The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-27


 Spokesman not only for his own huge Commonwealth and South. ern Corp, but generally for the prlvately.owrted public utilities of the country, Wendell Lewis Willkle above, Is believed to have negotiat- ed at the White House "work. ing truce."
 ther, gave $l50 to the Democratic campaign of that year.
 True, he regretted both actions later, but his membership even in the For Roosevelt in 1882" club marks him as comparatively pro- gressive and liberal among execu- tives in the industry he represents. He is not quite 46 years old. Willkie went from his birth city of Elwood, Ind, to the state uni- versity at Bloomington as a near. Socialist. Active in campus poli- tics, he took to public speaking like a COW to clover, and was an officer of the Jackson Club, fol- lowing Democratic tradition in the family. Returning to Elwood, he married Edith Wilk, a librarian. Following college, Willkie spent 10 years in Akron, Ohio, practice ing law and handling many per- sonal injury suits against the street car company. That gave him an in- sight into the feeling of the public toward public utilities that he has never forgotten.
 "A businessman may complain that the President has overcapi- talized the discontent of the pulp lie against business" Willkie said only few days ago, but he can't say that the discontent did not exist"
 | Crusades Against Interference" l Willkie then went to New York with Q law firm which represented Commonwealth & Southern. With in four years he withdrew from the law firm to head the utility combine.
 That was in 1883. Less than O year later Willkie began his cru- sade against government interfer- ence," and government competi- ton. With his own personal skirts, and those of his company, rela- lively clean and untouched by the abuses which had drawn criticism on the public utilities, Willkie was In Q. good position to crusade against the holding company death sentence" bill and the va rious threats and restraints which seemed to him to be hamperine business and preventing It from making good time along the re. covery road.
 Willkie is fearless and outspok. en. He never hesitates at jobs like taking on the governments re- doubtable David Lilienthal in pub- lie debate, and press statements issue from him with Q deadliness of aim and timing of man who well understands public relations. Willkie is 6 large-framed, dis tinctly handsome man, careless iil dress, and informal in manner. He keeps Indiana roots alive by ownership of two farms back in his home state, though New York and Washington claim almost all his time today.
 Compromise His Goal.
 But though he crusades for pri- vate ownership with something of the same devotion that Senator Norris has brought to the cam- I paign for government ownership, Wiilkie is believed to be working out some sort of workable compro- mise with the President.
 Details have not been given out, but the spirit in which the discuss sions were approached is shown by Willkie's later statement that "the day has come for both busi- ness men and government officials to make e sincere and honest effort to solve comparatively the prob- lems which are seriously slowing the processes of recovery, and in some situations actually causing business recessions."