Evening star., 1935-05-02
The Political Mill
By G.. Could Lincoln.

COnUent nlIQSelI IOr bne tllne Ucuik
with an extension of the life Of the N.
r. A., with certain notifications, from
June l8 to April OF next year. He
had asked for two-year extension
from June is, when the law auto
matically expires. The passage Of the
proposed joint resolution, which
amends the N. I. r. A. in two impor-
tant particulars, If it Is effected, may
yet save the whole N. r. A. from
anihilation. The Supreme Court has
finally before 1t case involving the
constitutionality Of the N. r. A. for
argument. beginning today, the
Schechter case involving the poultry
business. The Court may hand down
a decision before it takes its Summer
recess in June--indeed, the case has
been expedited in order that this may
be done. If the Court decides the N.
r. A. is unconstitutional on the ground
that the law and its administration
impose Federal control on intrastate
business as distinct from interstate
commerce, over which the Federal
Government has control, then the new
joint resolution, which specifically ex-
tluOCS oil IIltt doIdVC UuolllCco 4IOiiI bLtC
operation OF the law. may give the
system new life, until the Congress
can rewrite further the whole statute.
There are those who object seri-
ously to the provision inserted in the
new joint resolution, sponsored by
Senator Clark of Missouri, Democrat,
fak, LN& Ia Ill l..&-
state business from N. r. A. regulation.
They see a very large share Of busi-
ness which now sports the Blue Eagle
stepping out from under The pro-
posed revision of the N. r. A., prepared
by Donald r. Richberg, head of the
N. r. A., and his assistants, would
give the President authority to pro-
claim any business interstate In char
acter. If it could be shown that it
affected interstate commerce. But this
is out, now that the Senate Finance
Committee Is prepared to support the
Clark Joint resolution. OF course, the
Richberg proposition would have had
| to run the gantlet of the courts II
! II we're written into the law.
The New Deal pretty generally has
/ sought to centralize power in the Fed
eral Government. In no measure put
through by the Roosevelt administra-
tion was this more true than in the
N. r. A. law. unless 1t was that part
of the law which set up the A. A. A.
The N. r. A., dealing with industry.
set up measures of control-codes OF
fair competition. There was the
threat OF cracking down" If any
business did not obey: and there have
been many instances of drastic action
by the Government. The A. A. A.
operated along different lines. 1t did
not crack down; it handed out checks
on the Federal Treasury TO the farm
ers who we're willing to curtail their
wheat. cotton and tobacco crops. No
one has yet suggested passing checks
to the industrialists for curtailing
production. Probably some OF them
would have been more agreeable to
the N. r. A. had they been treated as
we're the farmers-with checks. The
present determination, evidenced in
the action of the Senate Committee
on Finance which favored the Clark
resolution, to get the Federal Govern
ment out of the control OF strictly
interstate business shows revival OF
interest in the old dual system, which
left such things to the States.
The other principal provision in the
Clark resolution. amending the exist
Ing N. r. A. Law, declares that there
shall be no price fixing in the codes
or under the codes of fair compeu-
ton. The fact that businesses have
been able under these N. r. A. codes
in some cases to fix minimum prices
directly and in others indirectly Is
said to be responsible in part for the
| enthusiasm of many business concerns
for the N. r. A. Whether the N. r. A.
| is to continue, or is to vanish out OF
the picture as discarded experiment
is a question 1t is certainly having
its troubles right now. If it goes by
the board. undoubtedly there will be
redoubled efforts to put through the
Black 30-hour work week bill and the
Wagner labor disputes bill. However.
there is always the chance that the
Supreme Court may not agree to let
Congress say that man engaged In
purely local business shall employ
men for only 80 hours a week, or that
the employees engaged in such work
shall labor for only 80 hours.
Senators and Representatives who
favor the 30-hour work week bill on
the ground that it will give more men
and women employment are doing
a lot Of planning for other persons
without any idea. apparently, of shar-
ing their own Jobs with others. Why
not amend the Constitution and
change the laws so as to have four
Senators from each State and $40
members of the House. say at $1,000
year each. instead of the $4,000
now paid each Senator and Repre-
sentative?
The Senate has adopted resolu-
tion for an investigation of the Fed
eral Emergency Relief Administration.
1t was offered by Senator Couzens of
Michigan, hard-hittine Republican
Progressive, and its primary purpose
seems to be to determine how the re-
lief allotments have been distributed
by the Federal administration to the
States, and whether there mas been
discrimina ton. Once Senate COM
mittee is launched upon an investiga-
tion. however. there is no telling how
far it will go. or what it will turn up.
Last Fall it was freely charged in the
campaign that relief money was being
expended In States to influence the
election. Senator Borah of Idaho
added his charges that the F. E. r. A.
was wasting millions of dollars that
never reached the people who were
destitute. 1t created something of a
stir at the time but nothing was done
about 1t.
r.
Senate committees to investigate
campaign expenditures have been
named every four years and sometimes
every two years, for long period.
They unearthed a lot of things and
prevented the seating of at least Sen
ators-elect, not to mention hating
some candidates for that office Or elec-