The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-07-30
NO RECORD VOTE
ON GRADE LABEL
KILLING in HOUSE
Proposed Law Requiring
Honest Grade Labelling
Killed With Voice Vote by
Stooge Congress at Behest of
Advertising Agencies.

| WASHINGTON-Co rights
were rudely tramped upon when con
gress struck at honest grade labelling
and honest grade standards.
In keeping with the philosophy that
it is moral and honest and honorable
to conceal quality from consumers,
congress acted without having a rec
ord vote Individual responsibility
cannot be fixed for this attack on
consumers.
Congress approved what will be-
come known forever as "the Taft
amendment" to the Commodity Credit
Corporation appropriation bill.
Through this amendment, congress
set up rules and regulations for Prem
tiss M. Brown, administrator of OPA
The Taft amendment is involved and
easily subject to many interpretations
but optimists in Browns organization
feel it will outlaw at least 100 grade
standards and those less optimistic
think 1t will outlaw more than $50
grade standards. Thus effective and
honest price control of all these goods
is stricken down.
Four or five months ago, when the
Gamers of foodstuffs who were op-
posed to letting the consumer know
what kind of foods were inside their
cans, they joined with greedy adver-
Using agents who preferred immedi-
ate profits to a sound honest mer-
chandising program, few observers in
Washington thought they would win
their fight against honest standards.
That the congress would brazenly, in
broad daylight, unfurl the old banner,
'let the consumer Cor buyer) beware"
and would march under it was de-
clared impossible in this day and age
But congress has done just that
In fact, when the Taft amendment
was adopted, congress probably would
have approved an even more vicious
attack on consumers. 1t was a case
of theirs not to reason why" when
voted. They were part
of holy war" to save advertising
agents and particularly "the small
and the packers who had
built property right in trade name.
Members of congress who have
fought for honest standards report
they have never been subject to such
abuse as they have had from home
town newspapers, particularly the
of smaller cities. Letters
and copies of editorials have been
thrust into congressional offices and
the words have been those of dema
gogic fury Obviously, the advertis
ing agencies and their compatriots,
succeeded in convincing editors that
their profits were threatened by APP
prevail of the old and simple rule that
honesty is the best policy"
Briefly, the Taft amendment, orders
use of any trade or brand names, not |
to require grade labelling on any COM
modify, not to standardize any COM
modify unless the administrator shall |
determine no other practical alter
native for price controls can be had, |
md not to authorize any maximum |
prices for different kinds of classes |
Or types of goods unless those kinds
u classes or types were used in the |
.rade prior to the order of OPA.
There is obvious conflict in the |
amendment but the general interpre
alton must be that congress spurned |
honest grade labelling and approved of
he business philosophy keep your
yes open or you will be skinned"
t was surprising that Senator Robert
\. Taft, author of the amendment,
hould be induced to enlist in this
Irmy of attack on consumers. Taft
las gained the reputation of being
ound thinker, even though reac-
ionary thinker. But the >'holy war"
,ecame so much made up of the
furies" that anything could have hap
'ened.
Incidentally, the Boren committee
f the house accomplished what many
riends of honest grade labelling and
onest business feared it might ac-
omplish. The Boren committee,
purred on also by advertising agents
nd small newspapers, managed to
et before congress a witch-hunters
torwy of grade labelling and of OPA's
olicy. Then the Boren committee,