A Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America having been signed by the governors or prison executives of twenty-eight States of the United States, and it appearing that further states will sign tliis Compact, and said Compact having been fully considered by the Administrator for Industrial Recovery and having been approved by him, said Administrator for Industrial Recovery having found that said Compact will materially assist in effectuating the policies of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act; Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt , President of the United States, pursuant to the authority vested in me by said Compact, and by Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933, and otherwise, do hereby Adopt and approve the report, recommendations and findings of the Administrator for Industrial Recovery of April 18, 1934, and do order that the said Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America and the participation therein by all States upon whose behalf it has been or may hereafter be approved, be and the same is hereby approved; Appoint Thomas A. Rickert, Sam A. Lewisohn, and Thorsten Sellin members of the Prison Labor Authority to represent, respectively, labor, industry and consumers; And do order that the power, authority and functions vested in me by said Compact be delegated, until further ordered by me, to the Administrator for Industrial Recovery, and that all duplicates of said Compact bearing approvals signed on behalf of States be filed with the National Recovery Administration. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT Approval Recommended: Hugh S Johnson Administrator. The White House, April 19, 1934.
Executive Order 6684-A—Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America
Executive Brief • At a Glance
A Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America having been signed by the governors or prison executives of twenty-eight States of the United States, and it appearing that further states will sign tliis Compact, and said Compact having been fully considered by the Administrator for Industrial Recovery and having been approved by him, said Administrator for Industrial Recovery having found that said Compact will materially assist in effectuating the policies of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act; Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt , President of the United States, pursuant to the authority vested in me by said Compact, and by Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act…
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 19, 1934, this order concerns Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America. A Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America having been signed by the governors or prison executives of twenty-eight States of the United States, and it appearing that further states will sign tliis Compact, and said Compact having been fully considered by the Administrator for Industrial Recovery and having been approved by him, said Administrator for Industrial Recovery…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
A Compact of Fair Competition for the Prison Industries of the United States of America having been signed by the governors or prison executives of twenty-eight States of the United States, and it appearing that further states will sign tliis Compact, and said Compact having been fully considered by the Administrator for Industrial Recovery and having been approved by him, said Administrator for Industrial Recovery having found that said Compact will materially assist in effectuating the policies of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act; Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt , President of the United States, pursuant to the authority vested in me by said Compact, and by Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act…
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates in close harmony with statutory authority and standard Article II supervisory execution.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 6684 (Apr. 19, 1934), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6684-compact-fair-competition-for-the-prison-industries-the-united-states.