
theory as fallacious and incap-
able of ending savage, wolfish and
relentless competition.
Gen. Hugh S. johnson, NRA ad-
ministrator, smacked back at Dar-
row in spectacular language. He
and Donald R. Richberg, NRA gen.
eral counsel, called the Darrow re-
port "nonsensical," "intemperate,' y
and in some instances false"
Whatever it's effect, the DarroW
report hangs all the dirty linen
on the line. The country is headed
toward bitter, prolonged dispute
with both sides armed with facts
figures and opinion. johnson says
Darrow seeks to offer the country
a choice between Fascism ana
Communism, neither of which has
a place here.
johnson recommended that the
National Recovery Review Board OF
which Darrow is chairman be abol-
ished forthwith.
"A more superficial, incorporate
and inaccurate document than the
(Darrow) report, I have never
seen," johnson informed the PreSl-
dent.
AS finally released last night
after weeks of delay which excited
curiosity over its contents and
hoisted it toward status OF a na-
tional best-seller. the Darrow re-
port. with the accompanying NRA
rebuttals, was voluminouS docu-
ment of 80,500 words.
Aided BY Russell
Darrow reported after six weeks
of investigation of NRA practices.
He was chairman of the board Gre
ated by the President to determine
whether small enterprises were be-
ing oppressed by NRA.
| Charles Edward Russell, active for
wears in the Socialist party, was
credited in Washington with writing
much of the Darrow report. Rus
sell was not a member of the re-
view board but has been associated
with Darrow in the boards work.
! The other member of the board
who signed the summary in which
Darrow called for "the planned use
of Americas resources following So
cialization," was William o. Thomo-
son. That, Darrow and Thompson