Evening star., 1943-07-08

missions, it is interesting to see the
New Dealers squirming and crying
out about unfair tactics.
1t wasn't unfair, doubtless, for the
administration to permit the tax
affairs of leading citizens to be held
aloft through congressional COM
mittees as examples OF tax avoid
ances when the laws at that time
permitted the tax deductions. Tax
avoidance was deliberately confused
with tax evasion.
It wasn't unfair, apparently, for
the Federal Communications Com
mission, now under special investi-
CATION, to deny a hearing to Elisha
Hanson, counsel for James Stahl-
man, when the right Of the COM
mission to order an investigation OF
newspaper ownership Of radio sta
tions was being challenged.
Other Chapters in Story.
It wasn't unfair. either, for the
FEC in 1888 to adopt a resolution
throwing open to agents OF a Senate
investigating committee information
obtained from an unlawful seizure
of private kilograms Of the Western
Union and Postal Telegraph Cos
an action which a Circuit Court OF
Appeals here subsequently oe-
uounced as illegal.
Nor was any righteous 1ndlgna-
ton expressed by New Dealers wnen
. House investigating committee
asked, on the witness stand, a
member of a presidentially appoint
ed board why Federal funds were
used to lobby against pending legis-
iation-an action in plain violation
of the Federal statutes-and the
answer given by the Government
of,cial was that the end justined
the means.
Nor was there any righteous in
d,unation voiced by today's defend
ers of the FEC when the Justice
Department,. though importuned by
A formal letter by Representative
Howard Smith to do so, failed 70
prosecute the ofacial in question.
Violations Ignored.
A, for prosecution of members OF
CONGRESS for alleged technical viola
tions of the statutes concerning the
practicing OF law before Federal
departments, there have been many
cases OF this kind that have not
been pursued by the Justice De-
partment under either Republican
or Democratic administrations. In
fact, under the present regime. vlo-
lations of the Federal Corrupt Prac-
tices Act by persons influential In
the Democratic party have also
been ignored by the Justic Depart
ment.
Thus it will be recalled that the
Democrats got out a campaign
textbook in 1886 and obtained con-
tributions from corporations IN vio-
lation of the plain language Of the
law, Some of the textbooks were
even autographed by the President,
but the whole episode was ignored
by the Justice Department. Pre-
sumably the statute OF limitations
has run out by now.
The House recently ordered an
inquiry into the Affairs OF the Fed
eral Communication Commission
It is unfortunate that the chairman
of the commission and the chairman
OF the House investigating commit
tee apparently have so little fond
ress for one another, but the issues
involved 60 deeper than the clash OF
the two personalities.
Smokescreen Futile.
The evidence thus far reveals that
the Joint chiefs of stan Of the Army
and Navy petitioned the President
last February in the interest OF mill
tary security to remove the FEC
from the field Of radio military in
telligence and that to date the
President is apparently being placed
in the position of caring more for
his alliance with the members OF
the FEC, which has the political
power of life and death over radio
stations, than for the wishes Of the
Joint chiefs Of staff in time of war.
This is an issue which has nothing
to do with the personalities in the
investigating committee or in the
commission and no amount OF
smokescreening is going to erase the
basic questions that have gone un-
answered.
Also the public Is interested In
knowing how licenses for radio sta
tions have been awarded in the past.
1t is entitled to know how licenses
are granted and what considerations
of politics or favor, II any, are in
volved. The House committee has
seized certain files and records of
the FEC, wrereupon cry of unfair
ness has arisen. If the files contain
nothing that proves irregularity in
handling licenses for radio stations
1t Is difficult to see why there should
be 80 much furore over the routine"
procedure OF a congressional investi-
eating committee.
It might, Of course, be better II
REPRESENTATIVE Cox resigned from
the inquiry and II the chairman OF
the FEC resigned from the COM
mission, but so long as one stays
In the picture, the House is likely
to desire to keep them both In 1t.
for sometimes only through these
clashes do the real facts come to
view. Only by congressional expose
sometimes does invisible Govern
ment become visible.
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