Evening star., 1938-05-31

VINO nave leu Tie
biggest industry in our country, the
men who have created Jobs for and
furnished jobs to hundreds OF thou
sands of workers and who have
contributed materially by their genius
to the whole course Of economic life
in America for quarter Of century.
For now the Roosevelt administra-
ton has obtained indictments against
the leading manufacturers of the
motor car industry. Men like Edsel
IFord, Walter P. Chrysler and Alfred
p. Sloan. With what are they and
about so other executives in the motor
industry charged? The vague accu-
sation is that they have violated the
antitrust laws which declare there
must be no restraint of trade" Well,
everybody knows there has been plenty
of competition between the motor
car manufacturers. The new charge
revolves around an alleged restraint
upon the automobile dealers in
recommending to them plans for
financing the purchase of cars by
the public.
Plans OF Their Own.
What sort of restraint That's the
difficult part to ascertain. The three
big manufacturers have proclaimed
plans of their own for installment
financing by dealers, intended to pre-
vent the public from being gyped.
Smaller finance companies have pro-
tested-they wanted to get some Of
this business from dealers on their
own terms. The larger companies
fearing that cars would come back
on the market because of poor
financing arrangements, have tried
to standardize these financing plans.
1t is on this account, doubtless, that
they are to be penalized. For politics
has crept into the situation and a
group Of smaller finance companies
have put pressure on the administra-
ton to break down the financing
system that has existed so that they,
the smaller companies, can get more
business.
Then why does the administration
feel it must proceed now with crimi-
nal prosecutions before it has got all
the facts? The lame excuse offered
is that the administration cannot get
the facts except by public trials.
When q man is accused of crime
he ought to know the charge very
definitely. He ought to know Just
how and where he is violating the
law. And the prosecutions should not
be conducted unless and until the
law Is specific. It isn't like reckless
driving, which Is the illustration now
adays given by administration Off
cials. Certainly speedometer at
'tached to every car tells the driver
every second just how many miles
per hour he is going, and if he ex-
ceeds a specified speed limit he knows
instantly that he is violating the law
No such speedometer exists with re-
spect to antitrust laws. They are
not only ambiguous statutes, but all
the court decisions of the past leave
the business man in doubt as to what
he can and cannot do. This has
: been publicly acknowledged by the
President himself in his message ask
ing that Congress make a study of
new antitrust laws.
Choice Is Seen.
To all this some officials of the De-
partment Of Justice answer: GAS long
as the present antitrust law Is on
the books, whether it is a good or a
bad law, we must enforce 1t. We
have no choice"
But the odd part of it is that the
Department of Justice does have just
such a choice and has actually been
exercising it. The department picks
what laws it will enforce and what
ones 1t will not.
Perhaps the most conspicuous and
fragrant example Of how the present
administration refused to prosecute
criminally, even though the law Is
clear and guilt is plain to see, may
be noted by looking at law known
as the Federal Corrupt Practices Act
1t provides specifically that no politi-
cal committee or members thereof
may solicit and no corporations may
make contributions of any kind to q
political campaign in which Presi-
dent or Vice President is being elected.
Yet the Democratic National Com
mittee has confessed 1t did solicit and
it did acknowledge receipt of money
for the sale of copies of a campaign
book autographed by the President
himself. Mr.. Roosevelt, when con-
fronted with the facts, said through
his secretary that he signed his name
to lot Of blank sheets Of paper and
did not know the purpose to which
the autographs were to be put.
Breeds Disrespect.
Why hasn't this law been enforced?
Why are not indictments rendered
against corporation executives who
violated this Federal statute and
against all members of the Demo-
cratic National Committee who were
directly or indirectly responsible?
A rule of government that does not
enforce all the law equally is one that
usually breeds disrespect for govern
ment itself. An administration that
protects its own skin while seeking
to punish the leading men Of in
dustry by holding them up to the
public shame of indictment in Fed
eral court is not going to convince
people Of its professions Of disinter-
estedness about cooperation with
business to bring economic recovery.
Henry Ford. who was a recent visitor
at the White House, is a man whose
leadership in industry has been rec
ognized all over the world. His son
works with him night and day to
build up business In the American
way and to furnish employment. But
today Henry Ford sees his son ac-
cused Of crime through the indict-
ment Of Federal grand jury infiu-
enced by q political administration.
It Is all very true that an indict-
naent Is mere accusation and does not
,,anassaSilv mean guilt. IIItimatAlu an