The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-19


 operator of these qualification at combination in the world makes everybody in Washington happy, in- cluding both Henry Wallace and Jesse Jones.
 Whatever inconsistency you may find in this turn of events Is fur ther accentuated by a closer scru- tiny of some of Judge Vinson's acts in the two years that he has been Director of Economic Stabilization. The memory of man runneth short, but just to keep the record straight and to go into the dance with both eyes open, there are few half forgotten facts that should be al- lowed to speak for themselves:
 You may remember the business mems battle on subsidies-evil, cor rupting, un-American subsidies. OES Director VinSon not only sup ported them but ordered them put on canned vegetables and flour and such staples.
 Not only that, but it was Judge Vinson who ordered the ceiling put on live cattle back in October, l943 Remember how that was damned by those stalwart businessmen, the farmers and stockmen?
 TURNED DOWN RAIL
 RATE RISE
 Further to demonstrate h4s sym pathies for business, Judge Vinson refused to approve rate increases for the railroads and he turned down 35 cents per barrel increase in the price of crude oil.
 Perhaps the high point in Vim sons record as a pro- businessman came in the fall of l943 when he is sued directive to War Production Board and Office of Price Admin istration empowering those agencies to order production of essential civilian goods at manufacturers costs or maximum of costs plus 2 per cent. This was the famous profit limitation" directive which scared industry half to death and brought businessmen scampering down to Washington to find out what went on.
 Opposition to this directive be- came so acute that early in 1944 Judge VinSon issued clarifying statement" which in effect sucked back the worst part of the order by saying 1t was to apply only to tex tiles. Actually, the directive was used in only few instances and is today practically a dead letter
 But this is the closest the admin istration ever came to limiting the profits of business and it was is- sued over the signature of this same Fred M. Vinson who now Is named to head the biggest bank in the world. organized to save business.
 This other side of Judge Vinson's record is being recalled in Wash ington today not in any effort to be- little his abilities but merely to put in proper perspective the popular conception that he is the perfect answer to a conservative bankers S prayer. another Jesse Jones.
 ACTUALLY, HE'S A
 POLITICIAN
 The record shows that ViESon is primarily another democratic poli- tician, and in some respects he has shown himself just as liberal, or whatever you want to call it, as Henry Wallace.
 AS one of Vinsons aides admits, Wallace has probably been more of businessman than Vinson. but that wasn't why they turned Wal lace doWn-it was his ideas" Well, look at Vinson's ideas.
 Of course no man with Vinson's record a brilliant lawyer with seven terms in Congress plus six years on the Federal bench and nearly two years as Director of OES could fail to absorb vast store of knowledge on financial affairs In Congress he was Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommit- tee on Internal Taxation, sponsored -as-you-go taxation as early as 1887, authored the veterans bonus bill and co-authored the coal stab ilization bill with Senator Joe Cuff fey of Pennsylvania.
 To Vinsons credit as a pro-bus- mess advocate there should also be chalked up his opposition to wage increases. He has followed and en- forced the Presidents stabilizat tion policy to the best of his ability.
 But with the miners biennial boil coming to a head and with more and more insistent demands from labor to break the Little Steel Formula, Judge Vinson in leaving OES is getting off an awfully hot seat at a very opportune time.