Evening star., 1960-08-17
'GreatDebates'
ToPose.EquaI
Problem
By ROGER GREENE
Associated Press Stan Writer

BY ROGER GREENE
Associated Press Stan Writer
Congress is expected to clear
the way next week for a series
Of radio-TV great debates"
between Vice President Nixon
and Senator Kennedy.
Both the Republican and
Democratic nominees for the
Presidency have agreed tenta-
lively to debate the campaign
issues, face to face, over the
air.
But the networks, though
eager to stage such an unprece-
dented extravaganza, have in
sisted that Congress must first
remove an obstacle that could
under present law-turn the
two-man debate into a clut-
tered free e-for-all.
Equal Time Dispute
At stake is the equal time"
provision Of the Federal Com
munications Act.
Long a source Of stormy con-
troversy, confusion and critic
ism, the law declares that when
a broadcasting station or net
work is made available to a
political candidate, it must, on
demand, provide equal time to
all other qualified candidates
for the same ofice.
As the law now stands, It'll
would mean that if the net
works gave free time for the
Nixon-Kennedy debates. equal
free time would have to be
made available to candidates
of all the so-called splinter
parties such Sas the National
Laugh Party, the American
Vegetarian Party, and the Con-
stitution Party, which seeks to
abolish the Federal income tax.
In 1856, for example. at least
18 different parties offered can
didates for the presidency.
TuO RiIIS TIndeP WaV
The Senate already has
passed legislation to suspend
the equal time" provision until
after the November elections.
Chairman Harris. Democrat,
Arkansas, Of the House Com
merce Committee. predicting
swift passage, says he will
bring up a similar bill on the
House floor next Monday.
Like the Senate bill. the.
House measure would require
radio-TV stations to extend
equal free time only to the
presidential and vice presiden-
tial nominees of the two major
political parties.
Experts agree, however. that
suspension of the equal time"
rule will provide only tempor-
ary relief from complications
arising from the much-d disputed
law. -
Once the elections are over,
it will again be up to the seven
man board Of the Federal Com
munications Commission to rule
on a spate Of thorny problems
Stemming from the vagueness
and uncertainties Of the law.
Adding to the confusion is
the fact, as evidenced by past
rulings, that the seven commits
sioners sometimes read the law
with different spectacleS.
Both Congress and President
Eisenhower have taken occasion
to rap the FCC's knuckles over
some of its rulings.
The Lar DAILY Case
One Of these incidents de-
veloped during the Chicago
mayoralty. campaign early in
1859 when Lar (America First)
DAILY, self-styled perennial
candidate" for public Office, de-
manded as much free time on
Chicago radio-TV newscasts as
his Republican and Democratic
opponents had received.
Mr.. DAILY. himself, says he
received only two votes in the
Chicago election, but the FEC
backed up his demand for equal
time. He has never been elect
ed to office.
The White House subse-
quently passed the word that
Mr.. Eisenhower termed the
FCC's ruling ridiculous" ano
a few months later Congress
passed a law exempting news.
type programs from the "equa.
time" requirement.
Mr.. Daily bounced back intc
the spotlight with a similal
maneuver last July-again with
the FCCs backing-when HI
demanded free time on Jacl
Paar's NBC-TV show as s
Democratic presidential candi
date following an appearance,
by Senator Kennedy on thu
Paar show.
Mr.. DAILY. garbed in an Unclt
Sam outfit with chin whisker
and stove pipe hat, met an ic!
reception when he appeared OF
the program. The studio au
dience heckled and booed hin
repeatedly. Mr.. Paar com
mented: I'm shocked ant
ashamed. This FEC rulin
makes an abSurdity of equa
TIME"
Hearings Affected
Recently. during hearings Of
Capitol Hill. the TV industr
warned that it's cameras woul
have to black out all politics
appearance if the equal tim
rule prevailed.