Evening star., 1942-12-21
Disogrees With Views
On Wage Ceiling

writer NrltiCizeS Lawrence
Complaint Against Limit
Of $25,0 on Net Eornines
To the Editor Of The Star:
1t is inconceivable that man as
prominent in the field of news analysis
as David Lawrence honestly can believe
the absurdities and half-truths which
have filled his columns in recent days.
refer particularly to his column ap-
pearing in The Star on December 16,
suggesting sarcastically that all incomes
be limited to 5000.
Mr.. Lawrence prefaces his scathing
remarks by stating that the major issue
during the coming year will be whether
the American people shall be governed
by laws made by their elected repre-
sentatives or by appointed bureaucrats
who interpret the law as they please"
This all-inclusive condemnation of the
administration is based wholly, so far as
Mr.. Lawrence has indicated in his re-
cent columns, on the single issue Of the
$25, 900 limitation on salaries. He makes
no reference to OPA, WPB. SEC, ODT,
VISA and the host of other agencies
operating with express congressional
authorization or approval. His single
criticism in this regard hardly war
rants the sweeping accusation against
the so-called bureaucracy.
His stated confidence in the elected
representatives Of the people comes at
an unfortunate time-following 50 soon
upon the heels of the Senate filibuster,
the threat to stop all imitation control
in an effort to get Henderson" and
the express statutory provision denying
much-needed relief to the war suf-
ferers of Puerto Rico unless Gov. Tug
we'll resigns. Legislative bodies, whether
congressional as in America, parlia-
mentary as In England, or advisory as
in Germany, are by their very nature
incapable of formulating detailed regu-
lations. During peacetime, Congress is
required to establish definite and more
or less detailed standards which are to
govern the execution and administra-
ton Of the law. During wartime, how
ever, because Of the peculiar nature Of
the problems to be solved and the speed
with which they must be solved, Con-
gress must delegate broad powers to the
Executive, who can be limited only by
general standards contained in the
statute. Every wartime President in the
United States, and every wartime execu-
tive in other democracies, has exercised
such broad, relatively unrestrained
powers. Before the outbreak of war,
Congress can hamper preparedness by
refusing to appropriate funds for de-
fense, and after the war, Congress can
prevent world peace by retiring to its
hollow shell of isolationism. But during
the course of the war, Congress must
delegate to the President and his staff
the task of making final decisions in
fighting the two major battles-the mill
tary battle against the enemy and the
economic battle against imitation. Under
this necessary grant of authority, every
wartime President has exercised powers
which, if exercised during more peaceful
days, would result in general repudia-
ton by the public or impeachment by
Congress. Many private rights and
privileges have been suspended during
each war we have fought, yet in our
entire history there is not a single ex-
ample of wartime power abridging such
rights being adopted as a precedent for
peacetime executive action.
Mr.. Lawrence speaks of the idea OF
leveling off all incomes" and drags the
perennial red herring into his column.
He admits that 80 per cent of all Ameri-
cans earning wages or salaries receive
less than $4,000 per year He has stated
in other columns-although not in this
one, for it would only serve to emphasize
the absurdty of his argument-that the
S25 900 limit permits a salaried man to
earn more than s67 200 per year. A Ma
tion in which 90 per cent of the wage
earners receive less than $4,000 while
others receive more than $67 900 is
hardly a Communist state in which
wages have been "leveled Off" Further.
he criticizes the New Dealers for failing
to reduce all incomes to $4,000, stating
that if they really want Communist
state in which all initiative is killed, 1t
follows logically that it would be far
more effective to limit salaries to the
lower figure
What relation has the $3.50 Hmita-
ton to the war effort? True, 1t is only
indirectly related to imitation control,
since only a small part of such large
incomes is spent on cost living items.
But as a matter of expediency and
equity it is an essential step In control
ling imitation. AS all officials and COM
mentators have stated, complete public
cooperation is sine qua non of price,
wage and rationing control. Complete
public cooperation cannot be obtained
If 10000 additional millionaires are Gre
ated in this war as was true of the First
World War. The inventor limited to
strictly controlled royalties under war
contracts, the laborer limited to a static
real wages for the duration (wages
generally can increase only as much as
the cost of living increases, which means
no change in the wage earner's real
wages; the farmer limited to 100 per
cent parity, the white collar worker
facing price increases and higher taxes
none of these can be expected to give
the cooperation necessary to sustain the
economic stabilization program unless
there Is some semblance Of equality Of
sacrifice In the upper brackets as COM
pared with the lower. 1t is for this rea-
son primarily that the $25 900 limitation
has been imposed. Provision is made