Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1935-05-24

Publishers Oppose
Codes
The Clark Resolution
Predict Early Adjourn
ment
Work Relief Takes
Shape

The President of the United
States, whoever he may be, seldom
hears the truth. Some presidents
resent having the truth told to
them if the facts do not fit in with
their ideas or the policies which
they are trying to put into effect.
Other presidents have striven earn
estlv to learn the truth but have
been so surrounded with Eyes men"
and advisers who have their own
axes to grind that they have failed
TO get a true picture of the state of
the public mind.
In some such language as has
Just been set down, President
Roosevelt's sincere well-wishers are
seeking to explain his recent ex-
pressions of distrust of the patriot
ism and sincerity of business Or
CARNATIONS which have disapproved
some of the measures which he is
urging upon Congress, and some of
the experiments which have been
made by Government in the past
two years.
Everybody except the President
knows that NRA is as dead as Pro-
hibition," is an expression com
monty heard here. 1t is common
knowledge that the Codes have
proved ~unworkable, except perhaps
in the case of a very few basic in
dustries concerned with natural re-
sources.
The latest group to denounce the
Codes are the newspaper publishers
of the nation. First the dailies,
operating under their own Code,
then the country papers and print
ing shops, under another Code, de-
clared in their annual conventions
that they could not go along I'm
less drastic changes were made,
changes which, in effect, would
nullify the Codes.
One Federal Court after another
has declared one Code after an
other unconstitutional. The Su-
preme Court has decided in the
''hot oil" case that Congress has
no power to delegate legislative au-
thority, and that decision knocked
one of the main props out from
under the whole Code system.
Enough intimations have been
given from the Supreme bench to
lead to the belief when its decision
comes down, in two or three weeks,
in the Schechter chicken-butcher
case, it will be to deny the right of
Congress to exercise any control
whatever over any business con-
Quoted entirely within a state.
The Senate had taken notice of
all such things, and its leaders had
twice served notice on the President
that thev would not go along with
him on the two year extension of
NRA, which he had asked for.
They helped him save face by
adopting the Clark resolution, ex-
tending the NRA for nine months
after it expires by law on June 16,
with all price-fxing provisions and
control of interstate commerce
eliminated.
Senator Bennett Clark Of Mis-
souri,, son of the late Speaker
Champ Clark, is as shrewd a poll
tician as was his distinguished
father. He told the President Of
public sentiment in regard to NRA
The adoption will amount to the
disintegration of NRA, for there
will not be time, in the ten months
allowed under the Clark resolution
to revise any material number Of
Codes, and therefore most of then
will just "peter out" as Prohibition
enforcement did.
All the political prophets look fo1
similar compromises on the rest oil
the Administrators program, ane
for adjournment of Congress BY
early July. There will be plenty
more agitation for immediate pay
ment of the veterans bonus, backed
by the strongest pressure bloc il
the nation. The best bet is tina
nothing will come of it this session
The House probably will pass tn
bill for revision Of the Agriculture
Adjustment Administration ii
much the form in which it is hand
ed to them, but it is likely to strik'
some pretty difficult snags in tn
Senate.
That is the case, also, with tn
Administrations banking bill
lit L IJ L. $4,000 .l.,,