Evening star., 1934-09-02
GARY TAKES TO AIR.
ON CENSOR CHARGE
Acting F. c. c. Chairman
Denies SchaIPs Accusa-
tionS of Restriction.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

THIS matter of freedom of speech
and the press is getting to be
a touchy one in administration
Il circles-So irritating, in fact,
that there is no doubt that
Hampson Gary, acting chairman OF
the Federal Communications Commis-
sion. was inspired by higher-up sources
to take to the radio the other night
to refute the charges of Senator
Schall, Minnesota Republican, that
the Democratic powers contemplate
press radio gags" along Russian, Ger
man and Italian lines.
The stiff rebuke that President
Roosevelt sent to Senator Schall added
to the statements repeatedly made by
administration executives, including
the President himself, are regarded by
competent observers as indicating that
neither Mr.. Roosevelt nor his brain
trust" proposes to interfere in the
least with the constitutional freedom
of published or spoken expression in
this country.
No less than three members Of
President Roosevelt's hand-picked new
Communications Commission, whose
members are largely personal choices
and known to him by their first names,
have taken pains in the last few weeks
to make clear that freedom of speech
over the radio or the free communi-
cation of news by wire and wireless
are not to be jeopardized by the Gov
ernment.
Calls Charges Fantastic.
Commissioner Gary, who is vice
chairman of the F. C. C.'s broadcast
division, took to the air the day after
Senator Schall's radio speech to deny
in emphatic fashion the Minnesotan's
charges that a Government press
service that will favor newspapers loyal
to the Roosevelt dictatorship" is in
contemplation. Mr.. Gary called the
charges fantastic" and without the
slightest foundation of fact" When
he added that the President would
instantly veto such a proposal if it
came to him, he was unquestionably
speaking for Mr.. Roosevelt, an init
mate friend of long standing.
The commissioner, whose division
functions practically with all of the
powers of the old Radio Commission,
took occasion in this and also an
earlier radio speech to quote Presi-
dent Roosevelts own words regarding
| freedom of the air. The President
last June wrote to the radio manufac-
turers at the annual convention:
ITO permit radio to become a
medium for selfish propaganda of
any character would be to shamefully
and wrongfully abuse a great agent
of public service. Radio broadcasting
should be maintained on an equality
of freedom similar to that freedom
that has been and is the keystone Of
the American press"
Sykes Stressed Stand.
A few weeks earlier Judge E. o.
Sykes, chairman of the old Radio
Commission, who was picked also as
chairman of the new Communica-
tions Commission, speaking at a ban
| quet, took occasion to stress the fact
that his board has no thought what
ever of censoring radio, directly or in
directly. Censorship of program con-
tent by the Government is specifically
forbidden in the new communications
laws, as in the old radio act.
Then, again, about two weeks ago
Commissioner George Henry Payne,
Republican member of the F. c. C.
telephone division, asserted on the
air: ''It is impossible to conceive that
the American people would tolerate
censorship either of the press or of
radio-in the latter case, at least, in
so far as freedom of responsible ex-
preston is involved He added that
there is nothing in the -communica-
tions law that would permit it.
The whole issue of press-radio free
dom apparently grows out of an at
tempt to make it partisan political
weapon, particularly because of the
widespread use of radio by the New
Deal. Publicity matter from New Deal
agencies are pouring into radio sta
tions, as well as newspapers, but no
attempt to force them to use it, or
to shape their editorial policies ac-
cordingly, has been discerned by this
writer. If there is any censorship
1t Is the permissible voluntary and
private censorship of those who own
these media of communications.
Clusters Under Hoover.
The fact that the Federal Gov
ernment, through its wave length
licensing power, has the power of
''life or death, sound or silence" over
radio stations, and the fact that so
many station managers have CO.
operated Fundamentally with the new
administration has given rise to the
conviction in some quarters that the
Governments potential threat does
and has impelled support of the New
Deal on pain of loss of radio fran
chises.
To this the Governments answer is
that no licensee has yet been driven
off the air for mere political pur-
poses; that DR.. Brinkley and Norman
Baker lost their franchises because
of their questionable medical broad
casts and that Rev. Bob Shuler lost
his because of indecent" language
and vituperative attacks upon men
and institutions. The courts in each
case upheld the old Radio Commits
sion, and these episodes all occurred
during the Hoover regime.
The broadcasters' answer is that
the political equality clause of the
radio and communications act is
being rigidly adhered to; that Re-
publicans and anti-New Dealers are
occupying as much time on the air
as Rooseveltians and that not even
Senator Schalls radio copy was CEN
sored before he went on the air with
his startling charges.