Evening star., 1934-05-28
No Editorial Cheers Heard
For DarrOw's Alternatives

One thing stands out quite clearly
in comment on the Clarence Darrow
Commissions report reviewing the
work of the N. R. A The American
press does not care for Mr.. Darrow S
alternative suggestions, even though
some newspapers are impressed by his
assault upon the existing set-up.
The famed attorney for the de-
fenSe," says the Akron Beacon Jour-
nal, ''is just as able in the role of
prosecutor, release of that long i'm
pounded report on the N. R. A. shows
And how able that is can be gath
cred from the fact that the admins
tration suppressed the report for
weeks, refusing to loose it until it had
prepared an answer for simultaneous
release. But paying tribute to the ef-
fectiveneSS of Darrow'S assault on the
Blue Eagle doesn't mean that We agree
with his sweeping excoriation of the
whole N. r. A. set-up. The ablest at
torney doesn't necessarily possess the
qualities that make for a good jurist.
And Darrow's isn't the judicial mind" :"
There is a real political problem,
thinks the Jersey City Journal. "as to
whether it was good or bad, political
ly, for the Roosevelt administration to
stir up such handsome ruction with
in the official governmental family as
now appears in the clash between the
review board and the N. r. A. head.
Would it not have been better, some
Democrats are asking, to have let the
Republicans bring these charges?
Then it could have been said that
they were merely partisan. But if the
contention that the N. r. A. encour-
ages monopoly at the expense of con-
sumers and small business is true
as most big business heads will pri-
vately admit and as many small
business man will ultimately discover
to his own sorrow if he has not al
ready begun to do so-it would have
been unfortunate (from the Demo-
cratic point Of view to let the Re-
publicans claim all the credit for see
ing through the Blue Eagle feather
fan. Besides, there are many Demo-
Gratis who think the N. r. A. Is guilty
of everything Darrow asserts and
johnson denies. BY next November,
when elections are held, and when
more people will have had time to
find out for themselves what N. r. A..
actually means for them personally,
Democrats may begin to thank the
President for being brave enough to
let the feathers fly and the storm blow
off so far in advance"
"Mr. Darrow's argument is suff1-
GENTLY tenable to entitle him to fair
hearing" says the Richmond News
Leader. while the New Bedford Mer-
curry holds that he has offered "the
elements of a furious dispute" and
the New Orleans Times-Picayune finds
both cheers and Kisses" for the re-
port. The Lansing (Mich) State
journal, however, AYERS that the coun-
try is treated to vastly more heat
than light" The Topeka Daily Capt.
tai opines: 1.-THE N. R. A. is designed
to be short-lived If the public con-
cludes that it is promoting monopoly.
Senator Borah, as the original cham
pion of the antitrust laws against
N. r. A., who never gave his vote for
the national recovery act, may tri-
umph In the end, when he will logic
ally be required to offer more effective
antitrust laws than the country has
had In the last A years"
"Only the adjectives Tin Darrow's
report) have a chance to survive" as
serts the New York Sun. The Spring.
field (Mass.) Daily News contends