Evening star., 1935-07-10
Revelations.

leglSlaClOn IN an open House CO1lInltCee
hearing has begun. Wherever this
process may end, it at least results in
revelations of the more practical side
of politics as practiced by the New
Dealers One of the New Deal inner circle,
brilliant and youthful attorney in the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation, is
loaned" to the House and Senate Com
mittees on Interstate Commerce to help
put through the administrations public
utility holding company bill The testi-
mony given by both him and his present
antagonist, Representative Ralph o.
Brewster, Republican of Maine, shows
clearly that Mr.. Corcoran not only aided
in the drafting of this legislation, but
that he spent weeks at the Capitol work.
ing in its interests. He was particular
to tell the committee that his services
had been commandeered by Chairman
Wheeler of the Senate committee and
Chairman Rayburn of the House COM
mittee, and that all the things he did
had been under their orders.
Mr.. Corcoran, however, has no legis-
lative status. He is not an elected official
of the House or Senate. He is paid as
an official of the executive branch Of
Government. BY his own testimony,
members of the House in at least one
instance met at his Office in the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation to map the
battle to put the holding company bill
through the House in the form demanded
by President Roosevelt. He made his
headquarters at the Capitol first in the
Office of Senator Wheeler, when the bill
was before the Senate, and later on
the House side of the Capitol, and
when the fight was on he used the
Office of the Democratic whip.
Mr.. Corcoran, 1t appears from the
testimony, not only had hand in the
framing of the holding company bill,
but was designated by President Roose-
welt to deal with the legal aspects Of
the Passamaquoddy Dam project in
Maine. That project is to cost mere
s36,O0O,OO0. It's purpose is to harness the
tides of the ocean and make them pro-
duce electric power. 1t is the New Deals
gift to Maine, admittedly of political
value. Republican members of Congress
from Maine, as we'll as Democratic,
sought to have the allotment Of this
huge sum of money made to their State.
Mr.. Brewster was very active. On the
stand Mr.. Brewster admitted that Mr..
Corcoran had done good service for the
Maine project.
1t is perhaps easy to imagine the
wrath of Mr.. Corcoran when he dis
covered at the eleventh hour that Mr..
Brewster had run out on him in the
matter of the vote on the death SEN
tence" clause in the holding company
bill. Here, at least, was one member of
the House who should have been nailed
down. Not only did Mr.. Corcoran expect
that Brewster would vote for the death
sentence, but he confidently believed
that the Maine Representative would
Take CIle IlOOT ana QeIenQ II. ACCOrQllS
to the story told the House committee
by Corcoran, Brewster had visited Maine
and discovered that If he wished to be
reelected he must watch his step.
Hence, according to Mr.. Corcoran, the
desertion of Mr. Brewster.
The picture presented, while edifying,
is not pleasant. How many other mem-
bers of the House and Senate have been
worked upon by administration lobbyists
in the interest of legislation desired by
the White House may never be known.
There is, of course, the other side of
the picture which has not yet been
shown up-the activities of the power
companies which have opposed the hold
ing company bill. If they have expended
large sums of money to influence legis-
lation, that, too, should be known. But
If the administration has withheld or
expended money to do the same thing,
to influence legislation, it may be re-
membered that it is public money appro-
priated for relief