Evening star., 1936-02-02

0y E1cIIt 0UuyS. W4IAA GAL AAlSA "
duction by Arthur Symons. New
York: TIE Macauley Co.
from Kipling who, obligingly, could
always furnish . quotation for any
situation-no matter how delicate.
Quotes Mr.. Richberg, in answer to his
own questions:
Let us admit 1t fairly, as a business
people should.
We have had no end Of lesson; 1t
will do us no end Of good"
It seems q trifie statutory, somehow.
And coming from Mr.. Richberg 1t
seems just a wee bit too sporting.
But its spirit ought to be accepted.
Then, leaving the poets behind
or the avowed poets, anyway-Mr.
Richberg sweeps into an eager ex-
planation of what happened, of what
was meant to happen and forecast
of what he feels. from the vantage
point of his experience. may yet come
to pass. 1t is not as dull as you
might expect.
In fact. it goes pretty exclusively
into those aspects of the late-lamented
eagle child which plain citizens can
understand and would like to have
explained. It leaves talk about sec
tions, codes, whereases, plus fours and
the like customary verbiage Of the
N. r. A.-ist pretty much to one side.
And, precisely because it is under
Standable, one is constrained to regard
it with cold and unloving suspicion.
Maybe it is propaganda. After all,
who knows? All, who indeed? And
for what? That aspect Of the matter
cannot be ignored either.
Anyway, says Mr.. Richberg, the in
herent weakness of the N. r. A. lay "in
the administrative mixture of demo-
cratic and autocratic processes which
developed rapidly the evils and en-
mites Of both without establishing
the strength Of either" In other
words, the N. r. A. was not intended
to be imposed from above, but, in its
founders minds, was meant to func-
ton through voluntary cooperation
from business men and labor alike,
working through their associations.
That cooperation was not forth
coming. In the major trades and in
dustrieS there were found to be few
associations which were representa-.
tive. The existence of such groups,
says Mr.. Richberg, had been "as-
sumed" by the N. R. A. planners.
Why they did not 60 a step farther
and make certain, he does not explain.
It was just an oversight. doubtless.
Labor organizations likewise proved
to be inadequate for cooperation pur-
poses. The N. r. A. therefore was
forced out of its original plan. 1t had
to assume the burden of enforcing
itself and, from proceeding through
the channels OF cooperation. it was
forced to carry on through those Of
discipline. The difficulties encoun-
tered in this progress are described by
Mr.. Richberg with exemplary patience.
They must have been enough to drive
a saint into fury.
Indeed. in passages the book reads
like minutes from meeting in q mad
house; that Is to say, it has reason
and logic within itself, but it is reason
to all evidence disassociated from life.
It is an excellent, if unconscious, satire
on good intentions, on the struggles Of
faith when faith becomes burdened
with responsibility of producing it's
works. Maybe we have had no end
of lesson. If we have not, then the
men who, with such herculean labors,
strove to make the N. r. A. success
have had a nightmare to no purpose.
Let us hope for the best.
Readers interest will naturally CEN
ter on Mr.. Richberg's attitude toward
the fatal Supreme Court decision.
That, somewhat surprisingly, he takes
as the pillar OF light which has pointed
the way out of the wilderness.
I'm the opinion of the court" he
says, " there was set up q score
of guide posts to writing of law
which would not delegate lawmaking
power to the Executive, but which
would legally authorize the establish
ment and enforcement of codes of fair
competition"
He feels that such legislation is
plainly called for If the system of
competitive private enterprise is to
continue such business co-opera-
tion," he says, could come from a
large number of adequate trade asso-
Citations which could coordinate
their efforts in a national council"
Apparently, then, the failure of the
first effort has lain in the absence of
representative organizations of q CO.
operative temper. Mr.. Richberg does
not insist that business has, even yet,
seen the need Of such organizations.
He quotes the Darrow report to the
contrary. Said Mr.. Darrow, "All COM
petition is savage. wolfish and relent-
less, and can be nothing else" Thus
We have the two points Of view. Only
time can tell what will come out OF
them.
CONGRESS OR THE SUPREME
COURT-WHICH SHALL RULE
AMERICA? The University De-
baters Help Book. Volume II,
Compiled and edited by Egbert Ray
Nichols. New York: Noble & Noble.
THIS il q work designed primarily
to helm debaters prepare their
speeches. but, since so much emphasis
is at the moment placed on the posi-
bility of rivalry or conflict between
Congress and the Supreme Court, it
seems likely that 1t may have q wider
appeal.
The whole volume is devoted to the
pros and cons Of the question: Re-
solved, That Congress shall have the
power to override, by q two-thirds
majority vote. decisions Of the 6u.
preme Court declaring laws passed by
Congress unconstitutional. Such au-
thorities as the President and the
Chief Justics are cited, among many