Evening star., 1938-06-18


mittee, representing the legislative
branch, has already been announced.
The Vice President and Speaker were
at considerable pains to pick able
Representatives Of the two houses.
They succeeded. Senator O'Mahoney
Of Wyoming, Senator King of Utah
and Senator Borah of Idaho were the
Garner selections, and Representative
Hatton Summers Of Texas, chairman
Of the House Judiciary Committee:
Representative Edward C. Eicher Of
Iowa, and Representative B. Carroll
Reeoe of Tennessee the Bankhead ap-
pointees.
Six Agency Members.
The other six members Of the COM
mittee are to represent six agencies OF
the executive branch-the Depart
ments Of the Treasury, Of Justice. Of
Commerce, Of Labor. the Federal
Trade Commission and the Securities
and Exchange Commission. Either
the heads of these agencies or men
qualified to represent them will serve.
Already Attorney General Cummings
has given much study to this problem
of monopoly and trusts, and so In
deed have the heads OF the other
agencies mentioned.
Presumably the committee will meet
at an early date. In creating the
committee, Congress directed it should
make at least a preliminary report
when Congress conyenes next winter.
The expectation on Capitol Hill Is
that Senator OMahoney, who with
Judge Summers sponsored the resolu-
ton setting up the committee, will be
elected chairman.
In some quarters the committee set
up has been heralded as a victory for
the President-since he is to have the
ALLEGATION of $400, 900 out Of the $780,
600 appropriated for the use Of the
committee, while the committee, as 1t
represents Congress, is to control only
500, 900. As q matter Of fact, the
committee set-up is distinctly victory
for the legislative branch. For the
President, when he originally pro-
posed the creation Of q body to make
the study. expected it would be COM
posed only Of executive ofncials. So
far as the money is concerned, to be
used for the investigation. the con-
gressional members are satisfied with
the share they will control and say
that it IS only correct that the Presi-
dent should decide where the money
Is to go In the agencies which he con-
trois as head Of the executive branch
These agencies and their personnel
will be used extensively for studies
and the collection of data.
Foster No Wild Ideas.
A glance at the personnel Of the
legislative section of the investigat-
ing committee should convince the
most skeptical that it is not made up
Of men intent on fostering new and
strange governmental controls over
business and industry. It is true that
Senators Borah Of Idaho and O'Ma-
honey OF Wyoming are the sponsors
OF the Federal licensing bill, which
Is one method Of attacking the monop-
oily problem. But both of these Sena-
tors are sticklers for laws within the
bounds Of the Constitution. Both Of
them vigorously opposed the Prea-
dent when he sought to pass the bill
to increase the membership Of the
Supreme Court. No one will accuse
Senator King Of being q wild radical,
and he, too, was an anti-oourt-bil
Senator. Judge Summers is recognized
as one Of the ablest lawyers in Con-
gress. He had quite bit to do with
the defeat Of both the court bill and
the Presidents reorganization bill.
Representatives Eicher and Reece are
both members Of the House Interstate
Commerce Committee and sound mem
bers at that.
II the administration has any idea
Of using the monopoly Investigation
Tor political purposes during the COM
ing campaign, it is likely to have q
sad awakening. After all, the legis-
htive half Of the committee Is Just
Is influential as the executive branch,
and the chairman in all probability
win be Senator O'Mahoney. Despite
the published stories about the COM
ntttee and the inquiry, there is noth-
ing on the record to show that the
President is planning to make use Of
this monopoly study to attack any Of
his opponents in the business world
for political purposes.
Gamers Selections Capable.
There may be those who will con.
tend that the Vice President let the
White House down in making his se-
lections for the committee-that he
picked out-and-out opponents Of some
Of Fthe Presidents policies. But
whether he did or not, the Vice PYesi-
dent selected men capable Of making