Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-12
Government
Regulation
Called Vital
Controls Put Atop Strict
Constitutional Rule {
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

L nerves to face the fact that
whenever our country gets into
some terribly dangerous Jam the
national government grabs more
power than the Constitution
really allows and that the peo-
pie instinctively permit this OF
be done for their own safety.
II would be silly TO maintain
that we are living under our
Constitution today. or that the
American form Of government is
still operating, and we would be
in an awful fix IL such were the
case, because IL would be impos-
sible to fix prices or wages or
censor military information out
of the papers and If we were 10
hold out for the strict letter Of
every one of our rights we would
be pretty sure TO lose them all
TO Adolf Hitler and the Jsps by
losing the war.
We suspended some OF our
rights in the first German world
war and got them back soon
afterward,
In 1893, whether or not with
sufficient reason, we got afraid
of ourselves. afraid we were on
the point of going nuts and de-
molishing our own house, and
were willing TO place in the
hands of new and plausible but
untried set of national leaders.
who were comparative strangers
TO us, powers OF government
which normally were reserved
10 the states and other suhdi-
visions and the people.
THAT crisis may have been ex-
l. aggeratcd but. anyway, it.
worked and we got into an easy
habit OF expecting Washington
10 NOV the lawn, wind the clock
and change the baby.
The states became parasites
on the national government and
masters of the mendicant art OF
moochery and even fell 10 prey
ing on one another through a
tangle OF Balkan taxes on inter-
state commerce.
We were still in that weak
frame of mind when this new
fright. the war. blew up and II
was easy 10 go the rest OF the
way, giving the executive branch
OF the national government pow
erS over us equal 10 its tremen-
dous responsibility TO us.
If this national government
should lose the war for us We
would be pretty sore al all con-
cerned, from President Roosevelt
on down. but we are sensible
enough TO understand that in
order 10 run the fight with the
least possible interference. the
government must be able 10 give
orders in matters in which nor
mally il would be presumptuous
Of the government even 10 make
requests.
You find this acquiescence
even In men who are red-hot
anti-New Dealers.
! have in mind the remarks OF
one OF those on the subject ~
the price and wage controls. He
realized that this would blast the
Constitution 10 confetti. but he
said inflaion would be worse and
he was willing 10 go along. trust
ing 10 the people 10 reassert
themselves after the victory.
WHAT right has the national
w government TO step into a
sovereign state of the union and
tell man who has built DWELL
ing house for rental incomo1
property that he must no..
charge more than so much rent.
Why pick on him?
Why not tell a newspaper
publisher how much he may
charge for advertising space or
single copies sold on the streets?
The answer is that il isn't
right 10 regulate any such
prices. but that. nevertheless.
the people are willing 10 stand
for il wherever the government,
charged with the duty of win
ming the war. decides that
regulation is necessary in the
interest of all.
Then. having exercised this
power in some fields, the gov
eminent finds that some wages
are way out of line and that
inequalities of wages are draw
ing workers out OF certain vital
industries into others.
GO NOW, whether by act OF
~ Congress or by a scheme the
details of which the President
has not revealed, TO be given the
force Of compulsion by execu-
tive order, wages will be con-
trolled, too.
In normal times we would all
yell slavery and Hitlerism and
we would be dead right. but
there you are again with your
popular instinct 10 put the Con-
stitution in mothballs for the
duration and n bit.
Paul McNutt has frozen some
mine and smelter men and some
Iumbermen to their jobs in the
West and Southwest. and IL this
works. as il most probably will.
he may be expected TO do the
same wherever il is necessary
to keep the works going
That. too, is slavery and Hit
lerism. but up to now I haven't
read a peep out of any unioN