The Omaha guide., 1935-04-06

HIGHLIGHTS
Happenings That Aztec the
Dinnes Pals Checks and Tax
of Evey Individual.

Encouragement is being visited
upon members Of Congress-"
says he Uni,ed States. News.
"The tide Of protest against re-
strictive legislation is .rising.2
The public at,i ude toward the
last Congress was one Of SYM
pathy and patience. Extradtdi-
nary legislation was proposed and
passed with a modicum of oppo-
sition from businesses and indi-
viduals. Unprecenden, ed actions
were accepted by the public with
out argument. There was rela-
lively little criticism Of Congress
sional moves and almost no criti-
cism Of the President.
Today the situation is very diff
ferent. Congress is being damn
ed, reviled- and denounced. And
criticism is reaching out towards
the White House, which, less than
a year ago, was almost s%acrosant.
Those who oppose restrictive laws
have apparently decided that the
time when silence could do any
good is past; that they have
everything to gain and nothing
to lose by pressing their side Of
the case with force and forth
rightness.
An excellent example of this
change is found in the response
to the Public Utility Act of 1895,
usually referred to as the Ray
burn Bill, because it was intro
duced by Representative Ray
burn Of Texas, If this bill pass
es, almost every utility holding
company in the nation will be
forced TO 60 out Of business be-
tween 1887 and 1940-and, in adj
dition, during that interim practi-
ca1y every operating utility COM
pany will be subjec, ed to the iron
clad control of a federal commits
sion. So sweeping are the bills
provisions that an operating com
pany could not engage legal
counsel, purchase supplies or
make an advertising contract
without first obtaining the CON
sent of the federal regulatory
authorities.
The bills prospects for pass
ing were extremely poor a short
time ago-ic was in committee,
and relatively few Congressman
showed any enthusiasm for it.
Then the President issued his
famous statement to Congress on
holding companies, threw the full
weigh Of his influence behind the
bill. Congressman fell in line,
and it seemed Inevitable that
the bill would pass in practically
the same form it had been intro
duced.
Then the tide of protest"
rose. Utility companies sent let
tiers to their stockholders, urged
them to write to their Congress
They ran advertisements
opposing the bill, and pointing to
what its effect would be. An as
ISOLATION composed Of utility in
vestors, large and small-they
number 100000 900 and have a
stake Of II billion dollars in the
utility industry, according to
News-Week = brought out its
heaviest artillery. Result: Sen
ate and House post6ffice forces
had to work nights in order to
handle the thousands Of letters
TO Congressman opposing the bill.
Upshot Of the flood Of cores
pOndence was a resolution, intro
duced by Senator Norris, to in
vestigate the source Of this "prop-
uganda" That, in view of many
unbiased newspapers, was rather
ridiculous-it is on secret that
utilities and their investors are
opposing the bill in order to pro-
tect their property. Congressman
Fish Of New York rose in the
House, said that the Presidents
message was in itself propaganda
of the most potent kind-asked,
by intimation, why others should
not have the right to present
their side of the issue without
question.
The consequences Of all this is
that the bill will not, unless all
present signs are wrong, pass in
its original form. Utility leaders
r the first to admit that certain
individual holding companies
have abused their powers-but
they believe that the way to rene
dy the situation is through regu-
%lation, not destruction.
Other major pieces of legisla-
ton are finding opposition from
many directions. The social Sc
curity program, for example, is
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