Evening Star Newspaper, July 14, 1937, Page 11

. THE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON Do C. I. O. Taps New Political Gold Mine #1 o.oo;,@(,a War Chest Possible in Gov- ernment Field. RY DAVID LAWRENCE. ITIZENS generally may be ask- ing nowadays why John Lewis OU can put that A oid gray squirrel has made good. ship, &larts out in Indiana. and the C. 1. O. want to ob- tain control of the 2,000,000 smploves of the Federal, State and | city governments throughout the eountry. President Roosevelt, to be surd, has said the Government employes not strike or bar- :gain collectively :and John Lewis has concurred “that the Govern- & ment workers are not to strike oi ¥ picket. Then why f &hould these em- ployes pay $2.- 000,000 & month in dues and why should they be organized by the SC.EL o . The reason is - political. The C 1. O. is in one #ense a labor organization, but it Also a political instrumentality, oper- Ating with the same objectives as the Republican or Democratic parties. The _C. 1. O. party. of course, was active In the last campaign in several States and did yeoman service for the Roose- _velt cause entirely apart from the making of a contribution of $500,000 to the New Deal camprign { In this connection the C. I. O. ap- | parently has violated the Federal cor- | rupt practices act. Since this law for- “hids contributions by corporations and gince the C. 1. O. is not incorporated it has been assumed generally that the Tewis organization was immune “from the provisions of the statute. It &0 happens, however. that there are other sections of the Federal corrupt practices act which the C. I O. has ignored. One section provides: | “The term ‘political committee’ in- eludes any commitice, Rssociation or organization which accepts contribu- tions or makes expenditures for the purpose of influencing or ailempting to influence the electioftof candidates | or presidential and vice presidential electors (1) in two or m States, or -12) whether or not in more than one State if such committee, association, or nrganization (other than a d ganized State or local committee political pariv) is a branc aidiary of a national committee, asso: .ciation or organization.” David Lawrence. It Iy Financial Statement Required. | Tf the C. I. O. is & “political com- | mittee” as the term is used in the law. it should have filed with the clerk nf the House of Representatives a statement of receipis and expendilures pach year, even when there is no elec- | ton. There is a penalty for failing to do this amounting to a fine of £1.000 or one vear in jail, or both. All -local union officers would seem to be liable if they are proved guilty of fall- ure to make an accounting The C. 1. O, on the other hand, may deny it is & “political commirtee” | 4n the sense in which the term is used | In the law. If that be the case, then | there is a different provision of the | .act which the C. I. O. has flouted. It provides: | “Every person (other than & politi- | ral committee) who makes an expen- diture in one or more items, other than by contribution to a political committee, aggregating $50 or more within a calendar year for the purpose of influencing in two or more States the election of candidates, shaM file with the clerk an itemized detalled &tatement of such expenditures in the same manner as required of the treas- | urer of a political committee.” | | Boaats of Political Aid. | In other words, the C. I. O. cannof have its cake and eat it, too. If it contends it is not & political commit- .tee. then the C. I. O. has failed to make an accounting in the House of Representatives of expenditures for political purposes made in excess of | £50 and which were not reported through the regular political channels. The C. I. O. has openly through its leadership that it was act- _vely engaged in the last campaign While it raised a war chest and gave money and also loaned big sums to the Presidnt’s campaign committee, the C. 1. O. did a good bit of organiz- | (ng work among its owB members in | getting them to register and in telling _them how to vote at the polls. All tums expended for this purpose in “axcess of $50 have to be recorded offi- eially or else a fine can be imposed and a prison sentence as well against any officer of an association or person responsible for the finances both lo- eally and nationally, There is no record of any complete list of receipts and expenses filed | with the clerk of the House by the :C. 1. O. It has been rumored, for ex- ample. that the C. I O. received con- .tributions in some instances from cer- tain employers who were siding. with the C. 1. O. as & means of brihging about increased wages in their’ com- “petitors’ plants. Altogether a com- _pilation of what was received and spent would doubtless prove interest- | ing and is | | campaign chests for 1938 and boasted £ONe easy source of funds will be the aspirations will he modified. At Johnson Slated to Be Secretary of War. Due to Quit Philippine Post. BY H. R. BAUKHAGE. can Lezion button back in your lapel, said the the White House lawn, another ex-soidier What he meant, it seems, Assirtant Secretary of War, Louis Johnson. one of the most. efficient com= manders the Legion ever elected, is going to be promoted to the secretary- What’s Back of It All McNutt among other things, was that the new He will pull his chair up to the cabinet table about the time school * K ok % Another ex-commander, Paul V commissioner of the Philippines and his MeNutt, will soon be ex-high well-known presidential Teast president will be his title, if he accepts an offer from the University of Indiana. * % * % The other ex-commander, ang present War Secretary, Harry Woodring, would not be stepping downward if he stepped into Mr. McNutt's Filipino boots, even if they're pinching the incumbent at present, The Legion boys have never felt they needed to hide their in- signia. But the old squirrel's sly dig referred to A minor scandal in which Secretary Woodring becawne innocently involved when Assistans Secretary of WAr in charge of pro- curement. It concerned the sale of certain Army supplies later to be bought back &t higher prices. But the President is loyal 1o his official family and would not HOW Aro a7 T ,\f‘»’§’ . NOT ACKANCE toss Mr. Woodring into the discard just because he may not be the greatest Secretary of War since Henry Knox * % * % The unwise cracks of Mr. McNutt, including the latest which the Filipinos choose 1o interpret as an aspersion on their brand of democracy, have impaired his usefulness in the islands. x % Louis Johnson's case is quite a different one. officeholder, he is an exceecingly successful lawyer as a Government Clarksburg, W. Va. His friends had second place in the War Department even temporarily * % ‘While he has no record in some difficulty to get him to step into When he was named Assistant Secretary on June 14, he knew exactly what the appoint- ment meant. So did they. The Democratic party owes Mr Johnson a debt for what he did in organizing the veterans’ division of the national commiitee in the last cam- paign But it wasn't so much the way he helped the President in the elec- tion as the wav he opposed him in another matter that probably won President Rogsevelt's regard. * * % That all happened "way back when Lewis Douglas, then direc- for of the budget. was attempting his futile balancing aet He was planning to cut the compensation of veterans, including some who were wounded 1n action. Johnson, then commander of the legion, had the delicate job of turning on the heat. * % He handled it with gloves and not army gauntlets ike an army with banners, he telephoned in ad- ing on the White House | vance offering to submit data The President accepied, Douglas. went * % Instéad of advane- over the memoranda with Director Later Mr. Johnson arrived and after a forthright conference it was possible to draw up a joint statement which assured the veterans that the compensation cuts would be modified and extricated the President from An embarrassing situation. x x % % Fnter another lady into the exclusive precincts of the State Depart- ment, though at this writing it hasn't been mentioned Neither has it been mentioned that Keith Merrill, executive assistant to Assistant Secretary of ¥ s‘i.‘v.:'{u' Ea]S i Yes architect, soon to be named Mrs. Robbins (who tints her hair heliotropey comes to her equipped temperatures ranging from 104 above State Carr, has resigned his post. His duties were the supervision of the furnishings of the foreign serv= ice buildings, Legations snd Em- bassies. Mrs. Warren Delano Robbins, widow of the President's cousin, veteran diplomat and late Minister to Canada, will now look after the Go nmment's interior decorating job. Mrs. Robbins will not hold Mr Merrill's title. That will go to an job well As & foreign service wife she has opened 33 official homes in t0 45 below. She will remain in Wash- ington for twn months and then start an inspection tour of Uncle Sam’s parlors. bed rooms and baths The next shake-up in the State Department division * % will be in the legal The resignation of Dr. Ernest Gruening, as head of the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration, predicted in thig column some time ago, has been accepted by, President Roosevelt. x % Dr. Gruening, now that he has * % been relieved of this extra added as- signment, will be able 1o give more time, he hopes. to his real job of director of the Division of Territories and Island Possessions of.the Department of Interior If all goes well he expects to give some personal attention to Hawail when he is relieved of his duties of rehousing the Puerto Ricans. (Copsright, 1837 by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.) law was to enable the public to see what financial influences were behind the various so-called non-partisan groups who have sought in various ways to influence Federal elections. War Cheat Swelling. The C. 1. O. is preparing even bigger 1940. money to be derived from organizing 2,000,000 employes of the Federal, State and city governments at $1 a month dues. In return for this the employes cannot expect the C. I. O. to arrange a strike or do any collec- tive bargaining or picketing, for that is all taboo. What 'he C. 1. O. itself can do. of course, is to picket mem- bers of Congress and exprt political pressure on behalf of Government employes and for this the Govern- ment workers are asked to put up & maximum of about $10.000.000 a year. Naturally not all of the Government employes will join, but ii only 20 per | cent of them do it still means $400.000 A month or about $4,800,000 a year, which is more than most political parties have been able to collect in Yyears past. The spectacle of a labor organiza- tion moving into the ranks of Go ernment workers has made many | folks in the executive positions in the Government rather uneasy. They will not be able to tell whether the employes feel Uncle Sam or John in fact the purpose of the Lewis is the boss hereafter. For when | Outboard IN A RACE, | EXPECT CLOSE CALLS. AND WITH HEALTHY NERVES, | FEEL READY FOR THEM.! LIKE A MILD CIGARETTE THAT DOESN'T JANGLE My NERVES. THAT MEANS CAMELS TO ME ) divided allegiance is demanded there is always uncertainty. | Question of Faith. | The only possible advantage to the | Government. workers is that the C. I | O. will set up a lobby for them on | Capitol Hill. presumably to help in- crease pay and improve working con- ditions. But it is a travesty on com- mon sense that the Federal workers cannot remain faithful to their own organization which they have had for vears, and which, after a short expe- rience with an outside union, decided to maintain an independent status. Such an association can pay for any lobby and carry on every activity that John Lewis promises and do the job for an infinitesimal cost compared. to the tax which the C. I. O. imposes for dues. rassments for the loyal employe who, jupon being asked to furnish certain information to his union, must at the same time maintain his allegiance to | his employer—his Government. The C. I O. party is definitely a | political movement today and | quire obedience to the Federal cor- | rupt. practices law, the sooner will the | | American people recover the respect, they which is vigilant to ‘enforce the law against political enemies, but slow to investigate violations by its political allies. (Copyright, 1927.) 6 OVER THE FINISH LINE fOAK/N Mulford Scull—Class A" Motorboat Champion —says: | sweat-shop methods. {-exempted concerns Likewise there are embar- | the | | sooner the President and the Attorney | | General recognize this fact and re- | have lost for an administration | necessarily The Star’s. THE opinions of the writers on this page are their own, not Such apinions 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. John L. Lewis BY JAY FRANKLIN. UST as the Resettlement Admin- istration was the means of melting the ice under Huey Long’s demagonic appeal to the economic untouchables of the Deep | South, by relieving some of their more | urgent needs, so the Black-Connery labor standards bill is calculated to deflate John L. Lewis and the C. . O., by achieving decent labor conditions without resort to militant unionism and atrikes It is designed to bring industrial warfare further within the reach of arderly. political procedure—a process | which began with the upholding of the | Wagner labor relations act by the | Supreme Court. | This project for a labor law is what General Johnson calls “Machiavel- lian,” since it removes control of basic | industrial relations from the judictary | and, taking advantage of the “general welfare” clause in the Constitutior, | directly challenges the Supreme Court’s defunct decision that condi- | | tions of employment do not affect the | general welfare. It thus kills two birds with one stone—always an annoving | procedure to the owner of the chicken | | coop. Death Weakened Support. The Black-Connery bill faces tre- | mendous opposition. The sudden death of Representative William P Connery of Massachusetts robbed the | measure of its ablest advocate in the | House of Representatives, His suc- cessor as chairman of the House Labor Com'mittee, Mrs. Norton of | New Jersey, is amiable but inadequate, | s0 the condtict of the battle has been | transferred to Senator Black of Ala- | ! bama and the rarified (since heated) air of the Upper Chamber of Congress The bill gets off 10 & lame start as & result of the squabble between the American Federation of Labor and the C.1. 0. Itishard to get united labor | support from disunited labor leaders. | | though it is possibly just as well that this should be the case if we are to get rid of racketeering in American labor unionism. Tt should be repeated and fully understood that this measure will help deflate the extra-legal gal aspects of labor unionism in this country. Lahor May Oppose It. On this account, many labor leaders may oppose it as & threat to their | meal-tickets. I labor gets its rewards through governmental action instead of through strikes, labor’'s economic allegiance will be transferred from | | their union officials to their political | representatives | The greatest single battle over the | 1 be provoked by petty Southern industrialists. This lies back of Mr. Garner's recent disagreement with | President Roosevelt. The low differ- ential wages for the South provided by the old N. R. A. will not be disturbed But there are a large number of chiseling factories, often located in small Southern towns where the oper- | ators ean rely on local farmers, busi- ness men and peace officers to serve as | vigilantes, which wish to remain en- tirely outside the scope of the proposed law. Even with a differential wage they would be unable to compete except by There is merit in their position, politically if not economically, so much so that N. R. A located in towns of less than a certain size. This prob- lem accounts for the recent exchange | of insults between Maury Maverick of | advancement | of We, the People‘ Black-Connery Labor Bill Is Aimed at Deflating and C. I. O. Texas and Representative Cox of Georgia, and will provoke further bitterness. Takes on All Industry. The labor standards bill goes too far in taking on all industry. This position was forced upon its framers by the Supreme Court decision which outlawed the first Guffey coal act. Had that act been upheld, the New Deal could have proceeded to enact a series of “little N clear of the quicksand of wholesale economic administration which swal- lowed the N. R. A. and which lies ahead of the board which will admin- ister this law But the court compelled Mr. Roose- velt to postulate his labor reforms on nothing less than the general welfare. Thus it is that the true authors of a revolutionary change are generally those conservatives who refuse to give an Inch, rather than the radicals who are thus compelled to take an ell (Copyright, 1937, NICE PAYS TRIBUTE (TOCARDINAL GIBBONS Governor Prevented by Illness From Attending Rites Here Sunday. A tribute to the memory of Cardinal Gibbons, who will be hon- ored at special ceremonies here Sun- day, under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus, was paid today by Gov Nice of Maryland. In a letter to Wal- ter 1. Plant, State deputy of knights, regretting his inability to be here for the ceremonies on account of illness, Got. Nice said: I do want to pay public tribute and personal respect and regard to the memory of one of Maryland's most outstanding citizens, my personal friend. and one whose services to the religious life of our communiry, to the of the civic betterment our people, and whose life was an inspiration to all who knew him. and I will appreciate it very much if you will be kind enough to present on my behalf a suitable wreath in order that, while I shall be absent in the flesn, it will be known that I am present in spirit.’ The ceremonies p.m. at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, Sixteenth street and Park road. where the Gibbons statue is located. HERRiCK WILL FILED will begin at 3 Son of Late Ambassador Leaves Estate to Widow. NEW YORK, July 14 (. —The will of Parmely W. Herrick, financier and son of the late Myron T. Herrick, for- mer Ambassador to France, filed for probate yesterday, left his widow, Mrs Agnes B. Herrick. a life income from & residuary trust to the extent of | $25.000 & year and the balance of in- come, after pavment of $10.000 a vear to her son, Parmely W. Herrick, jr. After death of the mother the en- tire residuary income is to go to the son. and when he reaches the age of he is to receive the principal. R. A" laws for the | basic industries and could have steered | | James | } | | Tof an extensive This Changing World Troyanovsky’s Friends Fear He May Be Going to Share Colleague’s Fate in Russia. BY CONSTANTINE BROWN. “NRIENDS of Ambassador Troyanovsky are considerably worried about his future. He left the United States iast week to spend a vacation in his country. The vacation had been planned for many months— long before Stalin had started his wholesale blood purge. For some reaso.. or other, it appears that Troyanovsky is under sus- picion. He had been a friend of Romm, the Soviet newspaper man who was brought before the court at the Radeck trial and has disappeared since. It is not out of the question that Troyanovsky might share the fate of other prominent Soviet offi- cials. He had an inkling of this be~ fore he left, but either because he has a clear conscience or because of his Russian fatalism he decided to return/ to Moscow and face the music. - ok ok o Reports which arrived this week from France indicate that despite the economic depression and the discontent which prevails among the mid- dle classes because of the abnormal increase in the cost of living. the » Prench people are united in their determination to fight a war rather than let the Germans and the Italians get away with the show in Spain Heretofore they have been following obediently whatever London want- ed to do. Now they serve notice—a friendly notice—on their allies across the channel that France will not tolerate fascism in Spain. The French people, the reactionary groups of Col. de la Rogue as well as the Communists under Thorez, are united in that respect. The Chautemps government will in all probability be ghort- lwed. Whether Bonnet will take his place 15 1mmaterial. The tendency is toward a coalition cabinet. and the Communists, who heretofore have declined to assume any responsibility in the government have indicated now that they are prepared to accept twn portofolins in a new cabinet. So have the members of the Rightist parties, x o ok * The French are puzzled about the attitude of the British and believe that unless thev adept a strong attitude Britain will try to muddie through And this muddling might be fatal The reports that a group of citv bankers have agreed to advance Franco $450,000.000 came as a surprise to Paris. They cannot understand on what basis such a large loan could be made to the rebel government and the government not be consulted 3 P The world must be changing indeed if a newspaper like the Humanite, the official organ of the French Communists, begins to praise the Vatican £kv-high There have been certain religious gelebrations at Lisieux, in Normandie. The Vatican was represented for the first time in many vears by one of iis highest dignitaries, Cardinal Pa- celli, the secretary of state. The Humanite took advantage of the presence of that prince of the church in France to extol the great political wisdom of the Holv See &nd the importance for France of maintaining cordial relations with the Vatican, which is now holding the torch of civilization and equal- Jty among men P There is a strong possibility that the ex-premier of France. Teon Blum, should come and visit the United States eitiner late this Summer or some time in the Fall . Until he became prime minister, Blum had never left France Last vear he made his first trip abroad. when he visited London soon after the out- break of the Spanish Civil War. Now he is reported to want to come and ser America. There .- are many mterested groups of people who are urging him tn take a frip across the Atlantic. His onn government. relying on his popu- arity in this country, would like him to come over jor a feuw weeks as an unofficial good-1ill ambassador Blum. who is a good orator, does not speak & word of English. But this. his friends point out, might prove a distinct advantage. It is better to make speaches in perfect French than in oroken English VAN DUZER STUDIES “DRIVER EDUCATION™ automobiles safely by W archi- !art of handling | was submitted to Van Duzer Hamilton Owens, New York | tect Van Duzer said today that scheme has “some advantages.’ he has not yet decided whether recommend its adoption. Tt fails provide for traming motorisis to drive in congested traffic, the greatest ac- cident hazard, he pointed out. the but to ta A scheme to educate District suto- mobile drivers to avoid common errors leading to sceidents ix being studied by William A. Van Duver, of vehicles and traffic. The director establishment for involves testing ground with signs, one-way streets, railroad crosa- ing, hills, curves and circle sections plan Convention Set Here. The Society of Motion Picture En- gineers has decided to hold its 1938 convention in Washington, the Great- | er National Capital Commitice of the Board of Trade announced today The meeting will be held late in auto drivers, complete stop inter- A copyrighted design for the pro- | posed development. arranged as a April or early in May and will brin course for training beginners and | about 400 delegates. Headquar testing experienced drivers in the i will be at the Wardman Park Hotel | ilm scout [ e defied | A-dreaming of Vit was w Headline Folk "and What They Do. New Contract Makes Ben Hecht Highest Paid Film Weriter. RY LEMUEL F. PARTON. EN HECHT is tied to the movie chariot His long-term with Samuel Goldwyn makes him the highest paid writer in Holly- wond is no lightly imposed bond- His soul was filled with bitter- ness when Hoilywood hir hegan to creep up on him. Trapped in his Nyack C he dared ture out for fear of ambush, He was afraid to look at a check in the morn- ing mail for fear it might be movia bait. One dreary December dav in 1931, baffied and desperate, with a hiding behind every bush, his tormentors in a long Here is one verse slapstick with golden chains. new contract, age stle hardly ven- anguished poem. Your gags whams, And all your pansv Romeos. And all your billboard oriflammes And all your Zukors, Myers and Loews cash in for a load of clams Outside door in threadbare hase and wows and your nis dit Thespis /rambe Our gallant thumbs his nose. He said was ear out of & to quit pesterin the trouble with Hollywond could make a sow's e, and it ought, literary men. His play, “Front Page.” which he wrote with his old knockabout newspaper pal. Charles Mar= Arthur, was his first great indise cretion. He had committed both a " and a and the him afrer 201 short, “The and nobody p! “wow wham," movies gave no peace that. They for a with Ben Hecht. ing his nose, and isn't bare—incidentally, he wears socks, even in the Summer t Destiny is to reward and rebellious men ar pleasant conformisis and yes-men th Mr. Her For quite a he was the bad boy of “Jew his hose apt sardonie pass up tha few vears ature. ¥ crities more tions he's a Hollywood slave, but don He was Love” caused the The conven- At last 1 sare to howl with dvnamited the greater anzu he terary s success born in New Hoolsin York in 1394 Racine, paper work with n 1010 and was 1014 10 was the His first produced in He seems alonz, taking really a demon can do it his As success closes in on him, at at least he may be un= a bulky. of me= fium statt ith a near littie mus- tache, with no marks of accentricity in demeanor or person. But quite an in the Holl 1 News from Erik Do v fame : nove 1923. 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