Evening star., 1936-10-12
RADIO MUST LET \
BROWDER SPEAK
As Candidate Of Recognized
Party, Law Provides for
Broadcasts. ~

Whatever may be its political i'm
pulses and economic bents, the hue
and cry over the broadcasting Of
speeches by Earl Browder, the Com.
munist candidate for President, finds
Washington frankly unable to do any,
thing about it. Under the communi-
cations act of 1884, Browder, as a
duly registered candidate Of a legally
recognized party, has the same right
to speak on the radio that the other
candidates have. Radio station and
network managers, once they accept
a speech by any other candidate, be-
come legally bound to accept speeches
by Browder under the same condi-
tions-the conditions being simply
that Browder's party must pay for the
time on the air.
That is exactly what the Commu.
nists are doing during the current CAM
paign. Early in August they budgeted
themselves for eight Nationwide
hook-ups Of the N 3. c. networks,
as well as series Of five special New
IOLk otdOC 1tOOh-0Ro. AL d00AllOAAs
they booked time on local radio sta
tons in the cities in which Browder
was to address rallies. Even Hearst's
WCAE, at Pittsburgh, at first refusing
to take the Browder talks over the
network, found itself faced with the
unequivocal provisions of the radio
law and finally had to agree to carry
the speeches.
Thus it was that, even though the
police authorities at Terre Haute, Ind,
last week kept Browder in durance
vile and denied him the right to ad-
dress local meeting, they were pow
erless to prevent his speech from be-
ing broadcast over the local radio sta--
ton by his attorney, David j. Bentall
of Chicago. Physically detained from
going to the radio studio, Browder
simply turned over his manuscript to
his lawyer and Bentall read the speech
while the Mayor and police chief could
only fret over their inability to stop
him because of the Federal law.
Those who have heard Browder on
the air agree that his speeches, while
strongly espousing the Communist
doctrines, are mild in delkery manner
by comparison with some of the more
forceful political speakers heard more
often on the radio. His voice is sing
songy, his manner didactic. and the
current prediction polls would seem
to indicate that he has not been very
effective in selling" his candidacy or
his ideas via the radio.
Nevertheless. his party is spending
well over its 10000 radio budget for
time on the air. and, much as they
may not like to carry his speeches,
the radio managers, almost without
exception, have been advised by their
attorneys that they must do so as long
as they carry the speeches of the other
candidates. The law is specific. It
says that If any licensee shall permit
any person who Is legally qualified
candidate for any public Office to use
a broadcasting station he shall afford
equal opportunities to all other such
candidates for that office in the use
of such broadcasting station"
1t says, moreover, that the station
shall have no power Of censorship
over the material broadcast" An.
other proviso gives the station its only
"out"-namely. that mo obligation
is hereby imposed upon any ucenses
to allow the use of its station by any.
such candidate. But not a station
so far has reported any policy of re-
Jecting speeches by the other such &.
candidates" for their audiences insist
upon hearing Roosevelt and Landon,
let alone the candidates for local of.
fees.
Thus radio appears to be Americas
chief counterpart of Londons Hyde
Park, where any one and every one
can speak his piece" however in
famatory, under protection of the
law. subject only % to the discretion
Of the station management, and (2)
to the limitations of pocketbook. Thus
even the White Houses reputation
of Communist support does not enable
it to keep Browder of the air, pro.
vided he can pay, any more than 1t
can keep Father Coughlin and its,
other detractors of the air.