The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-02-13
RADIO FAVORS DEMOCRA
BUT HOLDS COP. In CHECK
Chain FavOrs Roosevelt Defen-
der After Restricting OppOrtu-
niteis of Republican Critics

nitelS OF Republican CrltlcS
Spokesman for the administration,
when they are sponsored by the Demo
cratic National Committee, may have
such time as they wish, and at hours
they prefer over the hook-up of the
Columbia Broadcasting System, if they
desire to make reply to critics of
President Roosevelt and his policies.
Speakers, sponsored by the Republi-
can National Committee, desiring time
to criticize political speeches of Pres
ident Roosevelt, broadcast over this
same network, may have only such
time and at such hours as. the execu-
tives of the Columbia Broadcasting
System, in their discretion, may de-
side to grant The attitude of the N. B.
C. is practically the same. The record
tells the story. %'
The attitude of the Columbia Broad
casting System towards the Republi-.
can National Committee was made
clear by publication Of the correspOn-
dence exchanged between Chairman
Henry P. Fletcher and President Will
liam S. Paley, of Columbia. 1t disclosed
that when Mr.. Fletcher asked in ad-
vance for time in which speakers, un-
der the auspices of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, might reply to the
Presidents political address to Con-
gress, not only was the request not
granted, but the Republican Chairman
was told that speakers selected by him
might later be accorded such time and
at such hours as met with the approval
of Columbia's executives.
The arrangements subsequently
made by Columbia for broadcasting the
speech of Governor AL Smith and the
reply of Senator Joseph T. Robinson
laid bare the wholly different attitude
assumed by Columbia toward the ad-
ministration in power and its political
agent, the Democratic National
Committee. Governor Smiths speech
over the Columbia network was sched-
uled for broadcast on Saturday night,
January %, at 10 o'clock. The speech
was extemporaneous, SOFT could not be
censored. The Governor was accorded
a full hour. Five or six hours before
the Governor went on the air the Co.
lumbia Broadcasting System allotted
time to Robinson and issued a press
release, announcing that Senator Rob
inson, majority leader of the Senate,
and the running mate of Smith in the
1928 campaign, twill speak over the
Columbia network Tuesday, January
%, from 1O:45 to 11:15 P. M" The re-
lease added: "At the request Of the
Democratic National Committee, Co.
lumbia allotted this time to Senator
Robinson for an answer to AL Smiths
speech"
The hour assigned to Robinson was
not satisfactory, SO Columbia accom-
modated it's program to tn ewishes OF
the Democratic Senate leader and the
Democratic National Committee, and
in a second release said that Robinson
would speak from 1000 to 1890, the
announcement carrying repetition OF
the explanation thai time had been &C
corded Senator Robinson cat the re-
quest of the Democratic National Com
mittee."
This friendly concession to the DEM
ocratic National Committee was in
marked contrast in Colunrbia's reply
to Chairman Fletcher. Hours before
Governor Smith spoke time was &C
corded the Democratic National Com
mittee for a reply. To the request OF
the Republican Chairman there was a
strikingly different response. In the
case of Robinson no questions were
asked; the prepared and uncensored
speech which he read was distributed
for publication hours before he faced
the microphone; the Columbia Sys-
tenn executives said nothing about al
lowing such time as in their judgment
met the exigencies Of the occasion.
They gave the Democratic National
Committee exactly what it asked for.
1t was different story when the Re-
publican National Committee sought
to answer the President. The record is
clear. =" tr