Evening star., 1937-03-04
MAPES HITS RULE
Of COMMISSIONS
BY CABINET MEN
Political Control Feared for
Units Created to Serve
Congress.
WHITE HOUSE DRAFTS
ALSO CAUSE CRITICISM
Reorganization Measure Should
Not Be Kept Confidential,
Says Representative.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. kENNEDY.
Vigorous opposition to the proposal
in the Presidents new reorganization
bill to put the Interstate Commerce
Commission and other regulatory COM
missions under cabinet officers was
voiced in the House today by Repre-
sentatives Mapes. Republican, OF
Michigan, who formerly served on a
House Reorganization Committee.
Putting these commissions under
a member of the cabinet me is polit-
ical control" he protested. 1T means
direct and constant contact between
the executive and the commissions,
which would deprive them of the in
dependence they now enjoy. Their
work would be subject to political in
f1uenCeS which might prove very pow
erful when an administration has some
political policy or plan it desires to
put across, or when the eXigencies OF
party policies seemed to demand 1t"
Mapes spoke particularly regard
ing the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion, because he is a veteran men,
Der on the Committee of Interstate
and Foreign Commerce, but pointed
out that his remarks apply quite as
much to some of the other more i'm
portant regulatory commissions or in
dependent establishments, such as the
Federal Trade Commission, the Fed
eral Communications Commission, the
Securities and Exchange Commission
and the Federal Power Commission"
He said that the Joint Committee on
Reorganization would bring out legis-
lation which he could support, but
that that hope lis based upon the
further hope that the joint committee
will not accept some of the recon-
mendations of the Brownlow com
mittee."
&c. C. First Unit of Kind.
Representative Mapes pointed out
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission was the first regulatory COM
mission, created by act of Congress
so years ago.
444S u4oVOiy kOlAlhlAHoLO4lo, lAO
explained, have all been created by
Congress and made its agents to assist
it in the performance of the duty i'm
posed upon it by the Constitution, to
regulate commerce with foreign ma
tions and among the several States
and with the Indian tribes"
He told his colleagues in the House
that it would be hard to overestimate
the importance of these commissions
because every American citizen 'is
directly affected by their work in his
everyday life"
In recognition of their Importance,
and in order that they might be free
as possible from political and other
control. Congress. in creating them"
he emphasized. has given them an
independent status outside of the reg
ular departments of the Government,
which are under the jurisdiction and
control of the members of the cab
met"
Opposes Rea 1ymade Bills.
Mapes also stressed the fact that
the Presidents reorganization bill, ''of
such importance and great public in
terest,' should not be kept conf
DENTAL He warned his colleagues
that there is danger in accepting
drafts of bills proposing legislation
sent up from the White House as the
work of the President
BY the very nature of things and
the multiplicity of his duties he
said, "the President can examine
them casually only, if at all. They
are often prepared. as in the present
case, by some one without official re-
sponsibility, without public hearings
and without practical experience in
the field with which he attempts to
DEAL
AS far as the new administration
reorganization bill deals with these
regulatory commissions, Mapes said,
ut recommends that they be deprived
of their independent status, placed in
one or another departments and put
under the control of and made re-
sponsible to member of the cabinet,
a political appointee md through him
to the President. After that has been
done the work of the commission is
to be divided: the legislative or quasi
legislative part of it is to be separated
from the judicial or quasi judicial
part and performed by bureau or
division.
"The members of the commissions
proper would, in the future, confine
themselves to the purely judicial part
Of the work. This recommendation
involves question of public policy
Of fundamental importance. It would
change the very nature of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and
would destroy it as it has existed
throughout the years. A former men,
Der of the commission, testifying be-
fore the House committee, said it
would be better to abolish the com.
mission altogether than to put into
effect the recommendations of the
Brownlow Committee"