Imperial Valley press., 1943-02-16
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

another golden gloves tourna-
ment of Official Washington feuds
Is being promoted these days, and
for some little time 10 come you
may eXpsot to hear much about
some oc the headline bouts on the
card.
Top-notsh attraction is the Army
and Navy VS.. Nelson and Jeffers
eli how much synthetic rubber
should be produced.
Nelson vs.. lckeS is good for a few
fast rounds. Tckes charging that
the War Production Board has
fallen down on developing and
Producing CROUCH metals.
c. z Wilson VS.. Ferd. FOerStadt
for control of WEB scheduling and
production looked like a good
grudge fight for a time, but word
from their training camps is that
these boys are not so sore any
n ore.
Leon Henderson is out because of
&C trouble and a weak back, SO
/ hiS bout with scrapper Ickes over
Detroleum rationing will be scratch
/ Z, unless Honderson'S second, new
OFA Director Prentiss Brown, puts
or the gloves.
To an outsider reading about
| all these d0gfi"hts in the Of
! ficial family, Washington must
seem like terrible place in
deed Maybe it is. The whole
defense effort may be recorded
as one Of long series of discOrds
that leave the innocent bystand-
er wondering when the bureau
crats get their work done.
NeI,. ! =. Somrnervilie over
who should be boss of war pro-
t'uction, Jones VS.. Icke'. over
aluminium. Jones VS.. Wallace and
Milo Perkins on rubber, Governor
Gruening VS.. Byron Price OYER
censorship, Elmer Davis VS.. the
Navy over news releases.
CUARRELS AREN'T POLITICAL
These aren't political rows They
a.en't fundamental economic rows
Ike capital vs.. labor. Leon Hender-
OF IS. the farm bloc or everybody
vs. Pau! McNutt on manpower.
They are internicene wars, bureau
rat aeail. Il bureaucrat, and the
wondering JOo Public is sometimes
col strained 10 ask why the Presi-
dent doesn't step in there and
krock some Of their heads to3cth-
t
To cli Outward appearances, the
president IS inclined to let these
Ieuds in his official family run
4 e!r Cou.Se. Ga one recent occa5-
!o!' the President did openly admit
that tho dispute between Nelson
and Scmmerville was Gomething
that concerned only the two of
..lcnl. ana that they'd have to get
sccctHer End work it out them
selves, which they ultimately did.
The President did settle the
dif f"crenccS between Henderson
and IckeS over petroleum p-o-
ducts control by giving the auth
oYity 20 Tckes, and similarly the
presiden: resolved a minor ds-
pute between Nelson and WiSk-
ard ever N.lO should control the
food administration by giving the
authority 10 Wiskard.
The truth Cf the matter wauld
seem 10 be that a lot more at
tention i p il to .hcSe fcad5
ttan they merit. There is GER
tain newspaper element which
whip these Oilicial io-dO into a
! father vhCn n fact most of the
lire the hGFs az swinging round
house punches or eXchan~inG
b'cwS win pillows, like couple
CT WiACS .tliny ownership
Of an issue sEiD or nriority Oh the
smiles second lieutenant.
IHTYFE IKE TIE REST OF US
The reason Suca stuff makes news
that all disputes between bureau
rats are over government issues,
which makes them public or semi
! orb.ie business That is the only
difference between the feuds of a
! couple Of government officials and
he wrangles between the second
zee presidents CT a bank. Anyone
vho has cvet worked FOR any busi-
ness firm knows of what sorry and
.aWdrr stuff is office politics.
The onlr difference between the
.ate,-office rows OF a couple OF
private corporation executives and
IL fauds Of a couple of govern
ncnt officials IS that the former
& kept under cover and the latter
gets in the papers. In fact a case
can be made that it is healthy tc
1aYc government officials in there
fighting for every phase OF the
var production effort.
The war effort can use the hard
headed conservatism Of a Jesse
,cnos, and il can use the magma
i've vision Of Wallace or a Milo
perkins. Il the boys in thc back
4 30 n .y.it1 l,