The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-21
BARROW FIRES
BROADSIDE AT
RECOVERY ACT
Johnson Charges Lawyers
Report NonSenSiCaI,
Incorporate.
Continued From Page One

/
ter weeks of delay which excited
curiosity over its contents and
hoisted it toward status of ma
tionaI best seller, the DarroW re-
port. with the accompanying NRA
| rebuttals, was a vOluminous docu-
ment of 8O.5OO words on 322 mimeo-
graphed pages.
Charles Edward Russell, active for
years in the Socialist party was
credited in Washington with writ
| ing much of the DarrOW report.
Russell was not a member of the
review board, but has been asso-
ciated with Mr.. Darrow in the
boards work.
The other member of the board,
who signed the summary in which
| Mr.. Darrow called for the planned
use of Americas resources follow
ing Specialization" was William O..
Thompson. That, Mr.. Darrow and
Mr.. Thompson contended is the
hope for the American people"
General johnson seized quickly OPP
on the reference to Socialism.
FaScism of Communism
stripped of shadowy verbiage,"
he said in his letter to Mr.. ROoSe-
welt, this means that the choice OF
the American people is between
Fascism and Communism, neither
of which can be espoused by any
one who believes in our Democratic
institutions Of elf-goVernment; nor
can any public official, who has
taken an oath to defend the ConStl-
tuition of the United States, adopt
or officially advocate such a pro-
gram"
Mr.. Richberg challenged Mr.. Oar
row with complaint that the board
has made itself an agency to fur
nish ammunition for the malicious
sniping of political partisans for the
covert scheming Of monopolists and
for the mean attacks of chiselers. "
The Darrow board urged return
to the antitrust laws, temporarily
suspended for NRA code operation,
as "one of the great needs of the
time"
Minority Report Made
The sixth member of the board,
John F. Sinclair, submitted a mi
noritv report, stating that only 10
to 20 per cent of the complaints
heard by the board we're distinctly
fundamental and important" Mr..
Sinclair said that 80 to 80 per cent
of the complaints could be CLASH
fed as coming from those who lack
knowledge of the code and code
procedure.
Most of the questions raised by
the vast majority of compliments
do not present fundamental ques-
ton which concerns monopoly or
monopolistic practice" was Mr.. SIN
clair's judgment.
There are three outstanding criti-
cisms in the Johnson and Richberg
answers to the DarroW report.
/. The assertion that the review
board, set up to help the MIRA meet
it's problem of aiding smaller bust
ness enterprises, has not offered
single constructive suggestion.
Board Ignored Facts"
2. That the DarroW board ignored
facts and formed its conclusions on
the testimony of minority in each
industry. This minority, it was
stated, was made up of malcontents
whose statements in many instances
had been disproVed or were queS
tionable and not supported by facts,
3. That the DarrOW report is con-
Trajectory, biased, and written with
an eye to carrying out preconceived
notions of what would be found un-
der the NRA.
The Darrow board had its origin
in a series of events last summer
when Senator William E. Borah
rep, Idaho, and Senator Gerald
P. Nye (Rep., N d., began their
criticism of the NRA on the ground
it encouraged monopoly and would
ruin small business.
IA Codes Studied
Nye and Borah reviewed the re-
port over the weekend and proba-
bly, will bring the senate into the
controversy this week.
The DarroW board beginning its
work March Is, studied fourteen
codes. It's report reviews eight of
these Investigations, relating to
electrical manufacturing rubber
footwear, motion pictures, retail
solid fuel, steel, ice, cleaning and
dyeing, and soft coal.
The main point of criticism is that
in most of these industries dominant
persons or companies have been en-
trusted with code management and
control, leaving independents at an
alleged disadvantage and subject to
oppression from the top.
NRA Issues Denial
The NRA counters with denial In
several instances Johnson or Rich
berg assert the statements made by
the DarroW board are untrue and
contrary to recorded facts In other
cases the board is accused of naive
acceptance of patiently biased teSti-
mony and refusal to accept the true
or proved facts when offered.
The Darrow report Endorsed the
NRA aims of higher wages and
shorter working hours. 1t contends,
however, that it is impossible to
have a fair" competition such as is
mentioned, without definition, in the
recovery act. All competition, the
report states, SIS savage, wolfish and
relentless"