The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-11-04

SEEN
HEARD
around the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field ~
By Carter Field ~

Washington. Frank r. McNinch
is going to blow away the smoke
that has been lowering over the
Federal communications commits
sion and put out the fire If there is
any. Primarily that is what he was
put in there for. Scarcely anything
pending on Capitol Fill has worried
President Roosevelt more than the
Wallace White resolution provid-
ing for sweeping senate investiga-
ton into FEC. Particularly in that
this resolution would be handled by
the senate interstate commerce
committee of which Burton X.
Wheeler is chairman. The Presi-
dent correctly interprets Wheeler's
attitude as one of active dislike for
himself, despite Wheeler's approval
Of many of the New Deal economic
and social detectives.
Whatever may be the truth about
the fire. certainly many folks in
the industry just assumed that 1t
was there. They gave no open in
dications of a suspicion that any
thing SO gross as actual passage of
money would be effective, but many
approved the policy that the dis
tillers followed, when they offered
the job as their czar first to James
A. Farley and then to Forbes Nor
gan, Mrs. Roosevelt's uncle. There
we're little signs of this, such as the
hiring of Charles Nicholson by one
radio station which wanted its Ii
cense extended.
Actually, whatever the fact may
be, it has been the common as
sumption in Washington and in the
industry that wave lengths were
awarded according to the political
influence those seeking them were
able to bring to bear.
McNinch, although formerly
| politician, has shown no evidence of
being swayed by politics in any ac-
ton since coming to Washington.
He is honest beyond question, and
punctilious about merit as he sees
it. In fact, it is often commented
| that it is worry about which is the
right thing to do that causes his
/ bad spells of nervous indigestion.
Three Plums Less
Just two weeks after taking Of
flee McNinch killed three birds with
one stone by abolishing the set-up
by which the seven-man commits
sion had been divided into three
Water-tight compartments dealing,
respectively. with telegraph, tele-
phone and radio matters, thus neatly
removing three juicy political plums
from the Washington tree. For when
the three divisions cease to function
on November Is there will be no fur
Their need, of course, for the services
of Robert T. BARLEY, A. G. Patter-
son, and Joseph F. Killeen, the di-
rectors of the three divisions. Bart
| ley just happens to be nephew
of Representative Sam Rayburn,
house majority leader; Patterson is
a close friend of ex-senator Hugo
L. Black (Who now has better
job), and Ki1leen is an old asso-
ciate of General James
A. Farley and of Edward j. Flynn,
| Democratic leader in the Bronx in
New York City.
To analyze the action justly, it
should be explained that the reduc-
ton in personnel was a secondary
result. 1t is generally acknowl-
edged that the purge victims have
performed adequately the rather
superficial duties of their respective
positions. 1t is also admitted that
the commission work will probab-
Fly be carried on without noticeable
lag after they leave. The real OBJ
jective can be read between the
lines of McNinch's official state
ment. q. Experience has shown
that to subdivide a small commits
sion has divisive effect and tends
away from cooperation and mutual
understanding; the assignment of
such important work Ito division)
has resulted in two members
of the commission exercising an
undesirably large portion of the
power and functions OF the commits
sion, while denying the other COM
missioners airy practical opportu-
nifty to participate in decisionss !.
Commissioner not on a particular
division have felt a natural reluc-
lance to inquire into the work COM
mitted to others The aggregate
wisdom and judgment of seven
minds is surely greater than any
two or three of the seven" In
other words, it is harder for seven
men to fall into error than for two
to do so.
Word About Hard Coal