The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-02-27

force the SEC 10 undertake re-
organization Of this vast sys-
tenn. They envisaged this step
az q first move toward perma-
nent federal control. The SEC
sidestepped for several reasons.
The main factor was that taking
over A. C. & E. after having
tossed 1t into bankruptcy would
have opened them 10 the charge
that they had deliberately
wrecked it to advance the cause
of public ownership. II would
have embarrassed them In all
future dealings with private
utility interests. and they have
embarrassments aplenty as 1t is
now.
For the same reason the SEC
ers were cold to the idea Of see
ing John w. Hanes named as
sole trustee, though they did not
oppose his selection as one of a
committee. As a former SEC
member, Mr.. Hanes' appoint
ment with exclusive authority
would have been interpreted as
a subtle attempt to accomplish
through him what the commits
sion dare not do openly--name-
ly, sabotage. The only men,
Der voting for an SEC receiver
ship was Ed Eicher, the Cor
coran-Cohen spokesman.
The same congress which de-
fled President Roosevelt in de-
Tense of the supreme court is
now muttering against the re-
organized tribunal. They resent,
somewhat vaguely as yet, the
jurists' growing tendency to de-
liver lectures to the legislative
branch, and to suggest that the
congress is falling down on its
job.
The court, so the cloakroom
charge runs. is committing the
same mistake for which Capitol
Hill chided the president. 1t is
invading the legislators prov
ince. In several recent decisions
the New York sales tax and
state barrier cases the jurists
have limited broadly that con-
gress ought to get busy and pass
a law remedying these evils.
The judicial offenders belong to
no single faction, for the lee
turers have included Chief JUS
tice Hughes. Associate Justices
Black, Douglas, Frankfurter.
And the congressman entertain
the sneaking suspicion that Mr..
Black. as a former member of
the legislative lodge, is the driv-
ing force behind these pointed
suggestions.
1t so happens that the sales
tax and state barrier problems
arc live issues in present-day
politics. So the boys and girls
across the plaza wish the men
in the black robes would mind
their own business. AS one
legislator asks rather irrever-
emily, Haven't those old boys
got any gratitude ?"
The O'Mahoney anti-monopoly
committee has not the remotest
notion of recommending federal
regulation of insurance. Some
members believe it must come
eventually, but they realize that
neither the public nor congress
is prepared for it now.
The impression that the in
vestigators harbored such an
idea arose because of Chairman
O'Mahoney's line of questioning.
Although he was simply seeking
information, the insurance lobby
here assiduously spread the news
that federal regulation was just
around the corner. The fact is
that Senator o'Mahoney has in
sisted from the start that any
legislation resulting from the
inquiry be designed solely to cor
rect abuses in all economic
fields under study He has
STAYED off attempts to make it
the leaping-off place for fresh
social and economic controls. A
committee majority UNDERWRITERS
his attitude.
Ironically, several topnotch in
surance officials have privately
admitted to committeeman that
they favor federal control In
stead of the present system of
state regulation. Lax insurance
laws or enforcement in some
states. they point out, enable
rivals to engage in questionable
practices. The corporations
which want to behave must
stoop to the same methods or
suffer financial losses. But the
complaining officials are not
willing to spread that sort of
testimony on the committees
public records.
Cash rather than censorship
considerations lies behind the
British insistence that all cables
to the United Kingdom be sign
ed with the full name and ad-
dress Of the sender. London is
enforcing the edict so strictly
that holiday and birthday greet
ings bearing only the first name
or the nickname OF the author
have been returned without de-
livery.
A certain New York bank,