Evening star., 1938-04-06
The T. V. A. Committee.

Vice President Garner and Speaker
Bankhead ran true to expected form
yesterday when they failed to appoint
to the special joint committee to inves-
tigate the Tennessee Valley Authority
Senator Bridges of New Hampshire and
Representative May of Kentucky, who
have been prime movers in the demand
for an inquiry. The administration had
decreed, however, that neither of these
gentlemen or any other member of the
House and Senate who had been harsh
critic of T. v. A. should sit as a men,
ber of the committee. With a great
show of magnanimity, administration
leaders said they would not place on the
committee chief proponents of T. V. A.
like Senator Norris of Nebraska.
The Vice President, however, gets the
credit for naming to the investigating
committee Senator McNary of Oregon,
the Republican leader of the upper
house, and that distinguished Repub-
lcan, Senator William E. Borah of Idaho
Both would have made excellent men,
bers OF the committee. But for some
time before the Vice President announced
the committee makeup it was well un-
derstood that neither of these Senators
would serve. So the actual appointment
became an idle gesture-or was it a po-
litical move?
The Republican members of the Sen
ate insist that Senator Bridges should
have place on the committee because
he has already made a comprehensive
study Of the agency and its administra-
ton. They add that it is a Senate prac-
tlce to place on an Investigating COM
mittee the men who have been instru-
mental in bringing about the inquiry.
And so it has. With great fnesse the
Vice President placed on the Investigate
ing committee the other Senator from
New Hampshire. Senator Brown is
a Democrat, an ardent New Dealer.
friend of government ownership of utili-
ties-and incidentally he comes up for
reelection next November Here is
chance to put him in the spotlight and
perhaps-just perhaps-make votes for
him.
The Vice President, on the other hand,
named Senator C"Honest'D Vic Donahey
of Ohio, Democrat, to be chairman
(since he was first named of the COM
mittee. Donahey has not seen eye to
eye with the New Dealers on a number
of occasions. Furthermore, he made his
reputation in the Buckeye State when
he was State auditor and clamped
down on every expense he considered
excessive. Presumably he will use a
fine-tooth comb to learn whether the
T. V. A. has been run extravagantly
or WaStefully. The other Democratic
member of the committee is Senator
Schwartz of Wyoming, like Brown a
strong supporter of the New Deal and
the President.
Republican Leader Smell of the House
speaks we'll of the committee appointed
by the Speaker. The three Democrats,
Mead of New York, Driver of Arkansas
and Thomason of Texas, are regarded
as administration men. Representative
Jenkins of Ohio and Wolverton of New
Jersey are recognized as energetic and
able, capable of delving into the intri-
cacies of the T. " A.
The committee, when it has finally
been completed, has ahead of it an i'm
portant duty. The country wants to
know what this Government yard stick"
is costing. 1t wants to know who is
paying for it, and, finally, it wants to
know rather definitely what is the pol
icy of the Roosevelt administration to-
ward the public utilities. 1t wants to
know whether the administration is set
upon government ownership. To the
committee will be intrusted the job of
finding answers to all these questions