Greenbelt cooperator., 1942-02-20
Intrigue Threatens
Voorhis- Wagner Bill
By JOHN CARSON

Only QeCermlneQ and unrelentlng
demand from consumers and from
the public" will save the resolu-
ton and the proposal to do a nom
political and sound postwar econ
omic planning job from failure.
Congressman Robert Ramspeck,
chairman of a subcommitte of the
House Committee on Labor, this
week got the Voorhis resolution
favorably reported by his SUBJ
committee. Enthusiasm developed.
Only favorable report from the
entire Labor Committee was then
needed to get the issue into the
House.
Suddenly, Congressman James
M. Barnes of Illinois bobbed up
with resolution to create House
Committee which would attempt to
study the postwar problems. And
just as Suddenly" the Democratic
leaders of the House began to
manifest great interest in the
Barnes resolution. 1t was "off"
this sudden interest that the foul
smell of political intrigue arose.
There is reason and fact to sub
stantiate and support the belief
today that the Democratic House
leadership, either through ignor-
ance or because of some question
able design is determined to have
the Barnes resolution adopted and
thus sidetrack interest in the
other proposals.
The Ramspeck report sustained
everything that had been contend
ed by The Cooperative League
and all other public groups which
had supported the Voorhis-Wag-
ner proposal. Ramspeck urged the
creation of a Commission of three
Senators, three Congressman and
three representatives of executive
departments along with three
"from organizations of consumers,
at least two of whom shall be
from associations of consumer CO.
operatives, and three from or
ganizations of farmers, labor, busi-
ness, banks, church organizations
and from educational associations.
He also proposed that each of
these groups should submit three
nominations to the President for
each appointment to be made.
Ramspeck heard all the testi-
mony on this proposal. He did not
begin his inquiry with any preju-
dice. In fact, at the outset of the
hearing he was disposed to feel
the commission proposed by
Voorhis Would be too cumbersome
and that the "public" representa-
ton was not needed. But Ram
speck saw, quickly, the sound
reasoning behind the Voorhis pro-
posal and that, as The Cooperative
League had contended, "public"
representation was needed to in
spire public support and public in
terest and public confidence. Then
he became one of the most ardent
advocates of the Voorhis proposal.
Early in the consideration of the
Voorhis-W Wagner proposal, some
job-holders in the National Re-
sources Planning Board, an
agency in the executive depart
ment of the government, carried
on subversive activities against
the resolution. They were frank
in their expressions of doubt about
the future power of the legislative
branch of government and rather
determined to grasp power for
themselves and their Board, and
their jobs. But their activities
diminished finally and their oppo-
sition was hushed and opportunity
was offered for free and fair
consideration of the Voorhis-
Wagner plan. =,
Why Congressman Barnes and
the House Democratic leaders
stepped into this situation is
question still. Post war planning
has become a much discussed SUBJ
iect in many places in Washing
ton recently and particularly in
executive departments. Suspicion
that some of these department job
holders were still active in a sabo-
tage campaign against the Voor-
his7Wagner proposal and that that
would explain the interest in the
Barnes resolution was not borne
out. On the contrary, some of the
supporters of the Barnes resolu-
tion are emphatic in their opposi-
ton to the executive departments
of the government. But what
ever may be the motives behind
the Barnes resolution, the fact is
that sound postwar planning is
threatened now by political in
trigue.
1t is reported that potato ra-
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