Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-07
NEW OPA CHIEF SPECIAL|ZES IN LISTENING
Browns Approach to Task Differs From That

There IS a story that a man who had
been beaten up and thrown out of local
political club was asked what had hap
pened.
ITS simple" he replied Il was talk
ing when l should have been listening"
The anecdote is offered to illustrate
why Leon Henderson was forced to resign
as head of the Office of Price Admins
tration, despite the fact he had generally
attained the objective of stabilizing
prices, and why his successor, former
Senator Prentiss Marsh Brown of Michi-
gan, is likely to have less trouble with
Congress and self-seeking blocs. Mr.
Henderson is talker; Mr.. Brown is a
listener.
Dared Farmer Wrath.
That is not to say that Mr.. Brown
will be lenient and will not hew as closely
to the line as Mr.. Henderson on price
control and rationing. His devotion to
the price regulation policy was given the
supreme political test when, as a candi-
date for reelection to the Senate, he
was willing to sacrifice his legislative
career by leading the successful fight for
the Presidents amendments to the
Emergency Economic Sterilization Act
His courageous stand antagonized Ed
ward A. ONeal of the American Farm
Bureau Federation and officials of other
farm blocs potent in Michigan and he
was defeated by Judge Homer Ferguson
Republican, of Detroit by majority of
$4,000.
Although agreeing with Mr.. Henderson
on the necessity Of preventing imitation,
Mr.. Brown has different approach to
what President Roosevelt has called "the
exceedingly difficult and thankless task
of controlling prices and rationing scarce
commodities. In the best sense OF the
terms, Mr.. Brown Is politician and
office holder. OF his SO years, he has
spent 20 years as an elected Official 10
years as prosecuting attorney OF Mack
mac County on the Upper Michigan
peninsula, four years In the House and
six years In the Senate. 1t Is also i'm
portant to note that he was twice de-
feated for political Office before he came
TO Washington, first in 1924, in a race
for the House, and in 1923, when he
sought place on the Michigan Su-
preme Court. Politics, like golf is a
"humblin' game
Deliberate In Action.
The cautious Mr.. Brown is mild man
nered, soft-spoken, slow to anger de-
nberate in thought and action. In his
new Office, he is likely to be conciliatory,
and as far as possible, he will work
with Congress, where he is highly re-
garded for his painstaking effort and
friendly manner. In the executive
Economic Director James F.. Byrnes and
Judge Marvin Jones, who also have legis-
lative backgrounds. AS legislators these
three had the ultimate in political tech
nique-they could work across the
aisle meaning they could get some Re-
publican support for the measures they
sponsored
Will Mr.. Brown play politics In his new
offce?"
OF course he will. Politics Is a
smear word" but every schoolboy
should know that a government or any
other organization cannot operate with
out politics.
With the Government acting as
broker Or arbitrator between conflicting
interests the most that can be hoped
for is that Mr.. Brown will play politics
for the public welfare and not for the
benefit of any party, group or faction
He demonstrated in his sponsorship of
the price control amendments that he is
above personal politics.
What kind of politics will he play?
Listens to Main Street.
The answer was given at his first
press conference as price administrator
A Detroit correspondent had written
that it was a safe bet that Mr.. Brown
had spent the previous three weeks back
in his old congressional district "thresh-
Ing out rationing and price-flxin prob
lens with the butcher, grocer and ga
rage man up and down Main street.
Mr. Brown told the assembled re-
porters that nothing could have hit the
mark closer than that" Throughout the
conference he quoted what he had been
told by the home folks up at ST. Ignace,
Frakenmuth and Ann Arbor He en-
phas7ed that he understood the an
noyanCe of the farmers who had to fill
out complicated questionnaires about
their trucks and the small businessmen