The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-03-09

WASHINGTON. - Harry l.. HOP
kins tells a story about herring
fisherman who had great deal OF
trouble keeping his fish alive IN ms
tanks. and finally hit on the device
of putting catfish in each tank
The catfish, Hopkins says, kept
things SO stirred up that the herring
did not succumb to ennul or what
ever was the trouble before.
The story is apropos now because
it is being used as an explanation
of why President Roosevelt appoint
ed Thomas r. Amlie to the inter-
state commerce commission, an ap-
pointment generally regarded as one
of the poorest, from the standpoint
of practical politics, entirely aside
from any merit or dement, it may
have, that Mr.. Roosevelt has ever
made.
II is pointed out by those telling
the story that the President has long
been bitter about the independent
commissions. He does not approve
of these bodies which are not In
tegrated" with the administration
or, in short, those which the admin
istration cannot control.
b There is nothing new about Mr..
Roosevelts feeling in this particu-
lar. He did not like the federal
trade commission, and threw cat
fish into that body after removing
Illegally, as the Supreme court later
held William E Humphrey. The
catfish thrown into the Supreme
court was Justice Hugo L. Black.
Frank r. McNinch has been the cat
fish for two bodies. the federal pow
er commission and the communica-
tons commission.
Mariner S. Eccles has been a
particularly effective catfish. He not
only has kept the federal reserve
board stirred up but has tangled
with various other government units.
Public Defeat for the
President Almost Certain
IT is understood on Capitol Hill to
have been Aubrey w. Williams, late
lieutenant of Harry Hopkins in WPA,
and now head of the youth admins
tration, who originated the Amlie
idea, which has proved as much OF
catfish for the United States sen.
ate as the Supreme court enlarge
ment proposal did, though with ap-
parently almost as great certainty
of accomplishing a public defeat for
the President.
y Roosevelt began his practice Of
tossing a catfish in every tank he
could before he began his aggres
sive fight to coordinate these in
dependent agencies. In the govern
ment reorganization bill as he origi
nally planned it, it was proposed
that most of them be "co-ordinated
by the simple process Of putting
them under the White House.
The President made no secret 0
his ideas in this connection. VIVA
on Capitol Hill and in certain othe
quarters was regarded as NOV
which would SO tremendously in
crease the powers Of the Chief Elk
ecutive as to be step toward die
tatorship, Roosevelt himself saw a
a move toward reform and efficien
cy. He talked about his ideas II
press conferences long before hi
bill was sent to the Capitol. In fact
he talked SO persuasively, and s.
many sympathetic articles wer
written about the efficiency of hi
ideas, that later he had to begi
soft pedalling on this angle.
Difficulties Face Barter
agreement Filth Germany
Talk Of barter with Germany, pr
marily to move such agricultur;
products as cotton and lard into tn
vacuum" which exists in Germ;
ny, brings up the essential obje,
tions that the. men working undt
Secretary of State Cordell Hull {
the reciprocal trade agreemen
have to face. They are the san
objections which resulted in Georf
NJ Peek being thrown out of the a
ministration in the early days
the trade agreements, though wi
variations.
For example, the first objectic
to barter with Germany is that Il
particular trades proposed were n
barter at all. They involved pa
ment for American raw materials
a special type of German mark
which could be spent only insit
Germany. Acceptance of them
course made impossible any thre
way type of trade.
The latest proposal does not co
template the use of these speci
marks, but the acceptance Of &c
man products, mostly steel, VIII
etc, in exchange for the cotton al
lard which complicate Americas q
ricultural problem Of course /
steel and wire industry does /
like this idea at all For eve
pound of German steel and WREN
ported as a result of this propos
barter agreement, obviously, tho
will be just one less pound Of st,
or wire fabricated inside the Unit
States