The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-12-09
Much Talk, No Action

NATIONAL PRESS; 2, % NSi1fS
Much Talk, No Action
Washington Congress has beer
doing deal Of talking about help
ing business to get on its feet, but /
has not yet accomplished much
The house ways and means commit
tee, 1t is true, Is making some head
way and number of senators, in
Guiding the powerful Senator Har
rison Of Mississippi. are asserting
the necessity for q reversal of fed.
eral policy. But, again, there
much more talk than action, and IL
the meantime the colntry's bust.
ness is sliding lower and lower.
The difficulty in the present sit.
uation and the thing that probably
has been more responsible for the
business slump than anything else
Is that business heretofore has been
unable to tell what the federal gov
eminent is going to do. It has be-
come evident already that with q
somewhat changed atmosphere in
congress, there are many business
men who are more hopeful than a
month ago. Business men, big and
little, are quick to note that there
are senators and representatives who
think the time has arrived for BUSH
ness to receive some consideration.
And it ought to be added that unless
business does get some consideration
this current depression Is going to
be as bad as the last one. The fed
eral government must give attention
OF the agricultural problem and it
must fit that lob into some consid-
Grafton Of the other half of Ameri-
can life, namely, the commerce and
industry outside of agricultural life.
It will be recalled that during the
first two years Of President Roose-
velt's administration there was q
flock Of laws passed that were of
great value to the country. Many
OF them were Of a temporary char
acter and were enacted on that ba-
sis. That would have been fine II
the administration had stopped
there. But it did not. The roam
ing herd of so-called thinkers who
were scattered far and wide in fed
eral jobs had to have their innings.
At least they thought they had to
have a turn at bat. All of their pet
theories had to be tried out. The
result: many laws that were purely
experimental, dangerous, damaging
and q burden to business.
With many millions of others, 4
expected at that time to see these
queer looking laws shaken down,
corrected, or repealed where it was
found necessary. That has not hap
pened. Again, the result: the coun-
try's business from the smallest |
general store at q crossroads or a |
garage or gasoline station to the
greatest corporation, like General
Motors or Pennsylvania railroad
has had to suffer under the heavy
heel Of the national government.
The reason that congress is show
Ing signs Of movement that will |
revise the tax structure is because
these smaller businesses out through
the country have now got their fill
of government red tape, complex re- !
ports. visits of investigators, new
tax forms and levieS, or what have
you. Those people are making
themselves heard here in Washing
ton.
So If congress takes some action
looking to a fair deal for business,
just as it is quite determined to do
something for agriculture, enter
tain no doubt about the response
1t will get from Thine business inter-
ests. AS far as business had made
itself felt, it is apparently asking i
only to be treated equitably with
labor. Every one knows that the
last three or four sessions of con-
gress have been frightened to death
every time labor leader showed
up on capitol hill. The reward given
congress was the G. I. o sitdown
strikes, violences and a general mess.
The condition has left a godly num-
Der of senators and representatives
q bad taste in their mouths.
Messing In Business
There is plenty Of dirty linen in !
the business closet. It has a hard
wash day ahead to restore it to the |
respect Of the bulk of the people.
Business has been SNUG. It has
thought too little in many instances
Of its obligations to the public at |
large. But surely there is point
beyond which federal punishment
ought not go since there is respon-
sibility also in the other direction.
Unless business gets q reasonable
chance to stand on its own feet, how
is 1t going to re-employ workers and
reduce the relief rolls?
q s,ysrl ,,oO