Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-03-26
ABANDONS HOUSING CASE.
SEEING KILOGRAMS.
BLACK DEFENDS COURSE.
BUSINESS MEN GATHER
RAILROADS AND LABOR
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.
PRE- CONVENTION STRATEGY.
THE TAX DISCUSSION.

THE TAX DISCUSSION.
The Administration has abandoned
its appeal to the Supreme Court in the
Louisville housing case and apparently
accepts the decision of an Appellate
Court, holding that the Federal Gov
eminent has no power to condemn
property for low-cost housing purpos-
es. The action of the Government re-
suited in considerable speculation,
some c~ontending that it was to avoid
an adverse decision and others MAIN
tanning that no such power is now de-
sired by the Administration, which
plans to abandon direct Federal con-
struction and leave the job to local
authorities, financed through Federal
loans and grants.
While twenty States have passed en-
aiding acts, permitting countries and
municipalities to set up housing auth
critics, only twenty-three communi-
ties have done so. The Department OF
Justice said the action was taken be-
cause the cases had become moot"
since no funds were available for the
Louisville and Detroit project under
fire. However, this is no explanation
why, only two weeks before, the Gov
eminent filed its brief and local auth.
critics had appeared as friends Of the
Court in the two cases.
Quite a stir has been raised by the
discovery that the Black Lobbying
Committee had secured from the tel
egraph companies copies of Lobbying"
kilograms and that in many cases the
senders Of the messages were unaware
Of the step taken by the Committee.
The issue was raised by Silas II.
Strown, Chicago lawyer and former
President of the American Bar Asso-
citation, and of the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States, who Sc
cured a restraining order to prevent
the telegraph companies from deliver
ing to the Committee copies of the
messages to and from his law firm.
The right of the citizen to be free
from unwarranted search and seizures
is asserted by the contention that no
government official should be permit
ted to go on a fishing expedition"
The admission is readily made
that the right to seize specified mes
sages and correspondence, but this, say
the directors, does not include any
general examination of documents in
order to ascertain whether or not val
liable information is to be found in
them.
Senator Black, Of Alabama, head OF
the Lobby Investigating Committee,
and defending the action taken, points
to the revelation that many companies
which opposed the Holding Company
Bill, burned all kilograms and letters
dealing with their campaign. In such
cases, information as to messages sent
and received can only be obtained
from the telegraph companies files.
Moreover, the Alabamian insists hat
it is not possible for an investigating
committee, seeking evidence of activ-
ity, to give accurate information as to
kilograms which have been exchanged
but destroyed and denied by those
concerned.
Around a thousand business men
recently gathered in Washington to in
luence Congress to take favorable ac-
ton on the so-called "anti-chain'
measure, known as the Robinson-Pat-
man bill. AS precedents they had the
farmers march" last year to support
the amendments to the AAA, and the
business mems march" for a revival
Of the MIRA. The measure concerned is
presumed to benefit and protect small
retailers, but is also being backed by
wholesalers who think it will help
them to regain business lost to the
chains and to buying pools which Sc
cure quantity discounts and lower pri-
ces through mass buying. The bill ap-
plies to a huge range of commodities,
including groceries and drugs, and
would apparently revive some Of the
price controls of MIRA.
Impetus to such legislation has been
given by revelations that certain chain
store organizations have been receiv-
ing special prices, discounts, allowan-
ces and advertising funds from manu-
facturers who make no such conces-
sions to small purchasers. In some in
stances, the amounts allowed these
large purchasers were sufficient to en-
able them to undersell independent
stores by an %appreciable margin. While
there is considerable sentiment in ia
vor of the proposed legislation, oppo-
sition arises from the fact that some
trade experts insist that restriction OF
the special discounts allowed for buy
ing in large quantities will add mil
lions of dollars to the annual food bill
of American consumers.
President Roosevelt has urged rail-
road labor and management to get to-
gether and settle their conflicts with
out throwing the problem before Con-
gress for a legislative solution. The
railroads have been anxious for some
time to effect economies in operation
through the combined use of terminal
facilities, but Labor leaders, fearing
further unemployment, have been cool
to the suggestion. Recently Joseph E.
Eastman, transportation coordinator,
brought the situation to a head by or
dering the establishment of combined
terminal facilities in eleven cities. This
will be a start and Labor, knowing
that present protective legislation ex-
pires in June, is anxious to have some
law to bar economies which would re-
suit in less employment than existed
in 1888.
Contenders for the Republican nom
nation for the Presidency are becom-
ing more active, with attention being