Evening star. [volume], April 16, 1940, Page A-11, Image 11

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Democracy
Issue Up
In Congress
Logan-Walter Bill
Seen as Holding Key
To Minority Rights
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
The struggle for power within the
United States goes on at the Capitol
even as orators prate about democ
racy and freedom abroad. This very
week a crucial
issue is in the
first s ta ge s of
d e c i sion —
whether the
Congress shall
make the laws,
or surrender to
so-called inde
pen d e n t com
missions the
right to brush
aside the rights
of the citizens in
the arb i t r a r y
exercise of gov
ernmental
power.
David Lawrence.
The Logan-Walter bill, which
seeks to install fair procedures in
governmental commissions, is being
fought by the bureaucrats who want
no limitations whatsoever on their
authority. They do not want Con
gress to prescribe how hearings
should be conducted or what steps
shall be required before regulations
having the force of law are pro
claimed. They want the right to
continue to issue rules and regula
tions irrespective of the power given
by Congress.
It is interesting to see how the
bureaucrats have succeeded in be
fogging the question of a fair deal
for the citizen by crying out that
the purpose of the Logan-Watter bill
is to create delays and frustrate
justice. The truth is governmental
commissions in recent months have
manifested a regrettable arbitrari
ness which makes it impossible for
the citizen to get justice in the
courts. The independent commis
sions have the final say as to what
are the "facts” and anything from
hearsay to inference can be in
troduced as evidence so that on
Buch “facts” the commissions reach
final conclusions which, under the
terms of the law, the courts are
powerless to overrule.
Product of Bar Study.
The Logan-Walter bill is the
product of years of study by the
American Bar Association. It has
been delayed and sidetracked by
certain New Deal interests which
are afraid to give the public a
measure that will insure a fair deal.
No better issue could come into the
forthcoming campaign than the im
plications of the controversy over
the Logan-Walter bill. A roll call
vote on the measure will be a simple
thing for the citizens to understand
—those who vote against it lining
themselves up with the totalitarian |
concept which has obsessed some of
the younger groups who have taken '
hold of key positions in govern- j
mental commissions.
There are many instances in which j
governmental commissions nowadays
violate the spirit of a fair trial by
insisting on acting as judge, jury :
end prosecutor. Because many of
these hearings are technical, the
public does not know of the grave ;
injustices being perpetrated in the
name of the Federal Government.
Even the President, who cannot
possibly follow the details of these
measures, has been given a wholly
biased impression of the Logan
Walter bill. So subtle is the influence
of the bureaucrats in government
that, if they can prevent the passage ;
of such a reform measure, their hold ;
on governmental powers will be more j
far-reaching in the future than the
past.
Class Combat Enters Picture.
Some of the commissions are pre
sided over by lawyers who ought to
know better than anybody else what
constitutes a fair hearing. But the
political atmosphere and the zeal of
class combat gets into their veins
and they often become vindictive
and petty. The record of one hearing
in particular last week shows a puni
tive spirit which in itself makes it
desirable for Congress to consider
carefully the lobbying iehich is being
done by the commissions themselves
to prevent any check on their
authority.
The whole subject of independent
commissions is coming to the fore as
one of the big issues of our times.
Originally Congress felt that some
of the tasks that it had to delegate
to others to administer were too im
portant to be put into a bureau to
be handled by a political cabinet
officer. It was desired to secure pro
tection for the rights of the minority
by having a bi-partisan board. But
little by little the New Deal has
frustrated the will of Congress by
appointing members of one class and
viewpoint, thus destroying any
chance for a minority viewpoint to
be expressed.
Muffles Minority.
Lately under the so-called execu
tive reorganization law, efforts have
been made to take all the inde
pendence out of these commissions,
which were originally creatures of
Congress, by putting them under
political cabinet officers. This means
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The Capital Parade
'Freezing' Order Keeps $250,000,000 From Reich;
Amount Is Bulk of Scandinavians' Liquid Assets
By JOSEPH ALSOP and ROBERT KINTNER.
The President's executive order freezing Danish and Norwegian bal
ances In the United States was an Important reassertion of his policy of
aiding the democracies by "methods short of war.” Like other European
neutrals, the Danes and Norwegians had used this country as a safety
deposit vault. Stored here was the bulk of their liquid assets, estimated
at more than $250,000,000—a great booty for cash-poor Germany, which
Germany now cannot get. „
The reason for the executive order was neatly expressed by an official
who said dryly, "We have a general Interest In making aggression un
profitable." As it happens, the story behind the executive order Is also
an interesting demonstration of government in action.
Treasury Hurly-Burly
The night of the German Invasion of Scandinavia was one of wild
excitement at the State Department, where Assistant Secretary Adolf A.
Berle, routed from his bed, worked until dawn receiving reports, tele
phoning the President at Hyde Park
and preparing sketch drafts of the
various State Department orders.
At the Treasury, however, there was
no night watch, and Secretary of
the Treasury Henry Morgenthau,
jr„ heard the dark news by an acci
dent of sleeplessness, listening to the
radio in the small hours.
Having heard it, he sent out the
word at breakfast time for an early
emergency meeting at the Treasury.
FROZEN1^.
ggj
When he and his half dozen henchmen met In his office they knew what
to do. They had faced the same problem twice before. After the fall of
Prague the President, explaining that he did not wish the loot of the
Czech capital to be so rich as the loot of Vienna, had akked for the
freezing of Czech balances here. They had been temporarily frozen and
then released because they were too small to be worth the trouble of final '
action. And. after the fall of Waisaw, the funds of the Bank of Poland
had been conserved here and turned over to the Polish government in
exile. That had taken some doing, too, for of the three Polish officials
legally required to sign the order transferring the funds, only President
Moscicki had escaned capture by the Germans.
Thus Morgenthau's men had hardly gathered before he called the
Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The bank's president, George Harri
son, was still on the way to his office. Morgenthau got the vice president,
Allen Sproul, and asked him to get in touch at once with the large com
mercial banks in New York and to arrange informally with them to hold
all Danish and Norwegian balances and securities until further notice.
Earmarked gold, of which there was considerable, was stored at the Fed
eral Reserve and so presented no problem.
All morning Harrison and Sproul worked at lining up the New York
bankers. Just before the President left Hyde Park, Morgenthau got
through to him by telephone to explain the step he had taken. The
President approved heartily. Then in the afternoon Harrison and Sproul
reported that, while anxious to oblige the Treasury, the New York bankers
felt they would be liable to damage suits if they held the Danish and
Norwegian balances indefinitely without legal authorization. Accordingly,
when the President reached Washington that afternoon, Morgenthau
told him that there would have to be an executive order to regularize the
arrangement. Next morning the order was drafted in Morgenthau's
office by an interdepartmental meeting, including Berle and a representa
tive of the Justice Department. Revisions were completed and lesser
initials were obtained during the afternoon, and that evening* Just 36
hours after the Germans passed the Danish frontier, the executive order
was signed by the President at the White House and issued forthwith.
Hard Measures
Danish and Norwegian holdings here now cannot be released without
Treasury licenses, provided under the Emergency Banking Act of 1934.
The fate of the Norwegians, as they are allies of the English and French
J'TREftSUBV’
> LICENSE
REOC'lPED
TO^ „
democracies, will be fairly easy.
That of the Danes will not. While
the official formula is that each case
will be considered on its merits, it
may be taken for granted that not
one dollar of Danish funds will be
let go if there is any chance of the j
Germans laying their hands on it, I
Meanwhile, application of coun- I
tervailing duties to all goods coming ;
from Denmark is also afoot. It is 1
ever proposed that Danish goods be
marKea maae in uermany. these measures are hard on the Danes, a
friendly people, but so long as the Danes are subjugated by the Germans,
hard measures are called for by the policy of methods short of war.
(Released by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)
the end of any minority representa
tion in governmental boards and
commissions. It means that when
defeated at the polls the minority’s
rights are destroyed for they have no
further redress in the courts as they
used to have. To deprive 17,000.000
persons of any voice in the operation
of their Government is to introduce
an element* of tyranny which Con
gress itself has never allowed in its
own halls. Yet independent commis
sions and boards hitherto responsible
to Congress where minority and ma
jority viewpoints are permitted are
hereafter to be tools of the Chief
Executive and his cabinet officers.
If Congress once realizes what is
happening, it will not be so ready to
delegate broad powers of law-making
to bureaucrats who are not elected
by the people. These commissions
heretofore have been responsive to
congressional criticism, but hereafter
they will be cut loose altogether from
any responsibility to the legislative
body and will be part of a system of
one-man government, to which
Americans are presumably opposed.
(Reproduction Rights Reserved.)
Emancipation Proclamation
Anniversary to Be Marked
Observing the 77th anniversary
of the signing of the Emancipation
Proclamation, colored Masons will
hear five speakers in a program
at the Lincoln Temple Congrega
tional Church, Eleventh and R
streets N.W., at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Speakers will be William C.
Hueston. commissioner of education
for the Grand Lodge of Elks; Charles
D. Freeman, grand secretary of the
Acacia Grand Lodge of Masons;
Louis W. Roy, grand master of the
Acacia Lodge, and Mrs. Bertha C,
Anderson and the Rev. Melvin J.
Key, grand worthy matron and
patron, respectively, of the Grand
Chapter of the Order of the Eastern
Star.
Clarence Reed of Acacia Lodge
will preside. Contributing to the
program will be the Warren and
John F. Cooke Masonic Lodges and
Batcher and Ruth Chapters of the
Order of the Eastern Star.
CTHB opinions of the writers on this page are their own. not
A necessarily The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The
Star’s effort to give all sides of questions of interest to its
readers, although such opinions may he contradictory among
themsenes and directly opposed to The Star’s.
The Political Mill
Re-election as New York Chairman May Inspire
Farley to Become Vocal on Third Term
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Re-election In New York yester
day of Postmaster General Farley
as chairman of the Democratic
State Committee was accomplished
without a ripple
on the surface,
despite his
“without reser
vation" state
ment of his
preside ntlal
candidacy some
weeks ago in
Mass achusetts.
Mr. Farley’s at
titude toward
the third term
question has
been almost as
much an enigma |
as has that of
the man whose
G. Gould Lincoln.
presidential campaigns he has twice
successfully managed.
This was necessarily so. For Mr.
Farley could not well declare him
self against a renomination of
President Roosevelt—even if he does
not believe any President should
serve more than two terms—when
Mr. Roosevelt has never said he
would run. A member of the Presi
dent's cabinet and chairman of the
Democratic National Committee.
Mr. Farley’s position has been all
the more trying.
When the President allowed to
go for two weeks published reports
that Mr. Farley was unavailable
for the presidential nomination on
account of his religious beliefs, the
feeling on the part of Mr. Farley’s
friends—and probably on the part
of Mr. Farley himself—reached the
red-hot stage. When the President
did say the reports were made out
of whole cloth and contained no
truth, the resentment did not en
tirely subside. Mr. Farley a day
or so after the President's denial
of the reports made his statement
he intended to be a candidate
“without reservations” in Massa- j
chusetts where his name has been
entered in the presidential primary
—although the Democratic State
chairman has announced that of
course the delegates will be for Mr.
Roosevelt “first.”
Not Openly Denounced.
Mr. Farley's statement, interpret- j
ed as defiance of the third-term
boomers and the so-called inner
circle of the New Deal, has been
met with no open denunciation on
the part of administration leaders,
whatever they may have said in
private. Indeed, the New Dealers
have since that time been particu
lar to say nice things about “Jim.”
Mr. Farley returned last week end
from a trip into the West and South.
He was given an extremely cordial
reception wherever he went, and the
voters turned out by the thousand
to see and hear him. In Texas, he
complimented Vice President Gar
ner, in Tennessee he praised Secre
tary of State Hull and in all his
speeches he gave great credit to the
Roosevelt New Deal policies and ad
ministration.
The Postmaster General, however,
still has never made a public state
ment regarding the proposed third
term—for which some of his fellow
cabinet members are actively trying
to draft Mr. Roosevelt. He has never
said whether he will fight it in the
national convention—although his
Massachusetts statement was to the
effect his own name would go before
the convention. Nor has he said
what he will do if the President is
renominated and accepts the nomi
nation. It may be he has told the
President and his intimates what
he has in mind—but the chances are
he is waiting to hear what the Presi
dent says before he speaks himself.
Farley a Party Power.
Mr. Farley is a power In the Demo
cratic national organization. He has
a host of friends in the Democratic
State organizations. Mayor Kelly of
Chicago, a prime booster for a Roose
velt third term, and his co-boss,
Patrick Nash, national committee
man, may dominate the party or
ganization in Illinois, but there are
other States where the word of Mr.
Parley will go far.
Mr. Parley is in Washington today
for the opening of the baseball sea
son. Certainly the President may
wish to hear the details of the meet
ing of the Democratic State Com
mittee. The committee adopted reso
lutions praising the President, Gov.
Lehman and Mr. Parley, lumping
them all together. If the President
is not himself a candidate, how many
of the New York delegates to the
national convention may be expected
to support Parley—and how many
could the President influence to sup
port the candidate of his choice?
The New York delegation might well
be split under those conditions.
Already the delegates from Puerto
Rico to the Democratic National
Convention have been pledged to Mr.
i Farley. In Massachusetts on April
, 30 the delegates to the national con
i vention will be elected—and it is
| expected that the Farley slate will
go through. While the statement has
been made that the Massachusetts
delegates will be pro-Roosevelt, there
is still some reason to believe that
Mr. Farley will have a good deal to
say about how they vote when the
balloting begins, particularly if the
President is not himself a candidate.
Announcement that First Assistant
Postmaster General William W.
Howes is to resign to gc back actively
Into politics and to head an "unln
structed” delegation to the national
convention, was construed as favor
able to Mr. Farley. Mr. Howes is a
member of the Democratic National
Committee and a friend of Mr. Par
ley of long standing.
Open Fight Would Imperil Party.
An open row between the New
Dealers and Mr. Farley would bring
about an awkward situation. Pre
sumably every effort will be made to
avoid a fight, which might be ex
tremely bitter and certainly would
hurt the chances of the party in the
national election. In some quarters
it has been predicted that Mr. Farley
would become more vocal on the
third term question after he had
been re-elected chairman of the New
York State Democratic Committee.
If that be true, he may speak out
any time.
Pennsylvania's primaries fall on
April 23. The Republicans are with
out major contests. Jay Cooke ap
pears to be the selection for the
senatorial nomination. On the
Democratic side, however, Senator
Guffey is battling against Walter
Jones, oil operator. Mr. Jones has
the support of those members of the
party organization who are bitterly
opposed to the renomination of Mr.
Guffey. Two or three months ago it
looked dark for the renomination of
the Senator who split the party wide
open in 1938, supporting the C. I. O.
candidate for the gubernatorial
nomination against that of the party
organization. Appeals by the Presi
IKe have never before
sold ties of this quality
at this special price.
$1.55
We, the People
Events That Will Draw America Into Conflict
Seen Foreshadowed by Scandinavian Blitzkrieg
By JAY FRANKLIN. /
Irrespective of which party wins the 1940 election, it is the view
of American military experts that this country will enter the war within
a year. It is also their view that the outcome of the war may be decided
within the next few days.
There has been a slight shift in United States Army opinion 6lnce
last fall when observers, in an exclusive Interview for this column, pre
dicted that the United States would become a belligerent “some time next
"*0
<V
summer” (1940). Today, after seven
months of blitzkrieg and sitzkrieg,
the same experts are more con
vinced than ever that American
participation is inevitable.
Last September they antici
pated a major spring offensive early
in March, but they blame the un
usually cold winter for the delay in
their calculated military time table.
Had the war gone according to
schedule, they believe that the inter
ventionist spirit would be rising here. They feel that it is just beginning
to rise now as a result of our public reaction to Hitler’s invasion of Norway
and Denmark.
Feint May Sap Allied Strength
Before Munich, we felt that Czecho-SIovakia was doomed and the
partition of Poland on the cards, as was the Pinnish-Russlan war. These
events disturbed our public without startling us. But the blitzkrieg
against the ‘‘traditional neutrals” of Scandinavia seems senseless to the
layman, and military experts think Its military value very doubtful to
Germany.
German occupation of Norway would put their submarines and air
craft a couple of hundred miles nearer the northeastern British ports and
might facilitate the expected “war of annihilation” which the Nazis design
for Great Britain. On the other hand, there is no assurance that Ger
many can retain or make full use of these bases, since to do so will mean
a tremendous expenditure of men, ships, planes and war materials. While
the allies may find it difficult to dislodge the German troops already
there, it will not be difficult to bottle up the Norwegian ports by mine and
ship blockade and make the air bases untenable.
May Go Through Low Countries
Some Army men believe the real German object is a modern version
of the old Schlieflen plan—a flanking move through Holland and Belgium.
Having caused some British diversion to Norway, the Germans may next
make a feint on the Maginot Line, sucking French troops away from
the low countries. While this is going on, allied forces would be im
mobilized in other regions by the following developments:
(1) Aided by pressure from Russia, the Nazis will move into the
Balkans, completing the predicted “cleanup” of Rumania:
(2) The Balkan invasion will threaten to bring Italy into the war:
possibly, though not probably, against Germany, more likely in an attempt
to grab France’s North African colonies:
(3) This will bring all Europe, including Turkey, into the conflict,
with the large possibility that Russia will try to fulfill its 300-year am
muon to gain complete control oi
the Black Sea and the Eastern Medi
terranean.
All of these important develop
ments, however, will be subsidiary
to an invasion of the low countries.
Some experts are convinced that one
side or the other will invade Hol
land. Effective Dutch resistance to
A Nazi blitzkrieg is an unknown and
interesting quantity now. But to
crush this resistance would enable
I the Germans to outflank the Albert
Canal and sweep across Belgium In a swift flanking move toward the
crucial channel ports. Control of Holland would also bring Germany with
in short distance of the English coast, enabling her huge bombing fleets
to make mass raids—the “total war” of air and subseas predicted last
September by our military authorities.
dent and National Chairman Parley
to Democratic leaders in the State to
prevent an open fight in the State
committee meeting were effective.
There remains, however, much bitter j
feeling which may crop out at the j
polls. Certainly Mr. Guffey looks to
be In a far stronger position than he
did, and many observers are pre
dicting his renomination.
Guffey has been an ardent Roose
velt supporter and was one of the
first to hop aboard the third term
band wagon. The State committee
already has indorsed Roosevelt for
renomination and the delegates se
lected to the national convention will
be Roosevelt delegates.
On the Republican side, the dele
gation to the national convention
will be uninstructed, but ready to
vote for Gov. James at the start.
Pennsylvania's Republican bosses
have not been favorable to the nomi
nation of Thomas E. Dewey. There
is, however, a good deal of Dewey
sentiment among the rank and file
of Pennsylvania Republicans.
This
Changing
World
Course of War Held
Hinging on Fight
In Scandinavia
By CONSTANTINE BROWN.
The actions of the belligerents
this summer depend largely on the
results of the Norwegian campaign.
For the present two facts stand
Constantine Brown.
out. one is that
the Ger mans
have made a
mistake in be
liev 1 n g King
Haakon would
bow to the "ln
evitable” as
many members
of his govern
ment did. The
other is that the
allies have
shown more en
terprise than in
the past and
have rushed
troops to succor
wnat is left of Norway.
It Is fairly evident now from dis
patches of newspapermen on the
spot that the German foreign office
had "prepared'’ the occupation of
Norway so effectively that it was be
lieved the army merely would have
to walk into Norway and be received
with flowers and cheers. This might
nave happened had it not been for
King Haakon.
As it is, the Germans have to fight
their way through what is left of
independent Norway. While resist
ance of the Norwegians—handi
capped by the loss of ammunition
and arms stores and unable to mobi
lize the citizens under German rule—
is only perfunctory, the German
troops have to keep on fighting.
They are in a definitely hostile coun
try , and that makes their operations
more difficult.
Nazis Trapped.
The allies who have had an ex
peditionary corps available ever
since the belated decision to help
Finland, are rushing those forces
into Norway.
Despite denials from Berlin, it is
certain the allies have occupied
Narvik and the surrounding coun
try. German troops there are
trapped because they have no means
of communication with the rest of
Norway.
This, of course, does not give the
allies more than a moral victory.
Whether they will be able to land
in Places such as Bergen, Hardanger
or Trondeim, where there are lm
portant German forces, remains to
be seen. A penetration of Southern
Norway from Narvik appears to
many observers difficult and risky.
The British fleet with its heavv
oaliber guns could blast the defenses
of Bergen and Trondheim and facil
itate a landing there. But the
cannons of the fleet cannot reach
into the inland and the allied force
which may be landed near Bergen
for instance, will have to fight its
^av through stiff resistance of the
German forces.
Nazis Getting Reinforcements.
rJlheS!i f°rces' accor<fing to reports
received here, are being continually
strengthened. It appears from the<e
reports that communication between
the German mainland and Norway
has not been interrupted yet.
The British have mined certain
sections of the straits of Skagerrak
and Kattegat but not sufficiently.
To mine the waters between Ger
many and Scandinavia effectively
several hundred thousand mines
would be necessary. The British
submarines and the few mine layers
that have managed to get through
the German barrier have placed a
number of mines, which have an im
portant nuisance value and make
shipping hazardous, but have not
actually cut communications of the
German Army in Norway.
The next few weeks will show ex
actly what the results of the Nor
wegian campaign will yield. The
Germans have made their first mis
calculation: The Norwegian cam
paign was no walkover.
Freak Storm Drops Hail
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On Los Angeles
By the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, April 16.—Young
sters who Saturday donned bathing
suits to play under lawn showers
as the temperature reached 96 de
grees pressed hailstones into "snow
men-’ after a freak storm yesterday.
A sudden squall moving inland
from the Pacific dropped stones the
size of marbles in Los Angeles and
surrounding communities, but sur
veys indicated little if any crop
damage.
--
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Compiled especially for the
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