Evening star., 1943-06-29

made. lY
VIII e n Presi- David Lawrence.
dent Roosevelt says that he had to
appoint an economic stabilizer and
that he was placing the final re-
sponSibility in one Official" he may
have believed that that's the way
things have been functioning. But
Mr.. Davis didn't find it So He
found himself being asked to take
orders from left-wingerS who sit in
James F. ByrneS' Office and really
run the Government. They also tell
the War Labor Board where to get
off and they write rules and regula-
tionS for the OPA. Possibly the
President doesn't know that a man
of the background of Mr. Davis is
pushed around by these same
advisers.
Subsidy plans have been an
rounced, for instance. without so
much as the courtesy Of prior con-
sultation with Mr. Davis. At no
time, also, was he permitted to make
policy in the matter Of food
pricing and administration, though
this power presumably was given
him by executive order when he took
Office.
In Dark on Plans.
II has been the Davis position
that subsidies should be used with
care and with the specific purpose
Of increasing production or over
coming some handicap rather than
to add to the Nations purchasing
power at a time when it was desir-
able to curtail purchasing power. He
was also vehemently opposed to the
roll-back of prices. But after the
plan was announced, Mr.. Davis
urged on Mr. Byrnes and the others
the necessity of developing rules
and regulations before making an
nouncements. But this advice was
rejected and the disorganization of
the meat packing industry has re-
1t is said that Fred NJ. Vinson had
promised Mr.. Davis there would be
no announcement of the meat sub
Eidy. Later on it was discovered /
that one Of the bright young men
in the Byrnes Office made it any
way. Mr. Davis was not even given
the courtesy of a telephone call eX-
planning the reversal of plan.
New Deal Supporter.
Mr.. Davis Is a friend and sup
porter of President Roosevelt. In
the 1886 presidential campaign Mr. |
Davis did yeoman service in winning
the agricultural regions to the New
Deals side. He has been one of the
most influential men of the admin
istration with respect TO legislation
on Capitol Hill. It was natural for
Mr Roosevelt TO send for him a few
.Sonths ago and try to persuade him
to operate the food administration.
Mr. Davis didn't want any clashes
with the Secretary of Agriculture or
anybody else. He wanted clear
definition of authority. The PreSl-
dent told him not to WoTry-that he
Chester Davis would have access
to the Chief Executive at all times.
But it didn't turn ont that way.
Mr.. Davis submitted his resignation
on June 16. The press knew of it
and inquired about it at the White
House, where the issue was evaded
The President evidently didn't want
10 give his opponents on Capitol Hill
ammunition in their fight on his
subsidy policy SO news of the res
ignation was held up.
Time Near for Decision.
But now, since the President has
decided to embrace the CIO policy
Of rollbaCks and to 60 along with the
CIO conception of wartime eco
nomics-he accepted also their sal
airy limitation ideas-the cleavage
has become pronounced. Congress
soon will have to choose between
national policies dictated by the CIO
and accepted by Mr.. Roosevelt as the
guiding chart Of his wartime admin
istration or else make laws that
specify exactly how these wartime
problems shall be handled.
It all comes back to the same fault
that has been noticeable in the pres
ent administration from the begin
ning-the desire to run America on
: the basis of executive orders and
arbitrary rules made by allegedly
omniscient experts sitting around
the throne instead of by a system
of laws made by Congress- Power
must be delegated to administer
complicated tasks, but the legisla-
tive standards can be prescribed by
Congress.
Now the Senate and House are
beginning TO recognize their true
responsibility. While the laws they
write may contain defects that ex-
perience alone will remove, the fact
remains that as between a Govern