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When the New Deal wanted to invite the co-operation of hardboiled businessmen, its friendliest thoughts were of him. Secretary Roper made him head of his Business Advisory & Planning Council. And when the President wanted someone to step into General Johnson's shoes, Clay Williams was the answer. He came at 95¢ a year ($1 after April i) and began getting down to NRA headquarters at 7:30 in the morning. He still does. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, he goes out to eat with businessmen who have kicks against NRA—it is against his rules to be interrupted by callers or telephones during office hours. Otherwise he is not seen around Washington. So far as he is concerned he is simply there for a job, to clean up the administrative mess at NRA.
Thus S. Clay Williams is not a New Dealer but a businessman—a tobacco man —but he is a useful New Deal adjunct. His fellow board members know perfectly well that he is on the side of business— which is part of his usefulness at a time when the Administration is trying to win the confidence of business. Because of his open taking of sides in the Recovery Board's debates, it was at one point suggested that he resign the gavel to the Board's Executive Secretary Leon Marshall—which he did. During the discussions of the recently adopted cigaret code he did not try to be impartial, simply withdrew from the meetings when the subject came up.
But to Franklin Roosevelt he is a valuable midway man: to bring order out of the NRA's adolescent chaos, to bring it peace instead of contention in the public prints. For Clay Williams has not the temperament to promote stormy scenes and he never has anything of importance to say to the Press. What he has to say he says at the White House himself or sends word by Donald Richberg. He is valued also as a midway man on NRA theory. The index of cigaret consumption fluctuates with every economic curve—and the industry meets fluctuations by flexing not by fixing prices. S. Clay Williams is accordingly no price- fixer. Recently NRA surveyed 23 industries and came to the conclusion that those which had maintained their prices had bad employment records compared to those which had flexed prices. As a price-flexer Mr. Williams favors uniform minimum wages as tending to stabilize costs, hence competition.
To the question: "Is it oriole, redbird or bluebird, or some strange, un-Auduboned new bird?" S. Clay Williams favors an NRA of neutral color with no spectacular plumage. That makes him a considerable asset to the New Deal. For when the shooting begins over the form of NRA's renewal, a neutral bird will be the poorest target.