Evening Star Newspaper, May 24, 1937, Page 11

Fixin g Rents by Coercion Unique Pontiac Lewis Union Notifics Landlords It May Act. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. OLLECTIVE bargaining collective bludgeoning? The people of Pontiac, Mich, would probably like to know ‘which is the proper term to apply to an extraordinary demand that has been made upon them by one of John Lewis’ unions. It is not a de- mand for wages ... or hours or rec- ognition &s a bargaining agen- cy, but a de- ; mand that rents be reduced, and if they are not— well, then, the : union will in- struct its mem- bers to discon- tinue paying all rents as of June : 1 next. The episode is of Nation - wide importance be- cause, like the “sit-down” strike which attained sensational propor- tions in Michigan, the use of a mo- nopolistic power of a union organiza- tion to fix rent prices by coercive ac- tion is likewise unprecedented. The first step by the John Lewis union in Pontiac was the publication in the local newspaper of the fol- lowing advertisement in display type: “Notice to all property owners in the Pontiac metropolitan area: “On Monday, May 3, the under- signed committee of the United Au- tomobile Workers, Pontiac Local Union, 159, met with the president of the Pontiac Real Estate Board, the prosecuting attorney, the president of the Oakland Bar Association and a Circuit Court commissioner. “The purpose of this meeting was to secure a voluntary reduction in rents. Extent of Increase. “On Tuesday, May 4, this commit- tee met again with the president of the Real Estate Board and two re- ceivers for local banks. All major property owners were invited to this conference. “No results have been obtained to date. “Rents of members of our union hive been increased in some cases as much as 150 per cent over that paid one year ago, Average increase is 50 per cent. “The average rent increase is ap- proximately 50 per cent higher than actual increase in earnings. “The United Automobile Workers is organized to protect its membership. “It carries out this purpose if a general rent reduction is not agreed upon by the real estate owners. Ef- fective within 15 days of this date, the United Automobile Workers, Pon- tlac Local, No. 159, will expend the entire efforts of its vast membership and resources to right and squalize the high-rent situation. “Suggested procedures are: “1, Demand that the assessed valua- tdon of property be raised so the rent income represents 1 per cent per month of the assessed valuation. “2. General discontinuance of all rent payments as of June 1, 1937. We want to artbitrate the matter, we're willing to do so. We must have im- mediate action. “(Signed). Rent Committee United Automobile Workers of America, Local No. 159. “Charles Barker, chairman; “Ike Marley, “Josep Quick, “George Connibear, “Odin H. Johnson, general counsel.” Property Owners Notified. Since the advertisement was pub- lished on May 11 the union has sent letters to about 3,000 property owners in Pontiac, implying also if co-opera- tion s not forthcoming, action along the lines of the suggested procedures may be taken. It would seem on its face that the ! union cannot invoke the Wagner labor act in defense of its tactics and that the threat mentioned above it actuslly carried out would come near being a group conspiracy by one set of citizens to injure the busi- ness of another group of citizens and certainly the Michigan statutes would appear to cover such action and open | the way to damage suits. If what the John Lewis union is doing is legal, then taxpayers in all parts of the United States may dis- cover a new remedy for their hitherto tutile protests on the matter of taxes. And if it be assumed that the citi- gens can group together to refuse to pay taxes or to pay prices asked for by merchandising establishments, then a new collective power is avail- able, not only to union labor organi- wations, but to associations of all kinds, Obviously the Federal and State or THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, MAY 24, 193 | News Behind the News Republican’s Sly Remark Started Robinson Boom for Supreme Court. BY PAUL MALLON. HE story behind the Robinson boom for the Van Devanter seat on the Supreme Court is one on President Roosevelt. A Republican Senator started it. He told his news friends very confidentially that Senators Harrison and Byrnes had been up to see the President the preceding afternoon and that the President sald, of course, the vacancy would go to the Senate floor leader. The idea hit the headlines within 24 hours. Nearly every Senator THE opinions of the writers on this page are their own, not 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 be contradictory among themselves and directly opposed to The Star’s. The Mfindelein Dispute Dictators Fail to Realize That American Is Guaran- teed Right to Frown. laws were designed to protect indi- I don’t care if he naturally had to come out for his Arkansas friend and leader. that his vote for the judges’ retire- ment bill possibly disqualified him ‘was laughed off. This could be met, it was said, by a letter from At- torney General Cummings legaliz- ing the appointment. Mr. Cum- mings, it was pointed out, has legalized everything the Supreme Court has let him legalize, and a few other things, too. Everything was fixed. The Senate promised to confirm the ap- The fact pointment swiftly, without debate. Every one said the appointment was in the bag; that is, every one except Mr. Roosevelt, Apparently he did not know anything about it except what he read in the newspapers. ‘This does not mean the President will fail to make the Robinson ap- pointment, but only that the Senate has been subtly trying to jockey him into a position where he could not select any one else. The Constitution says the Senate shall advise and consent to Supreme Court mominations, but, in this case, it seems that the Senators are putting the emphasis on “advice” for the first time in history. What makes them so enthusiastic is the hope that they can thus prevent Mr. Roosevelt from nominating one of his friends, Prof, Felix Frankfurter, Judge Rosenman or some one like that. Robinson, they know, is the best they can hope to get out of the President. He used to be a conservative, but he has gone down the line for everything the President wanted and represents the President’s legal and executive attitude in its mildest and best form. ‘The President could not do better—and the Senate is intent on seeing that he doesn’t. * x i * * Mr. Roosevelt did not say it, but Son James did in the matter of the appointment of W. Creighton Peet as secretary of the Maritime Commission. It seems White House Secretary James is specializing in secretarial appointments to the various new commissions about town. But he started on his last venture so late that Maritime Chairman Kennedy had to rush up to explain privately to Senators why their candidate could not get the job. Arrangements had been completed for appointment of Senator Shep- pard’s secretary, Victor Russell, to the post. recommendation from nearly every one. Mr. Russell had letters of Even the Vice President had asked Mr. Kennedy not to make the appointment until a conference could be arranged. Just as the Russell appointment was about to go through, @ stop order came from the White House. Mr. Kennedy personally explained to Senators that son James’ candidate was an old Harverd classmate and nothing could be done about it. Senators understood, but they have not forgotten it. * % * % The President’s message on wages and hours has been written for nearly a week. It is supposed to have been prepared by the unofficial at- torneys general, Cohen. Mr. Roosevelt has been calling in labor’s man-on-horse- back, John Lewis; President Green of the A. F. of L., and interested Cangressmen. He has let them read the message and make suggestions. That is how the leak developed in- dicating that he would recommend & 40-hour week and a $16 minimum wage with loopholes. Too many people knew about it. Corcoran and Most authorities, however, decided to wait until they saw the final form of the message in print before committing themselves. * % * % What the shipping people are saying about the new chairman, Joe Kennedy of the Maritime Commission, will never be printed in any periodical which goes through the mails. There is a law against it. Kennedy, it appears, has established himself as a one-man merchant marine oligarchy. He issued orders barring newsmen and lobbyists from talking with any one in the commission, save himself and his capable publicity man, Harry Stringer. He brought in several retired business friends and made them work for approxi- mately nothing to help him get started, and he has not made public their names. He has assigned specific duties to all his assist- ants, after the fashion of a chairman of a corporation board, but in a manner heretofore unrivalled for force among commission chairmen. Somehow or other, no one here seems to resent it, chiefly because Kennedy is doing it and because every one realizes the inside news leakage in governmental maritime affairs has approached scandalous proportions in the past. The censorship order has been modified by liberal application and seekers for information now are permitted to talk to other persons in the commission aside from Kennedy. (Copyright, 1937.) viduals against any “ganging up” by other individuals through concerted action. But the incident does fllus- trate the flexibility with which union organizations interpret the phrase “collective bargaining” under the en- couragement of a national adminis- tration that has refused to condemn or outlaw the “sit-down” strike. (Copyright, 1937.) MARYLANDER NAMED BY JEWISH WELFARE Greenstein of Baltimore, Widely Known Social Worker, Elected President. BY the Associated Press. INDIANAPOLIS, May 24.—Harry Greenstein of Baltimore, Md., was elected president of the National Con- i ference of Jewish Social Welfare here yesterday at the end of the thirty- eighth annual convention. Greenstein was Maryland C. W. A. administrator in 1933 and 1934, Mary- land State relief administrator from 1933 to 1936 and director of the Mary- land Department of Public Welfare from 1933 to 1936. He is president of the Baltimore Council of Social Agencies and first vice president of the American Asso- clation of Social Workers. The conference voted to expand its program, establishing a field secre- does have a string of polo-ponies - - Does he drink Wilkin’s Goffee?” tariat, conducting regional institutes and in other ways providing “for Jewish social welfare workers that guidance which will be needed in the | coming years.” The National Council for Jewish | Education elected Samuel Dinn of New | icism from the Vatican. York, president. BY DOROTHY THOMPSON. ARDINAL MUNDELEIN shouldn’t have referred to Adolph Hitler as an Austrian paper hanger. I don't know why it's libelous to be called & paper hanger, but to the best of my knowl- edge Hitler never belonged to that guild. If the car- dinal had re- ¥ ferred to him as an Austrian house - painter, he would have been in order. Hitler's origin was indubitably Austrian, as his accent still is. He finished his fair- 1y limited school- ing in upper Austria, and went, as a youth, to Vienna to study painting— not house-painting, but the painting of pictures. The Vienna academy re- jected him as & student on the ground of insufficient preparation and in- sufficient talent. He tried to enter an architectural school, but failed there, too. And, being penniless, he got a painting job as a workman on a building that was going up, and thus combined painting with archi- tecture, though not quite as he had envisaged it. It is, however, of historical impor- tance that Hitler was rejected as an artist, and took to house-painting. Because if he had been successful in getting into the academy, he prob- ably would never have been heard from again. As it was, the embittered youth became enraged against the politics of his proletarian associates, and developed a hostility against so- cial democracy which became an ob- session. Also, he encountered in Vienna, in those days, some Polish Jews, who, living in a° more or less segregated part of the Austrian capital, still clung to the long black caftans and the curling ear-locks which are the costume of ghetto Jewry. They seemed strange to Adolph Hitler, and to seem strange was to seem sus- picious. He tells all about it in his life story, “My Struggle.” Nazi Movement Austrian. S0 whether he was a paper hanger or not, the fact of his Austrian origin is important. Actually, the whole Nazi movement is of Austrian origin. Hitler's father, who rose in life to be- come a customs inspector, belonged to the “‘Schonerer movement,” which, at the end of the last century, preached pan-Germanism in Austria, Dorothy Thompson. | hatred of the Jews and contempt for the Slavs. And the anti-clerical move- | ment, which aimed to oust the Ro- man_Catholic Church from politics, | could only gather strength in coun- tries like Austria, and its German neighbor, Bavaria, where the Catho- lic Church really was all-powerful. Many otherwise pious Catholics were outspoken against the priests, whom they called “the blackies,” be- cause of the high church taxes and the rigid control which the church exercised over society and politics. Hitler was in touch with the “Los von Rome” movement very early, which aimed at separating German Cathol- So that all of Hitler's obsessions are really Aus- | triah. But he didn’t hang paper. He painted walls. Rose to Power on Frame-Up. As for the rest of Cardinal Munde- lein's charges—that the wholesale Germany for immorality is & frame- up—the burden of proof certainly rests on the German government. Because it has been operating with {rame-ups ever since the beginning. Hitler got into power in March, 1933, on & wave of hysteria induced by the burning of the German Reich- stag, which the Nazis pinned upon the Communists and Social Demo- crats. Afterward, in a public trial, in which the Communist leaders were. indicted, a German court had to acquit them, but the Nazs still go on saying that the Communists did the dastardly deed, and to ssy they didn’t may land you in & con- centration camp. I don’t know who burned the Reich- stag, and this column doesn’t wit~ tingly affirm things it isn’t sure of, but I am willing to lay a bet of 10 to 1 that history will decree that the Nazis burned it themselves, and that there will be available for historians com- plete evidence to prove it. And, of course, the Nazi framing of the Jews is without parallel any- where. The Nazis have said for four years that the Jews were responsible for losing the war, the Treaty of Ver- sailles, the inflation, the failure of crops, plague, pestilence and every- thing except, perhaps, the weather. ‘They are publishing & child’s primer today, designed to teach little tots how to think of Jews and how to treat them if ever they should meet one If a Gentile child sees a Jewish child he is to thumb his nose at him (the {llustrations show how), push him off the street and otherwise maltreat him, and is to realize that any one with & Jewish grandmother is necessarily and inevitably an exploiter of the poor, a crook, a scoundrel and a seducer. Proficient Name-Callers. The Nazi howl of outrage at being called names comes with peculiar in- consistency from a government whose chief has called the French, in print, the “permanent and inexorable enemy of Germany” and the “defiler of Eu- rope.” It comes with laughable ab- surdity from a government which has called names at Russia, which in times gone past would have caused a war! 1 suppose that if you have sufficient secret agents and pry about enough you can find some immorality almost anywhere. But when the present Ger- man government gets morally outraged at the goings-on in Catholic cloisters it leaves me cold as a clam. The Nazi movement had for years at the head of the storm troops one Ernst Roehm, whose personal morals beggared description in any respect- able newspaper. Capt. Roehm, as chief of the storm troops, was in charge of hundreds of thousands of nice German boys. And every knowl- | edgeable person in Germany, certainly including Mr. Hitler, knew all about it. The facts had all come out in the newspapers, as the result of a libel suit. But Hitler only began worrying about Roehm's immorality when Roehm became politically embarrass- ing. And then Hitler was indignant to bursting point, indignant enough to have Capt. Roehm and several hun- | P dred others assassinated without trial. Incidentally, assassination without trial has another name in our coun- try. Mr. Hitler didn’t call it murder, he said that for the moment he was the Supreme Court. There weren't seven democrats in Germany to lift their voices against him. What these authoritarian states, these Bolshevised countries, can't get through their heads is that there are nations where the government isn't prosecution of Catholic priests in |responsible for everything its citizens WHICH IS LOVELIER? , poutl? T is absolutely true that Lux in the dishpan will guard the charm of any wife’s hands. Protect them from roughness, in spite of dishwashing! That’s because Lux has no harmful alkali—doesn’t dry the precious oils of harsh soaps do. the skin, as Dishes go faster with Lux, too! It’s a real beauty care in your dish- pan for less than 1f a day! for dishes gives you hands like a bride’s for less than 1f adayeee This Changing World T I8 hard for the former ruler of 500,000,000 people, even though he gave up an empire for “the woman I love,” to forget vhat he is fo longer the first citizen in his own country and the most prominent Windsor Finds It Hard Job Being a Private Citizen individeal tn the world. With Nothing to Do. Edward is in a bad humor. He believes that his former prime BY CONSTANTINE BROWN. minister and cabinet are persecuting him because they insist that he should remain henceforth a private individual. The democratic former ruler of the British Empire cannot get recon- ciled to the idea that he has no more rights than any ordinary mortal. And he’is irked because his wedding will be just a private affair and not even his family will be able to at- tend. He has forgotten that the royal family is first royal and then human. That it must curb its family instincts for the sake of the decorum demanded from British royalty. And it is hard for him to get reconciled to the idea that henceforth he will be for the rest of his days a gentleman of leisure with no other occupation than have a good time. * k%% British diplomats hoped that the reunion in London, on the occasion of the coronation of King George, might produce some tangible political results. Thus they managed to get Marshal Blomberg, the head of the German Army, together with Gen. Gamelin, the chief of staff of the French Army. Moral eflect on the people, you know. The two officers met, were cordial to each other, but nothing more happened. After all, there was no reason why they should refuse to shake hands and talk over war times, when their host wanted them to meet. The Austrian Foreign Minister Schmidt, however, almost “got it in the neck.” Yielding to the requests of the French and the British foreign ministers, he went to Paris and had a long talk with Yvon Delbos, the French foreign secretary. The two men had a long and comprehensive talk. As soon as it was over the inspired French press announced that the Austrians were willing to change jockeys again and that they would agree to have their territorial integrity guaranteed by the French and the British governments. This meant a great political victory for the Eu- ropean democracies and the first serious political set-back for Mussolini and Hitler. But this did not last long, because poor Schmidt got.a terrific spanking as soon as he returned to Vienna. He did not lose his job, but had to retract everything the French press said and to reafirm Austria’s attach- ment to the policies of Germany and Italy. * k% X Marshal Tukatchewsky is supposed to be the ablest strategist in the Russian Army. He has been relegated to a minor command because, it was sald, he had been involved in the plot of Trotzky's followers. This is not quite correct. Tukatchewsky did not plot against anybody. He was just careless. His aid and other members of his staff have been plotting right under his nose, but he knew nothing about #t. He was purished for his negligence. The Russian fleld marshal was strongly supported by the war minister, Marshal Voroshiloff, and by Stalin himself. Both these men are convinced that Tukatchewsky is loyal and will remain so. It is because of these friendships that he did not lose his head. The chances are that in the event of a conflagration Tukatchewsky will be one of the leading com- manders of the Soviet Armies. x x x x ‘The Japanese are maintaining in Shanghai a school which is known in that port as the “spy school.” It has an attendance of 114 youths who are selected in the principal centers of Japan after a rigid entrance examination. They study the Chinese language and all its dialects, and, after gradua- tion, are sent out to various parts of China and adjacent territories where, under orders of general staff officers, they are assigned to various un- savory jobe—for the good of the empire and the greater glory of the Emperor. say. The United States Government | friend it is not to be commended. can't put & Mayor in a concentration ‘When Friederich Schoenemann says camp or even remove him from office | in Berlin that the American Com- for saying that Mr. Hitler belongs in | munists and Jews, plus British prop- a chamber of horrors. It couldn't aganda, are responsible for the lack even remove him from office if he |of sympathy which the Nazi govern- should say the same thing about the l ment has in America, he is off the President of the United States. track. The lack of sympathy is due Propagandizing Useless. to the Declaration of Independence, There's a German proverb which | the Constitution and 150 years of a , “Be my pal or I'll bash your | certain kind of history. As a recipe for getting a (Copy Tray Service] COACH PASSENGERS Headline Folk and What They Do Guests at Windsor’s Wedding His Close Friends. EW YORK, May 24.—Favorite persons who are invited to at- tend the approaching wedding of his royal highness, the Duke of Windsor, and Mrs. Wallis Warfleld, represent exclusively those who in the past have been closely associated with the prospective bridegroom, and in the single case of Mrs. D. Buchanan Merryman of Washington, D. C., with the prospective bride, whose aunt Mrs, Merryman is. Sir Walter Turner Monckton is the attorney general for the Duchy of Cornwall and was formerly attorney general to the Prince of Wales. Pere sonal friend of the duke, he has al- ways shared with him interest in hunting, aviation and varied sports. Baron Brownlow, erstwhile gentle- man-in-waliing to former King Ed= ward, has been a companion to Wind- sor in his self-imposed exile. Of the inner coterie of Edward’s familiars, 38 years old, of slight, though athletic build, Lord Brownlow wears a small, fair mustache and is known as a wit. Also he sings, and his voice has been recorded for phonograph records. Capt. Edward Hedley Fielden, 33 years old, bore the responsibility of flying King Edward VIIL. Assuming this duty when he was flight lieu- tenant in the Royal Air Force, he ac- cepted promotion as captain of the King's flight quite casually. The first flyer to pilot a British monarch. In 1929 he received the Air Force Cross for distinguished peacetime flying. Col. the Hon. Piers Legh, equerry to Edward VIII, beginning in 1919, ac- companied his liege into exile when the abdicating monarch left England last December. “Joey” Legh, as he is known to his friends, and the Duke of Windsor have been constant com- panions since Legh returned from the World War with a Croix de Guerre, Second son of the second Baron New- ton, he is 37 years old, good at golf and poker and has a dry wit which Edward appreciates. Sir Godfrey Thomas was a former private secretary of Edward's when he was Prince of Wales. Maj. Edward Dudley Metcalfe, M. V., O, M. C, D. Y. O, is an Irishman, son of Edward Metcalfe, late of the General Prisons Board, Dublin Castle, Ireland. A graduate of Trinity Col- lege, Dublin, in 1907, he joined the 3d Bengal Cavalry in 1908. and the following year he was adjutant to the Governor of Bombay's Body Guard. Served in the World War in France and Mesopotamia. Maj. Ulick Alexander, C. M. G, C.V.0O, M. V.0, O. B. E, has been | keeper of the privy purse since last year. Born in 1889, his mother was the eldest daughter of the Earl of Cork. Went into the Coldstream Guards in 1909, served in France, Egypt and Palestine in the World War. Lord Selby (Thomas Salton Evelyn Gully) is the third Viscount of Selby, which was created in 1905. A New Feature Exclusively on the | LIMITED TO CINCINNATI, LOUISVILLE, ST. LOUIS Individual Reclining Seat Coaches on “The National Limited” have been completely remod- eled and refurnished to add extra service features not found on any other train to the Southwest. Tray service at your Coach Seat . .. light lunch or beverage served from Buffet Lunch Counter in Coach . . . or a complete meal brought to you from the Diner. Coaches have foot rests, linen head rests and Individual Seats that can be ad- justed for perfect relaxation. Linoleum-covered floors and carpeted aisles—spacious washrooms, with free soap and towels. Pillow service at nom- inal cost. Improved air-conditioning. Rail farein Coaches 2camile; in Pullmans 3c a mile, plus’ Pullman fare. BALTIMOR FRIENDLY RAILROAD FASTEST TRAIN—SHORTEST ROUTE Lv. W"“i(’l‘f'“" . . 6:00 P.M, ‘nion Station) Lv. Washington . . (Silver Speing St Ar. Cincinnati o . Ar. Louigville .+ o 9:35 AM. Ar.St. Louis. . . 1:20 P.M. (Standard Time) Connecting at St. Louis with feature trains to Southwest. Pullman equipment also offers many ‘exclusive advantages— among them Train Secretary,Vale etand Maid. There'saRadio, too. D. L. MOORMAN, Gen. Pass. dgons Phone District 3300, oc Nationa) 7370 £:0#/0 FAMILY