The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-03-31


important delegates. II hits the
entire Maryland Democracy, which
was enthusiastic for Albert C.
Richie. It hits the majority lead
ers in 1882 of the Democratic party
in Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
Connecticut, New York and New
Jersey. It reaches out into Califor-
MIA and hits Senator William Gibbs
McAdoo, who was for Garner. 1t
hits more than three-quarters of the
important Democratic leaders in
Ohio, and plenty in Indiana.
Idea Is Not New
There is nothing new about the
idea of discrimination against Dem
ocrats who do not belong to the For
Roosevelt Before Chicago club.
But Up until now the only point has
been in patronage. GHfey would
magnify this discrimination to apply
to running for elective office. II
would bar from any important role
in politics everyone who was not
actively fighting for the nomination
of Roosevelt in the period immedi-
ately preceding June, 1892
This is new sort of political doc
trine. It runs counter to the oft.
stated maxim of viii H. Hays that
assimilation, not elimination is
what party needs.
And there is just enough truth in
Guffey's new doctrine, regardless of
his own sincerity in stating it, to
cause trouble. For there is not a
Democratic senator or governor or
member of the legislature who does
not suspect that in any contest be-
tween an old Roosevelt friend and
an old Roosevelt opponent, the
President would be inclined to sup
port the friend. That is human. It
has always been.
The Importance of it now is
that never before has the titular
head of a party, occupying the
White House, had SO. much power to
affect results in state primaries and
conventions of his party.
Putting the two Guffey doctrines
together would look very much as
though John L. Lewis favorite sem
ator was digging pit for Roosevelt
to fall into.
All Boards "Wooden"
General Goethals, of Panama
canal fame, was wont to remark,
toward the end of his life, that
"all boards are long, narrow and
wooden This opinion grew out of
his experience with the United
States shipping board, which at
tempted to build ships during the
World war emergency. 1t had
nothing to do with his experience
at the canal. In fact, it was the con-
trast between his helpless bicker-
ing in the shipping board, and the
czarisms he practiced, thanks to
Theodore Roosevelt, at the canal
job, that brought forth his deroga-
tory comment on boards.
All of which applies to the present
Tennessee Valley authority DIETER
known by its initials, TVA,) contro-
versy. The real trouble consider
ing solely its administrative mess,
is the fact that it is run by three
man board.
Washington observers have been
racking their brains during the last
few weeks to discover a single case
of any government board, set up
with business type Of function, as
distinguished from a judicial type
of function, which has. not been
ruined by personal conflicts between
the board members.
The IVA is the outstanding pres
ent illustration of failure. The Unit
ed States shipping board, with its
interminable quarreling between
members on wooden ships versus
steel, etc., is the one best remem-
bered.
On the contrary the ICC is an
outstanding case OF a successful
government board, but its func-
ton is almost entirely judicial.
But I'm BUSINESS
Why, it is asked, should corpora
tons be run successfully by boards,
but governmental agencies appar-
emily always come to grief? The
answer, observers here figure out,
is that business corporations are
actually almost always dominated
by one man. The division in pow
er among the board members is
theoretical, not practical. In POI
litically appointed board one mem
Der is just as powerful, SO far as
the operation of the board is con-
cerned, as another. In business it
is almost never that way.
For instance, the president OF a
corporation is always a member of
the board. In some instances he
is the dominating figure. He runs
the company. If he runs it sue
cessfully the board of directors is
just set Of rubber stamps. They
approve his policies. The test Of
his power is the success of the cor
poration.
But the division Of the corporation
into three or more parts, with one
member of the board supreme in
each pigeenhele, would be highly
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