Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-12-21
Wallace Row
With Jones Is
Part Of Mess
BEW's Free Spending
a Blow 10 RFC
BY GEO. ROTHWELL BROWN

WASHINGTON, Dec y, The
w grand row on at the Senate
between Jesse Jones and Henry
Wallace - between -RFC and
BEW If you want TO put il alpha
betlcally exactly illustrates the
mess that recent Democratic
Congresses have got this cOun-
try into by substituting rule by
men for rule by law
There isn't anything more
wholesome that the new Con-
gress could do than to get back
to the law.
The board Of economic warfare,
of which the dreamy eyed vice
president. who has no regard
whatever for money, Is the os-
tcnSible head. has got completely
from under the control Of the
Reconstruction Finance Corpo-
ration, of which Mr.. Jones is-or
waS-the big boss.
Since the President Issued n
directive last April, Wallace'S
BEW can demand any sums II
plcaScS from RFC. and Jones is
under orders 10 shell out.
In other words. the board OF
economic warfare has carte
blanche 10 spend. and doesn't
even have to go TO Congress for
its funds.
When it is recalled that, teSti-
flying the other day before the
Senate banking and currency
committee. Mr.. Jones revealed
that BEW is buying materials in
foreign markets in some cases
AT from 10 10 20 times their mar
ket values, some idea may be
obtained Of what is going on.
DUT this is not all. The real
ID head of BEW IS man
named Milo Perkins, who theo-
reticaily is executive director
but who actually IS heap big
chief.
SO far as this writer knows.
MIR. Perkins has never been con-
frmed by the Senate for the job
which he holds. yet he has the
spending Of hundreds Of millions
of dollars, theoretically for fight
ing the war on the economic
front in every part of the globe,
not one penny Of which has
ever been appropriated for these
purposes by Congress.
The money comes from the
well known purse of fortunatlS,
the RFC. on request. and poor
Mr.. Jones hasn't even got the
power now TO deny a request,
however fantastic IL might be,
and however secret the magnlfi-
cent purpose for which II Is
intended
Probably no other human be-
ing ever had so much money to
shell out as Jesse Jones has had.
RFC was established in Janu-
airy. 1882, under Pres d en- I
Hoover, and Jesse Jones of
Houston. Tex, was made chair
man in 1888. Since the time Of
lis creation its powers have been
enormously extended and the
amounts of money placed al It's
disposal have been almost unbe-
lievably increased.
II is no secret at the Capitol
that these powers would not
have been granted TO RFC and
these many billions of money
would not have been made avail
able to it but for the personality
of Jesse Jones himself.
MR.. JONES came TO enjoy not
vi only among Democrats in
Congress hut among Repub-
licanS as well, such a reputation,
based on his known integrity
and hard common sense, that
the Congress endowed him with
attributes that il would not have
granted 10 any other man.
There is little doubt that the
original intention IN proposing 10
make Mr.. Jones secretary of
commerce was to ease him out
as boss man of the RcconStruc-
tion Finance Corporation.
This would have left RFC with
all its vast power and its huge
sums of money for the financing
Of an incredible number of gov
ornamental pptprpriSoc in tho