Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-06-05
BEHIND
The News
-ByPauI
MaIlon
June 5-Con-

w lectures as to why staunch-
est anti-Rooseveltian Senator
Wheeler spent As unrevealed
minutes with the President. died
without convincing explanation
because both parties refused to
talk, even privately.
The common Interpretation
that Mr.. Roosevelt was burying
the bones of old antagonisms TO
get a campaign understanding
with Wheeler was a natural de-
duction, but obviously the least
of any story.
Mr.. Roosevelt called Wheeler
down TO get him TO take the
leadership of the international
communications settlement. the
disposition of cable and radio
rights. But this hardly reflected
presidential altruism.
Wheeler is chairman Of the
s a I e interstate commerce
committee through which any
settlement legislation must 60,
and, therefore. is in a position
10 block anything the admins
tration might do.
WHAT Wheeler must have re-
w piled seems evident in ensu-
ing results. A resolution is
pending before his committee
for an investigation of the SUBJ
iect to determine a policy, but
no consideration has been given
il yet. VIVA ever leadership
Wheeler is TO assume, appar-
emily is to be modest, and UNI
hurried.
This is not necessarily a per-
sonal matter. The administra-
tons federal communications
committee Chairman Fly, if not
the President. wants world
wide postwar monopoly for COM
munications. All would be under
one company, privately owned,
but under government control.
Domestic wire conditions are in
that same state since the Postal
Western Union merger.
Wheeler's liberalism (he ran
with the elder La Toilette for
the presidency. you know
might we'll make him hesitate,
although he handled the W.T.
Postal merger on the ground
that such competition was finan-
cially deteriorating and likely
to be fatal.
However, in democratic
state. competition is the indis-
pensable necessity for protec-
ton of the consumer. Monopolies
such as that of the Aluminium
Company of America caused
the government to go into the
aluminium business during this
war. The Antitrust Act has
been recognized as good law
for nearly three decades.
ITO PROTECT the consumer
i in this instance. Fly pro-
poses government control, an in
creasingly familiar device. But
the consumer has not always
been able TO get satisfactory
protection from government
control. nothing like the pro-
lection offered by hard compe-
tition.
Better service always was
available TO the public on COM
peting western railroads than
on noncompeting eastern roads
carrying more traffic, and all
were under complete govern
ment control through Inter-
state Commerce Commission.
The Postal for years had
slogan somewhat like this:
Remember what telegraph
service was before Postal came
into the field" against Western
Union. 1t was a good advertis-
ing slogan, because every one
knew the service had been
rotten.
Whether the people can get
much out of government
controlled monopoly with all
its inner possibilities) than out
of honest competition for pub
lie favor and public business. is
something about which the pub
lie can have little doubt in view
of its experience (the public not
being Immediately concerned
with the issue of whether COM
peting services can make money
or how much). This used TO
be true liberalism.
But now the unauthenticated
pretenders to liberal leadership
increasingly favor monopoly
under government auspices
which seems to be far less in
the public interest-if not more
in their own.
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