The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1962-10-25
Senate Cloakroom
By ]. GLENN BEALL
United States Senator from
Maryland

Senate Committees Fight With
Free Enterprise-Along with mil
lions of other free Americans.
have been appalled, at the apparent
harassment of honorable business
men by a subcommittee of the
Senate. The Antitrust and Mon
opoly Subcommittee ordered the
officials of several steel compaieS
to reveal their private confidential
cost data. The steel company Of
ficials demurred because disclos-
ure of their confidential cost data
would be detrimental to their COM
)anies. to their stockholders. their
employees. and to the public. They
objected particularly to making
their valuable cost data available
TO foreign competitors, who have
already made deep inrOads in do
the suggestion that the confidential
information be furnished in code,
for any such code could be broken
readily by one in the same line of
business. The steel company Of
ficialS said, in letters to the sub
committee. that counsel had adj
vised them that, in order not to
prejudice their attempts to secure
determination of the propriety and
validity of the subpoenas, they
should not recognize the sub
boenaS They were threatened with
Immediate contempt citations.
Regardless of the legal techni-
calitieS involved, we do not want
our committee hearings to de-
generate into actions designed for
the sole purpose of exposing
American businessmen to fines and
Imprisonment Is there anything
here even remotely involving
criminal intent? The use of sub
pOena power by committees of the
Congress was never intended for
such purpose.
Is not the forcing of private in
dustrieS to divulge their confiden-
tial data an attack on the whole
private enterprise system? The
idea of demanding cost information
to determine whether a price in
crease is needed is repugnant to
our American philosophy. Do SEN
ate committees have jurisdiction
n the area of price control? Which
do we want price control or
competition = price fixing or COM
petitive bidding? The disclosure
IF cost data could result in virtual
price fixing. This we do not want.
Protection of confidential cost in
formation makes competitive bid
ding possible Competition is
the keystone of the structure of
American political and economic
philosophy
This nation was built upon the
freedom of the individual to find
his own opportunities and make
the best of them Our whole econo-
my rests on and is dependent upon
the making of profits. This is the
competitive system - and it should
be permitted to operate in the
free market within the limits of
decency and fairness. The Ameri-
can economy can create glorious
future for itself in the later 1865,
the 1905, and the decades beyond,
though it cannot do it if we follow
those who would destroy our sys-
TEN of individual initiative and
free enterprise Liberty and free
dom must be constantly guarded.
Hitler's "Medicare"-Here'S a
significant quote from William l..
Shirer's book. "The Rise and Fall
Of the Third Reich: ut (the Third
Reich) included compulsory insur-
ance against old age, sickness, ac-
cident and incapacity, financed by
employers and employees. it did
have a profound effect on the
working class in that it gradually
made them value security over
political freedom, and caused them
to seek in the State a benefactor
and protector Hitter took full adj
vantage of this state of mind!''
Trade Bill: Extra Powers For
President-The Trade Expansion
Act as passed by the Senate, IS
to s, on Wednesday, gives the
President all the powers he asked
for Extending the Reciprocal
Trade plan for five years, it en-
ables the President to cut any
tariff on the books by 500, and
to scrap some tariffs entirely. 1t
also gives the President the power
to raise anv tariff up to 500, if
he finds it in the national interest.
ALTHOUGH it was the opinion Of
most Members of both Houses
that the President should be
authorized to meet the day-to-day
challenge imposed by the Euro
pean Common Market, making it
possible for American industry to
compete in the market, some of
nc hold ,.ocnr,,atinns about the hill