L. T »„ SlJljOCO . MO^DA i t ivQVF;1: y^Ti’p ^ 5j 1937, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY: Seldom has there been so much confusion and conflict surrounding an opening of Congress as was in evidence today. The one positive and unequivocal note 7/as the frank admission that things are not as they should be In. the world of business and that something must be done. But there’s no clear Idea about what that something Is. First let’s contemplate the contradictory and diverse re­ actions to the President’s message: Senator Bankhead of course gave it beautiful praise as ’’one of the most constructive and well thought out messages ever delivered to the congress.11 Majority Leader Sam Rayburn of Texas, ditto, ditto. Bu there’s another opinion , according to which that message "was just a lot of words meant to confuse the people." That remark comes froi Congressman Snell of New York, leader of the Republican minority in the Hodse, With two CONGRESS - 2 W exceptions, the Republicans were p***?#*^ unanimous in finding the message, in their own language, disappointing. Those two exceptions were (Senator Vanderburg of Michigan, wfee said: "The President is to be commended for frankly facing the fact of business recession^and for a new restraint in speaking about the men of business upon whom he admits he must now substantially depend. " And Senator McNarry of Oregon "The speech I impressed me as being conciliatory. It lacks the fire xnd of Mr. Roosevelt's former messages, which Indicates that the President has a little less confidence in his position." The newly elected Bruce Barton of New York declared: "The message will not put any men back to work." Senator Barkley of Kentucky, the leader of the Democratic a majority, described it as "most comprehensive speech." So there you are:- you pays your money and you takes your choice. One contrast in Washington today seemed to me particularly interesting. On Capitol Hill Congress was hdanng the President's appeal to reduce, cut down, balance the budget. In another part of the city. Mayor LaGuardia of New iork was telling the Conference of Mayors that "there will be more an more unemployment this winter and Congress must provide extra funds to meet the crisis." And he added: "I fear we will have to ask for a large amount." Mayor Couzens of Detroit and Mayor Allen of Augusta, Georg!s, then lifted their voices with the declaration that Uncle Sam should pay his share of the costs of maintaining municipal airports. Nobody ever seems to be at a loss for suggestions of new ways for Uncle to shell out. One part of the President’s message met with a growing chorus of approval. That was the suggestion that taxes be modified to encourage business enterprise. Even caustic critics of the New Deal joined in approving that. President Roosevelt’s championship of tax reform had a string to it. When, as and if taxes are revised, he wants it done so as to favor the small business man as against the large corpora­ tion. "Unjust provisions," he said? "should be removed, provided no new injustices are created." Then he used the^e words. "Modifications adequate to encourage productive enterprises. especially for the smaller businesses, must not extend to the point of using the corporate form for the purpose of hiding it to reduce or eliminate taxes in a way not open to an individual or to a partnership." Talking about present business recession, he said: "With the exercise of ordinary prudence, there is no reason why we should suffer any prolonged recession, let alone any economic paralysis. Despite some maladjustments, which can be corrected, underlying conditions are not unfavorable," quote the President 1 qs he leaned heavily on the dictionary. "The fundamental situation," he went on, " is not to be compared with the far different conditions of Nineteen Twenty-Nine. The banking system is not over—extended,n he argued, and then added:- "Interest rates are lower. Inventories are not dangerously large. We are no longer over-extended In new construction or in capital equipment.” For the rest, ^r. Roosevelt»s message was very much what advance noticed led us to expect. As for Congress, he offered it a four-point program: - The Wages and Hours Bill, the Farm Bill, CONGRESS ~ 5 reorganization of the Executive Department, and national planning and balancing of the budget. His plan for enlisting private capital in a tremendous house building program he held back for a Iter message. Before Congress adjourned there was a sharp conflict on the floor of the House. The Democratic leaders proposed a prompt adjournment until Thursday. There was an immediate chorus of protest from the Republican side of the House, in which many Democrats took part* And they only adjourned uttil tomorrow. And Mr. Lamneck of* Ohio, unburdened himself of bitter complaints about the Wages and Hours Bill. He's a Democrat. He said the trouble with business is there are too many restraints upon its freedom, too many government regulations of the daily conduct of ordinary business affairs, uncertainty. And he said: "If that W&ges and Hours Bill is passed, all the interference with business wefve seen so far will seem mere child’s play." The outburst on the floor of the House didn t last long, Hut it was sharp and ominous. There seemed to be an undercurrent of feeling Indicating that the Congress Is in a rebellious mood. r.oMGRESS — 6 Experienced and trained observers of the congressional mind are prophecing that fur will fly at tomorrow's meeting. Tempers seemed to be on edge even today. And the rumor is current that several members of the House have speeches under their belts, speeches of protest that they're going to let fly tomorrow. So there ought to he fun on Capitol Hill! There was a formidable spectacle in a federal courtroom at Chatanooga, Tennessee. One account has it that no fewer than sixty attorneys were present, not as spectators but actively on the job. Fifty of them represented eighteen power companies from the southeast. Trying to put the brakes on the T.V.A. They asked the court of three judges, with a woman. Judge Florence Allen, presiding, to declare the Tennessee Valley Authority unconstitutional. At the head of those formidable power company lawyers was no less a celebrity trhan Kewton D. Baker, Woodrow Wilson*s famous Secretary of War, Mr. Baker and his colleagues charged that the T*V.A. program was against the Constitution because it created unfair competition, subsidized by the government. Ten lawyers represented the T.V.A. They told the courts that it cheif purpose was not the distribution and saleof power but flood control and navigation. The guessing is that this trial will probably last two months, with electric power the theme and electric sparks in court rooml vn TSQRGERSBxN T..T.:- An noTr let,s turn to Ed Thorgersen for a football antidote to all this politics. What's your batting average? jjDj- Strange to say, Lowell, I improved quite a bit. Of the ten most import ■ant games played ’/re happened to call seven correct and missed out on three, including of course that Cornell-Dartmouth tie, which I think re should have won. As you recall, I favored Cornell — because of its superior line which 1 figured would hold up better n a soggy field. Dartmouth's smashing attack however was not to be denied and a bang-up ball game ended in a deadlock at six all. At the Yankee Stadium we lost another prediction when a couple of lotre Dame teams beat the Amy seven to nothing while the weatherman probably got in his best licks of the day. he soaked the rich in the expensive open field ooxes and the specuL*- tors who held out for anything up to a hundred dollars a pair ox the coveted tickets, only to find that they couldn't get two dollars a pair cy game time, be hoi-polloi sitting in tne covered stands had a swell time. Our third bone-head guess occurred at Dallas, Texas where Pip ^JflOgGERSM 2 the Baylor Bears were eliminated from further serious national consideration by the Mustangs of Southern Methodist. I figured these Baylors were off form in falling the week before by the hands of Texas. But I spoke out Of turn, X guess. For those Methodists Mustangs had a lot of hidden power that I didn't even suspect. a So with Bartmouth set back b>; its second tie of the year — still undefeated, mind you! Duke eliminated from the undefeated ranks by North Carolina, Be bra ska also toppled from the pinnacle of perfection by the Pittsburgh Panthers, the finger of football destiny tonight seems to point to one of three great teams. Foremost is Alabama, undefeated and untied with the Vanderbilt clash the only remaining game on its schedule. If it tops this great Conference rival Alabamans Crimson Tide will have survived its 1957 season with a spotless record — the only major team of national consequence to achieve this great distinction. Closely following Alabama in the race for top nati racking and Rose Bowl nomination are two Eastern elevens “1 Pittsburgh.. They've played each other to a scoreless deadlock. f0r the third year in a row. So they are, indeed, of even standi g Of the two however, Pitt has probably faced the tougher schedule. So for that reason alone. Plat gets the second call. Yale by virtue of its twenty-six to nothing triumph over Princeton remains in a strong contending position for top national acclaim. I should rate the Bulldogs right behind Fordham for the same reason that I place Pittsburgh just ahead of the Ram. But of the four, the leader by a shade is Alabama, And X suppose we may as well go whole hog tonight with the flat prediction — how this burns me up — Alabama will appear in the Rose Bowl on “ew ¥ear!s Day — will win the toss elect to defend the Eastern goal against the California Golden Bears — and what*s more they111 win the Rose Bowl Game — of course if Alabama happens to be defeated hy Vanderbilt, next week, Lowell — all bets are off. Our season*s batting average to date — Out of fifty-eight major selections of the season thus far we have called thirty-eight correctly and have lost out on twenty, including six tie games which we count as losses. Giving us a batting average of 653 — not exactly the average on which X should like to retire Lowell — or should I? If you do retire, Ed, here’s the town to 50 The boss of Boys Town has been elevated to high rank and dignity. The town Is ten miles outside c# Omaha, Nebraska, Its population of five thousand consists of waifs and strays^ unwanted lads. The municipality is run by the boys, - they elect their mayor, town council, police commissioner, and so on. They elect everything except the big boss, an Irish priest - Father Flanagan. Twenty-five years ago borrowed ninety dollars and on some waste land had a house btiilt to shelter a group of drifting boys, who seemed drifting Into a life of crime. Now - Boys Town is a major Nebraska institution. Today we hear that the Vatican has raised the simple, humble Irish priest to a stately rank. He is now - the Bight Reverend Monsignor, Domestic Prelate to His Holiness the Pope. But In Boys Town they still say In plain Irish - Father Flanagan. Sunday’s storm along the Atlantic Coast has left a i,.,iy trail of havocln djhA suburb of Halifax, Nova Scotia, lire added to the terror of the weekend. gale battered many a amaM boat to pieces. All up and down the Atlantc coast Uncle Sam’s Coast Guardsmen had their hands full and many crews went sleepless. The Dollar Liner, PRESIDENT GARFIELD, on its way to New York from a Mediterranean cruise, picked up a faint call for help. The message was so indistinct that the PRESIDENT GARFIELD’S radio operator couldn’t make out either the ship’s position or what ship it was. All other vessels on the high seas were asked A to stand by and clear the air in the hopes of getting a stronger ^The wreck of a three masted schooner was on the rocks and the 7T Somewhere An the Atlantic, a vesse distress. message. rmoch ardkn A little to •' n in Alsace was tb.e scene today o raainder of a good old Enoch Arden story. When the Vferld War A^sacians were drafted unwillingly into the Kaiser's troops. One of these was pushed into a uniform and enrolled in a regiment that was sent, to the Russian front. In Nineteen Sixteen word came to his family that he had been killed in action. legend** that young man, no longer young* walked in upon the family that had given him up for dead. And here's how it happened. He was wounded on the Russian front but not killed. When the War 7/as over* for some infringement of military regulations* he was tried before a court martial. The court condemned him to twenty years in prison. All these nineteen years he h spent in one military jail after another until he broke out* and the German army Miilhause* many young But only today* like Enoch Arden in the Tennysonian was finally set at liberty _ : ■ BRUSSELS It looks as though that so-called Peace Conference at Brussels had gotten itself out on a limb* With Italy voting in the negative, the diplomats adopted a resolution slapping the Mikado on the wrist for his war in China. Having done that, the delegates were up against the problem of how to put teeth into such a resolution. That of course couldn* t be done without Uncle Sam. And the reaction of the neutrality senators in Washington to such a proposal was "over our dead bodiesln The conference adjourned today until November Twenty- Second. Meanwhile, the Mikadofs war planes were dropping a torrent of bombs in Soochow. For no apparent reason, several observers who should be in the know, continue to believe that hostilities will end soon. But the Chinese armies in the north have just received reenforcements, a large arny from the west, the Szechuan army. In order to join forces with the troops of Chiang Kai-shek, these divisions from Szechuan had to cross the Yellow River, a thing which, according to the story, had not been done for three hundred years. ^ICO From the banks of the Rio Grande comes a portentous prophecy. Uncle Sam, so the prediction goes, will shortly find fasicism on his own doorstep. A Fascist neighbor I Mexico! And, within sixty days. The author of this prophecy is an interested party. General Nicolas Rodriquez, chief of the Mexican Fascists who call themselves the "Gold Shirts!" And, says the Gold Shirt Brass Hat, the regime of President Cardenas is crumbling and will collapse inside of two months. Said he :- "Mexico' under Cardenas dominated by Communists, has become bankrupt financially, politically and every other way." And the General added the claim thqt there are now half a million Gold Shirts in Mexico, enough to swing the country into the Fascist column. With or without gold, Ganeral? AND SOLONG UNTIL TOMORROW