Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-09-23
SEEN
HEARD
around the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field ~
By Carter Field ~

Washington.-Fra r. McNinch,
the new chairman of the power COM
mission, is apparently trying to
brighten the electric industry into re-
ducing rates. Which is rather Gu
rious, for if the electric industry
should reduce it's rates sharply, as
a result of McNinch's warning, the
almost inevitable result would be
that there would be weakening of
public support for the Norris seven
TWAS bill which is supposed to be
passed at the next session of con-
gress. And such elimination
would be most unsatisfactory not
only to Senator George w. Norris,
who has come to approve of Nc
Ninch, but to President Roosevelt,
who appointed him.
After pointing to the record
breaking figures for sales of cleo
tricity in the first seven months of
1887, McNinch remarked:
'"This revelation of unparalleled
growth and prosperity is the an
swer to those devotees of that an
Gent superstition of hydromancy
who gazed at the water of a few
hydro plants the government was
building and predicted the destruc-
ton of the private power industry"
cit is both interesting and signifi-
can't" Mr.. McNinch said later, ito
note that, as electric rates have
gone down, production and con-
sumption have gone up. It has been
and is a short-sighted policy to keep
electric rates as high as the tariff
will bear Such false economy holds
down the traffic and hurts the pow
er industry as well as the public.
1t has now been demonstrated be-
yond all cavil that the public wants
and needs more and more power in
industry, in commerce, in the home
and on the farm. Only those who
see through a glass darby now fail
to understand that the interests and
prosperity of the power companies
and of the consumers alike look in
the direction of electrifying Amer
ica."
With all of which, incidentally, the
utility executives agree, though, I'M
fortunately for their own good, too
few of them probably will heed the
warning about high rates soon
enough.
Worth Watching
Incidentally, McNinch is an in
farnCfjn6 Enyyrn y,N1i{:@1
worth watching. He was an up and
coming cog in the Furnihold Sim
mons machine in North Carolina,
years ago. Then he angered the
boss, and Simmons retired him to
outer darkness. For years he found
every road leading to anything po-
litically barred by the relentless
Simmons.
But then came 1923, and the NOM
ination of AL Smith by the Demo-
Gratis. Simmons sulked. Hat in
hand, McNinch called on his old
chief. He agreed that Smith should
be beaten. Simmons encouraged
him, first secretly and later openly.
McNinch led the North Carolina
Hoovercrats, and carried the state,
with aid from Simmons and the nor
mally impotent Republicans, by an
overwhelming majority.
But mark this. Of all the hun
dreds of key Democrats, including
many far more important than Nc
Ninch, who revolted, McNinch is
the only one who has ever succeed
ed in getting to first base since!
Simmons himself was defeated on
that very issue in the next primary.
ALI over the South the same thing
happened.
Normally, in rebellion, the lead
ers get short shrift. But in a revo-
luton they come into power. In the
South the fellows who won, back in
1923, and who carried Virginia,
North Carolina, Florida, Texas,
Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma
for Hoover, had their reward in po-
litical Punishment and popular dis
like. All but McNinch.
Herbert c. Hoover seemed to feel
no gratitude to any one in the South
who had risked his political future
for him. With the exception of
McNinch! Maybe Hoover figured
that most of these Hoovercrats were
just fighting Smith because he was
wet, or a Tammany politician,
and therefore didn't deserve any re-
ward from him. And, of course, in
a way Hoover-on this one thing
was right.
But how about McNinch? How did
he persuade Hoover that he, alone
of all the southern boilers, deserved
reward? And how did he convince
Franklin D. Roosevelt that his DOW
ers should be increased? That man
has something.
Boland Has Something
Patrick j. Boland, Democratic
whip of the house, is not as we'll
known to the general public as he
deserves. The title carries the idea
to most folks of sort of sergeant
alarms, or call boy, who rounds up
the congressman for vote. Sounds
like leg job rather than one in
volving leadership.
Actually, of course, it is rather
an important place, which gives it's
holder the privilege of sitting in on