Imperial Valley press., 1943-10-07
By Congressman John Phillips

This is the third and last install
ment of washington prescription.
The first act of the play was in
the column for last week and the
week before. This week the column
offers Act II.
Act 1. as you will remember, was
laid in the office of Mr.. B. O.
Critic, the somewhat newly ap-
pointed manager of the Left
Handed Monkey Wrench Corpora
ton of America He was talking to
Jenkins. the plant manager, and
outlining some of his ideas for the
proper development of the in
dustry. His ideas on the lack OF
Importance of casts and profits
seemed to surprise Jenkins. The
time was 1896
In Act II, which takes place
about a year later, the scene is the
court room of the superior court OF
| Waterbury county. Judge Free
land. calm and capable looking
jurist, we'll along in years, has fin
ished hearing the testimony in the
involuntary bankruptcy proceed
ings filed by several creditors
against the Left Handed Monkey
Wrench Corporation. He is check
ing a few final points.
INTERESTING POINT u
Judge Freeland speaks: Mr..
Cratic, there is one interesting
point which runs through this en-
tire testimony. The Left Handed
Monkey Wrench Corporation is
we'll known in this community, and
very favorably known. We all
knew Hank Simian. He came
here without anything but an idea,
and the courage and willingness to
work. He died leaving a business,
which in spite of the war had
maintained its integrity and good
will. 1t had preserved sufficient
assets to start again. When l was
a young lawyer and before I came
on the bench. prepared the cor
poration papers for the company.
1t pains me to see the business
here in bankruptcy in less than a
year since you came to 1t as its
manager. Yet the note periSts
that all +. these difficulties have
grown up under your managerShip.
l have no choice but to grant the
petition of the creditors. Have
you anything to say before I turn
the matter over to referee to
work out the details?
Crate, who stands dejectedly be-
fore the court: I simply do not un-
derstand it, Your Honor. Every
thing I did was in line with what
learned in Washington. I studied
carefully the ideas of all the men
there whom 1 consider the leaders.
Why, Your Honor, l myself was for
more than five years, after getting
my masters degree, in charge of
one of the bureaus in Washington
(he sinks into his seat.
The judge rises.
CHANGES INTENTIONS
Judge Freeland, sternly: Mr..
Cratic, stand up. Crate rises
again 1 was not aware of that
background, when l spoke before
l shall now change my intentions.
B. O. Cratic I sentence you to be
hanged by the neck until you are
dead. And my God have mercy on
| your soul.
Cratic, in great excitement:
Judge, you can't do this to me. You
haven't the right It's unconstitu-
tional. l didn't have a trial. There
was no jury. I wasn't charged
with a capital offense. I'll appeal.
| protest. You can't take my life
like that. I tell you, it's not con-
stitutional. I'll
The judge interrupts him: You
are quite right, Mr.. Cratic. This
is UNUSUAL I am taking your life.
Yet for ten years, you and the
young men like you, who held soft
jobs in Washington took the lives
of small businesses, of the profess
sions, of the farms, of larger bust
nesses. You even took the lives of
men and women who were depend
ent on these businesses. The
things you did were in no way con-
stitutional. You ignored and
laughed at the Constitution. When
Congress wrote into some laws
specific instructions for you to con-
suit with trade groups, you either
went through the motion of con-
sulting, with your decisions already
made, or you deliberately ignored
| those sections of the laws. You
indicted, with equal deliberation,
businesses and the business men of
America, knowing that they could
not afford to fight the indictments,
or dared not invite the misunder-
standings in their home commun-
tiles.
You decreased production, as a
result of your immature and mex
perienced regulations, in a time of
great national need. Your conceit