The Washington times., 1937-04-19
BIG BUSINESS
FEARS NEW
ATTACK
BY EARL GOODWIN

several DlB puSllSSS 4SduSES
are shivering for fear lest the
Government suddenly carry out its
secret intention to bang away at
the alleged business culprits in
several price-fixing or antitrust
matters.
One of the biggest business men
in the country, recent donor of .
rare gift to the Government, whose
name is not mentioned by at
torneys working on the job, may
be the object of a sharp attack in
court under the antitrust laws.
At the same time, there is q
rather desperate fight under cover
to prevent further irritation Of
any business.
Part Of this fight is the reason
why the Department Of Justice
has not made its report to the
President on the strangely identi-
cal bids made by several steel CON-
panies to Public Works Admins
traitor 1ckes on a big construction
job more than a year ago.
Stirred Up BY Ickes
IckeS hated to do it, but he had
to accept one Of the bids any.
how, so he chose the concern fur
theSt away from the construction
site-juSt so as to make it as un-
profitable as possible for the steel
company which got the job.
1ckes was rather sore over the
matter and asked the President
about it; the President asked the
Attorney General about it-and
since then. until a few days ago,
when a newspaper Questioner at
q White House press conference
stirred up the question, the mat
ter has not been heard Of in
public.
Politics is said to have entered
into the matter in some way. The
papers in the case were dumped
into the lap of the Attorney Gen
eral the week Of the Democratic
national convention, and efforts
to have some one talk about the
case then were met with WhiS-
pered admonitionS to come see
us some other time"
Many months have gone by;
other identical bids have been re-
fceived by the Government. At one
time no bids at all could be OBJ
tanned by the Navy on steel, cop
per and other necessary items;
and during all Of this time, there
was a rumor that the Government
was not inclined to haraSS business
any more than it had to do, simply
because business was having
tough enough time with the labor
question. It was pictured that bust.
hess had fleaS and other troubles
to keep it humble and that good
stiff kick from the Department Of
Justice might break its morale to
, dangerous extent.
RumOr Persistent
True or not, this rumor per.
sisted.
However, that part of this Gov
eminent which wants to keep bust
ness running a constant gauntlet
Is apparently getting ready with
some antitrust suits. Whether or
not the President will make any
move in the matter remains to be
seen; at any rate, the story goes
that as soon as the President wins
his court fight by congressional
enactment New Dealers claim che
has it in the bag') there will be
some big suits entered against
prominent corporations selling
well known and widely used prod
ucts.
{ One reason assigned to this
story is that the Administration
feels that it must have something
big in the way of a public attack
after the court bill is out Of the
way so that the senatorial oppo-
nents of the plan cannot get busy
on a similar plan. The Admins
tration strategists would not like
to have Senator Wheeler, of Mon
tana, for example, point out the
apparent friendlinesS Of the Ad.
fninistration toward certain bust
ness interests.
RuR@~ NRuHn