Evening star., 1943-11-20
Henderson CHARGES
Abuse Of Congress
Power al Fly Dinner

sSA
Unless the differences between the
executive branch Of the Government
and Congress are quickly obliterated
the entire reconstruction program
including the goal of full employ
n1ent, will be imperiled, Leon Hen
derson, former administrator of the
Offlce of Price Administration,
warned last night.
Mr.. Henderson, speaking at a
National Lawyers Guild testimonial
dinner for Chairman James L. Fly
of the Federal Communications
Commission in the Mayflower Hotel,
lashed out at Congress for its failure
to agree on national policy and
said he saw the postwar promise of
peace as vague, insecure and long
deferred"
He said the "ugliness" of the
breach between agencies of the Gov
ernment and Congress is expanded
"by abuse of the congressional power
to investigate" The former OPA
chief, who described himself as hav-
ing set "long distance record as
a Government witness" before COM
mittees on Capitol Hill. called Con-
gress soft" and afraid to meet the
challenge"
Shadow of Ballot Box.
The ballot box of next Novem-
ber," he said, throws a long and
menacing shadow" At the same
time he warned that unless there
is prompt and full employment in
postwar years, the congressional
election of 1946 will be the most me-
mentous of our genera tion.'
Mr.. Henderson said the use of
appropria tons to control Federal
agencies "is being abused"
The crippling of OPA enforce
ment in my time" he said. resulted
from two items outside the test of
whether OPA had followed the con-
gressional mandate. One was pat
ronage, the other special price in
creases, like oil, and both were dis
cussed in the appropriations hear
ings. The Lovett-Dodd Watson case
Involving men whose salaries were
cut off by specific amendment to
appropriations bilD, the anti-pro-
fessor amendment, and the grade
labelling prohibition are examples"
Wallace CommendS Publishers.
Vice President Wallace. speaking
on free enterprise, commended the
newspaper publishers of the Nation
for remaining relatively close to
the people" despite the merging OF
newspapers which has thrown power
into the hands of few persons in
many cities throughout the country.
Considering the extraordinary
power which they have" he said, Il
marvel that they have shown as
much discretion and interest IN
human welfare as they have" He
said the publishers, these days, ARE
called upon to shoulder super
human tasks"
Fly's Address Broadcast.
Chairman Fly, in an address
broadcast over station WMAL and
the Blue Network, warned that the
United States must be prepared to
take prime place in communica-
tions after the present war. In the
great scramble for power" which
followed the First World War, he
said, the principles of communica-
tions for the general use of all
peoples were neglected and control
went along imperialistic lines"
Mr.. Fly advocated a f1ve-point
program to insure worthwhile
world communications system:
l. Uniform rates for all messages
throughout the world in all direc-
tions.
2. Lowest possible rates for such
services.
3. instantaneous radio communi-
cations between all important areas
of the globe.
4. Establishment of uniform and
low press rate throughout the world
to provide for the dissemination OF
information to all people.
5, Free ingress and egress of in
frmation and freedom of all peoples
of the world to communicate with
each other.
Guests at Dinner.
Guests at the dinner included
Senators Capper, Republican, OF
Kansas and Green. Republican. Of
Rhode Island; FEC Commissioners
Clifford j. Durr, Paul J. Walker, Ray
C. Wakefield and T. A. M. Craven;
Brig. Gen. Frank E. Stoner of the
War Communications Board, which
Mr.. Fly also heads, and Justices JUS
tin Miller and Henry White Edger-
ton.
Robert Kenney, attorney general
Of California and national president
of the Lawyers Guild, acted as
toastmaster. Thomas I Emerson,
deputy administrator in charge Of
OPA enforcement, who is president
of the local guild chapter, presided,