Evening Star Newspaper, April 23, 1940, Page 9

Court Ruling Seen Helping Employer Peaceful Picketing Decision May Give Free Speech to All By DAVID LAWRENCE. Henry Ford wasn't before the Su- preme Court of the United States this week with his case arguing the right to discuss freely the issues of unionism with his employes, but another case 80 clgsely paral- lels ais comten-. tion that it would seem to apply hereafter when the high est court i asked to pass on the manner in which the Na- tional Labor Re- lations Board has sought un- der the Wagner law to abridge freedom of speech. The Supreme Court—in holding an Alabama statute unconstitu- tional because it interfered with the right of employes to engage in peaceful picketing—said some perti- nent things about public discussion of the merits of labor disputes, as follows: David Lawrence. Sin times, the dissemination of infor- mation concerning the facts of a labor union dispute must be re- garded as within that area of free discussion that is guaranteed by the circumstances of our the Constitution. It is recognized now that satisfactory hours and wages and working conditions in industry and a bargaining position which makes these possible have an importance which is not less than the interests of those in the busi- ness or industry directly concerned. Discussion Held Indispensable. Free discussion concerning the conditions in industry and the causes of labor disputes appears to us indispensable to the effective and intelligent processes of popular government to shape the destiny of modern industrial society. The is- sues raised by regulations, such as are challenged here, infringing upon the right of employes effectively to inform the public of the facts of a labor dispute are part of this larger problem. o “Every expression of opinion on matters that are important has the potentiality of inducing action in| | | The Capital Parade War Orders Likely to Give Trade Balance of $200,000,000 Monthly By JOSEPH ALSOP and ROBERT KINTNER. ' On the dark day when news came of Germany’s brutal invasion of Scandinavia, the Treasury’s able economist, Harry White, happened to encounter Edward H. Foley, jr., the young, New Dealish general counsel. Both had been watching the state of domestic business with concern, and after they had talked over the news from Norway, White remarked to Foley that it “took a world tragedy to save the business index.” This is no more than the unpleasant truth. War buying in the previous period of siege-warfare was not enough to keep the war boom going. With the assault on Den- mark and Norway, the period of siege-warfare has been abruptly and shockingly ended. The Gov- ernment economic experts foresee war buying on a much larger scale. And consequently they are begin- ning to exude a somewhat grisly optimism. It is simplest to see what is happening in termssof the balance of trade. Three years ago the trade balance was slightly unfavorable to thi because of the need for our goods created by preparation for war in Europe. A year ago we had a favorable balance of trade running to $850,000,000 annually. With the beginning of the war, even in the slege- warfare period, the favorable balance was almost doubled, so that the excess of exports over imports amounted to $145,000,000 for the 29 days of February. And as new war orders come in, the balance will increase still further. Leverage Spending If February was an average month of the siege-warfare period, and if orders increase only comparatively moderately, it seems reasonable to suppose that by the year’s end the favorable trade balance will be well above $200,000,000 monthly. It may be much higher than that, and, of course, if the war continues to close normal American markets, it may also be somewhat lower. The point is, however, that money for American goods will continue to pour in. The expenditures will be extremely substantial, and they will be of the sort best calculated to stimulate business.” Much of the money will go to heavy industry. A very large percentage of it will be used for constructing new plants. In other words, the war will produce what the New Dealers used to call “leverage spending.” At the same time, the congressional economy drive has collapsed, and Government spending will also continue at an immensely high level. Thus if there is any truth in the theory that spending is a stimulant to business (and even the most conservative economists agree that it is a temporary stimulant), business is due to improve handsomely in the next year. Dire Prophecies To those who have watched the shifts and veerings of New Deu: economic policy, the new situation is another proof of spending's irresisti- ble attraction for the President and the New Dealers. When the war | began, the President was positively convinced that it would produce a tremendous boom. Among the New Dealers and especially among the economic experts who form so important an element in the New Deal group, the President's conviction was accepted with a grain of salt. Yet even the most ardent spenders acknowledgeti that Government spending might be reduced in amounts equivalent to the war buying. It was said that all would be well so long as TODAY there was no reduction’ in ‘“net T spending” or the total war buying lj and Government spending. Because of the President’s ex- pectation of a greav boom, relief and other appropriations were sharply reduced in the 1941 budget. the interests of one rather than an- | other group in society. But the group in power at any moment may not impose penal sanctions on peaceful and truthful discussion of matters of public interest, merely on & showing that others may thereby be persuaded to take action incon- sistent with its ifiterests.” Now the National Labor Relations Board has developed the doctrine that an employer has no right to discuss mutual problems with his individual employes but must dis- cuss them only through a designated bargaining agent. Even when the employer feels that the bargaining | agent is misrepresenting the truth | concerning the employer's position with respect to wages and hours and other pertinent facts, the board has held that the employer cannot transmit any documents directly to Individual employes, or argue his case over the head of even an un- truthful bargaining agent. Intimidation by Inference. ‘The board has gone so far as to declare that an employer who ad- dressed his employes on the merits of collective bargaining could, under certain circumstances, be held to be violating the Wagner law by com- mitting an unfair labor practice, It is true the board has consistently sought to tie up the expressions by the employer with alleged intimida- tion or coercion on his part, but this has been read into the cases by in- ference rather than by direct proof, and, of course, the board has felt | It had the power to base its con- tlusions on impression rather than testimony, anyway. When the Supreme Court, on the other hand, declares invalid an enti-picketing ordinance on the ground that “peaceful picketing” cannot injure the employer and that free discussion can do nobody any harm, it is in effect saying that the employer has a right freely to express his opinions, too. The Labor Board has maintained | such a judgment inconsistent here- ?fl | will be before the same codrt. | opinion rendered this week may Then the possibility that siege- warfare might be rather prolonged began to sink in. Although war orders were coming in fairly well, the New Deal economic experts became alarmed. Richard Gilbert, Harry | L. Hopkins’ new Commerce Department economist, was the first to sound the tocsin of warning, predicting that unless the course of the war changed the business index would drop from its December high of 125 to an eventual low of 85. During the winter, the spending forces mobilized, and the President’s mind changed, with the result that the plugs were pulled on economy, | and an increased relief appropriation was actually recommended. The idea of keeping “net spending” constant is now out the window. spending” will be far greater than before, for vastly increased war buying will be added to Government spending, which will also be somewhat more lavish. Certainly if the economists’ predictions that the business index is now headed upward should be proved wrong, the entire theory of the economic value of spending will begin to seem extremely dubious and full of ugly holes. (Released by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Ine.) that freedom of speech is a “quali- fied right” where the employer is concerned, but the latest Supreme Court case would seem to render | New Textile Sought Investigations are being made in the Hague, Netherlands, of the pos- | sibility of producing a new syn- thetic textile fiber from the waste | gasses of gasoline cracking instal- i lations. A large oil company making | the experiments is optimistic regard- ing the eventual success. after. Incidentally, when the House Labor Committee was asked to vote an amendment to the Wagner iaw safeguarding freedom of speech, it was defeated. Justice Murphy, the newest member of the Supreme Court, wrote the opinion which was approved, 8 to 1, by his colleagues. As a former Governor of Michigan where he has had considerable ex= perience with picketing laws and ordinances and with attempts to crush freedem of speech, Justice Murphy has written a significant opinion. In the not far distant | future, the Henry Ford case on freedom of speech for the ployer The | Loan for Highway The Mexican government has | loaned 4,000,000 pesos to the state of Coahuila for completion of a 270-mile paved highway from Piedras Negras, opposite Eagle Pass, to Saltillo, capital of the state. The new highway will open a new route into the interior of Mexico, |Sweden's Pay Boosts Agreements between employers and workers in Sweden's paper, wood pulp, sawmill, textile and machine industries assured labor peace in | 1940. The agreements covered small | wage increases, as well as certain | supplementary wages because .. of higher living costs. foreshadow the clarification of the rights of employers who have neen wondering how Congress could pos- sibly have delegated power to the Labor Board to abridge the free- dom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution. (Reproduction Rights Reserved.) 1222 22nd St. N.W. Builr 5y CADILLIAC- Builds Best ! 81240 for the Series Fifty Coupe, delivered at Detroit. Sedans start at $1280. Transportation based on rail rates, equipment and accessories—extra. Prices subject to change w SEE YOUR NEAREST CADILLAC-La SALLE DEALER and Cadillac “Net | | | | | | | | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, CI'H themselves an. E opintons of the writers on this page are thetr 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 d directly opposed to The Star's. The Political Mill Roosevelt Tour Seen as Salesmanship for New Deal, the Foreign Policy, or Both' By G. GOULD LINCOLN. President Roosevelt's plan for a Western trip in June, announced yesterday in Warrg Springs, quite naturally set political tongues awagging in Washing- ton. Two possi- Ble purposes of such a trip were § discussed. The first, to stir the people of the Western country again to sup- port the Roose- velt New Deal— and possibly the New Deal Presi- dent. The sec- ond, to sell to| the: country especially the G.Gould Lincoln. administration’s foreign policy. And it may be that the President would take a Puckish delight in delivering speeches—bound to make the.head- lines—while the Republican Na- tional Convention is striving the latter part of June to draft a na- tional platform and to nominate its candidates for President and Vice President. The President’s announced policy is to keep' this eountry out of the| wars in Europe and in Asia. But he has spoken of “policies short of war” that should be undertaken in the interests of the democracies of Europe against the dictator nations. JHe has not hesitated to say that his sympathies, like those of the vast majority of Americans, are with the allies against Germany. ‘There are many Americans who view with suspicion the attitude of the administration—and they are not hesitating to say as much. The “measures short of war” have not been put before the people in detail. Generally they are supposed to be measures of economic pressure. There has been no suggestion of loans of money to the allies—yet. But if it becomes evident that the allies must have financial support in order to continue their struggle — loans would be one measure “short of war.” “Our War” Argument Increases. The American people are easy to rouse. Their sympathies are quick. Up to the present there has been an earnest demand on the part of the great wmajority that America | remain out of the war. Neverthe- less, there 1s a substantial number of Americans who insist that the war in Europe is America’s war— on the ground that if Germany wins, the Western Hemisphere will be next on Mr. Hitler's list of con- quests. As the war spreads abroad, this line of argument will be de- velcped more and more markedly. Mr. Roosevelt’s contentions have been that Americans cannot expect to be unaffected by the war abroad; | sult Chairman Hamilton. Nor, pre- | of Minnesota. that this country must be prepared | to do its part in bringing peace to | the world, around the peace table. | There are signs the propaganda | factory is already at work. Republican have talked of foreign affairs, have insisted that America remain aloof from the war and one of them at least—Thomas E. Dewey of New York—has frowned upon the idea that America is to participate in the peace terms. Mr. Roosevelt has taken Mr. Dewey severely to task, in his more recent comments, for this attitude. Yet if the allies .| win—without our participation in the war—will they invite this coun- try to help frame the terms of peace? And if the Germans win, will they seek to bring America into the picture as an arbiter of peace? It may be that the President is counting on a stalemate. Seen as Important Election Issue. More and more the belief grows that the foreign situation will play an important part in the coming political campaign in this country. It frequently has been predicted that upon the foreign outlook will depend Mr. Roosevelt's decision whether to run again, for one thing. And whether he runs or not—but especially if he runs—the foreign | | policies of this country will be brought prominently into the fore- ground by the Democratic and Re- publican campaigners. It may be that the President senses that there is not too much time left between now and election day to educate the Amerigan people along the lines | of his own thinking on foreign policies. The Republicans are planning not to let the grass grow under their feet, either. First, along comes a Landon-Knox proposal that key men in the party, including pro- spective members of the national | itself mechanically. convention’s Committee on Resolu- | that no nation learns | tions, gather in Philadelphia a week before the convention and .begin work on drafting a national plat- form. This platform will have to deal with the foreign relations of the. country as well as with domestic affairs. Time will be required, and also a careful consideration of all the circumstances that exist two months from now, to give the Re- publicans the kind of declaration of policy they desire in their platform. | | Scarcely is this Landon-Knox idea | made public when Chairman John Hamilton of the Republican Na- tional Committee announces he has written to all members of his com- mittee and all State chairmen urg- ing that the State delegations to the national convention elect their rep- resentatives on the prospective reso- lutions committee, so that they may: go to Philadelphia “an appreciable time” before the convention to work Pportant report of the Glenn Frank they did in 1932 and 1936. Nationa |out a platfoerm. Have Common Goal. The plans are similar in intent.|and that time will be necessary. But Col. Frank Knox, who talked with Republican House and Senate something new in the way of key- | permanent chairman. leaders here last week about the!note speakers at their national con- Landon-Knox proposal, did not con- | vention—33-year-old Gov. sumably, Col. Knox. ever, has had the proposal in mind for months. He stresses the fact did Mr. Hamilton consult | chairman they are putting forward | the Kentuckian might APRIL 23, 1940, We, the People U. S. Can Learn Much From History; Syracuse Had Its Isolationists Long Ago . By JAY FRANKLIN. A great land power and a great sea power are engaged in a life-and- death struggie. It is a war of blitzkriegs, blockades, surprises and sudden reverses of fortune. Neutrals are seeing their territory invaded, social revolution and counter-revolution are in the air, and a whole civilization is breaking up under the pressure of a double war. A great western power—rich, powerful and politically inexperienced— is becoming disturbed by rumors that one of the belligerents has designs upon her-and is preparing to invade her territory and there is a debate in which the two sides of public /M opinion are considering this war and 5 threat of its extension in terms of =3 their own domestic politics. *:\) ,‘J’> A powerful popular leader has ; = kf‘ warned of the rising danger and has suggested that his country take some // practical military and diplomatic \\ precautions against the threat from overseas. Naturally, he has been ’ accused of undue personal ambi- = tions and of deliberately exaggerat- ing the danger in order to frighten public opinion into acceptance of his leadership. It Happened Long, Long Ago In fact, the farsighted proposals of this political leader give rise to a violent isolationist reaction. The argument of his opponents might be set down somewhat as follows: “As to the Athenians, whoefer does not wish them to be so ill witted as to come here and fall into our hands, is either a coward or not loyal to the state; as to the men, however, who tell such stories and fill you with fear, I do not wonder at their audacity so much as at their sim- plicity, if they fancy we do not see through them. “The Athenians are, I am quite sure, taking care of their own | interests, and men from here are fabricating stories neither true nor | possible, men whom not now for the first time but always I have known to be wishing by ‘reports such as these to frighten the mass of you and themselves dominate the city. * * * “But if you will only follow me, I will try to see to it that never in our time shall any of these things come to pass. For this city, even if the Athenians come, will ward them off in a manner worthy of herself.” 8o, at any rate, according to Thucydldes, did Athenagoras of Syra- cuse reject the proposals of Hermocrates to prepare to defend their city by measures short of war some 2,400 years ago, Nor did the advice of Athenagoras to his fellow Sicilians prevent the Athenian fleet from landing an army and besieging the city of Syracuse. For Hermocrates was right, the Athenians were on the way and the attempt to maintain Sicilian isolation ended in this part of the war being fought out in Sicily itself instead of safely across the sea to the east. Twouptr. ik £ wne svee 4 Frec Berme’ g No Nation Learns From History It has been’said that history, like an idiot or an old bore, repeats It has also been sald that the lesson of history is the lesson of history. Over the past nine years, war after war of conquest has been suc- cessfully waged, revolution after revolution has been successfully staged, Trojan horse after Trojan horse has been stabled—while every nation hoped that this time would be the last. Yet it is the nature of such a war as that which is now in progress to spread and deeply to affect the life, the institutions and the counsels of every people in the world. The men who refused to discuss “the in- divisibility of peace,” for fear lest it should imply foresight and preven- TuEed 4 LTrE tive action on their part, are now a?jififlb;‘umnul facing the fact of a war which is s 3 = indivisible. 772 In the meantime, as the issues of Greenland and the Dutch East Indies suggest that we should culti- vate our sense of geography, so, too, the events which attend a world war which is also a world revolu- tion suggest that we should culti- vate our sense of history. For these things have happened before. (Released by Consolidated News Features.) 1 Program Committee, which should Chairman Farley is suggesting that be given attentive study by the Senator Barkley of Kentucky take platform makers in Philadelphia— |on a third term as Democratic Na- | tional Convention keynoter, and The Republicans are presenting | that Speaker Bankhead preside as If Barkley | becomes either temporary chairman Stassen | and keynoter or permanent chair- And for permanent man, and Roosevelt should not run, emerge as a chusetts, Republican House leader.|dential nomination—or so his friends Either the Democrats have no|say. Senator Byrnes of South Caro- FLIGHTS 23 DAILY 70 [NEW YORK EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR! The most frequent service between any two cities by any air- line in the world ® Planes arrive at both New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field and Newark Airport ® Flight- Steward service on every plane; shack-bar service on local flights; full-course complimentary meals at regular mealtimes ALSO TO MEXICO CITY—Silversleeper service without-change-of-plane to Mexican border every night at 9:05 Send for special booklet on all- expense tours to Mexico and Guatemala For ALMOST as long as the automobile industry has existed, Cadillac engineering and manufacturing have been Standard of the World. Cadillac introduced precision engineering and scores of basic innovations besides. And LaSalle is a Cadillac product. That’s why two out of three medium-price car buyers who try it buy it. LaSalle perform« ance is Cadillac performance—and that’s the best there is. For proof take a ride—today. optional ut notice. 2 CAPITOL CADILLAC CO. NAtional 3300 F. D. AKERS, President s:ateandlocalmm(if%, FOR RESERVATIONS: Phone Republic 3311 your local Eastern Air Lines Ticket Agent, or call any trovel bureau or hotel transportation desk. A9 This Changing World Vatican Is Proving Reliable Source of Information for U. S. By CONSTANTINE BROWN., Myron Taylor, the special ambas- sador of President Roosevelt at the }Iaticnn, is doing a remarkably fine ob, In these days of rumors and col- ored news it has become increas- ingly difficult for the State De- partment to ob- tain first-hand @information which could be described as crystal clear. The Vatican has proved so far the best and most reliable source for the American Gov- ernment and Constantine Brown. Ambassador Taylor is a perfect reporter. The Vatican’s intelligence service is the best in the world. It gathers news from the four corners of the world. The “intelligence officers” are members of the Catholic clergy who are in touch in every country in the world with people of all social strata. They do not seek informa=- tion in the same way as diplomatic, military and naval officers. In Touch With All Classes. Information comes to the fathers through their daily activities. Peo=- ple from the highest to the lowest in the land are in daily touch with the Catholic clergy. They hear all kinds of things whether they want to or not. In this manner the social and economic situation in every | country in the world is better known to the Vatican than to any other government in the world. Military and naval news is of no interest to the clergy. They don't }get any. But these days an actual | picture of the economic, and espe- | cially moral, situation in every coun- Itrv is of greater consequence than the fact that one of the belligerents has some gigantic and heretofore unknown weapon for future use. There is always an antidote for any kind of poison.' There is always a counterweapon to any new means of killing. The last war proved this sufficiently. But there is nothing that can be done to undermined morale which is ready to break | down at the slightest push. The Catholic clergy is composed of men of great knowledge of human nature and psychology. Hence they | are capable, in many instances bet- ter than a dinlomatic or military officer, of gaugirg a situation based more on psychelogical factors than on troob movements. | Reassured on Italy. The Vatican is apparently willing to pass on to the American Govern- ment most of its useful information. In this marner, for instance, last Friday, when the situation in the | Mediterranean seemed most pre- The chairman, how-| Representative Martin of Massa- | compromise candidate for the presi- | carious and it was believed that Italy was ready to enter either Greece or Delmatia, the State De- j that the Republicans already have imagination or they are superstitious | lina also is being boomed for the partment had reassuring informa- speakers, when they had submitted to them a most im-|and believe they should do what | job of keynoter. tion. It received reports in the morning, to the effect that Musso- Iini wes reedy to slow down and | that an att>ck against either Yugo- | slavia or Greece must be discounted | for the time teing, at least. Ambassador Taylor, in turn, is not |a career diplomat, but a business- | man. This is his first diplomatic | post. He mayv ask auestions with Egrenter bluntness than a trained | diplomat would dare, but apparently he receives the right answers. Of course, there is no rivalry between the official Embassy in Rome and the unofficial one at the Vatican. Ambassador Willlam Phillips—a ca- reer man—has his own most reliable sources of information, and he and Mr. Taylor co-operate in an en- deavor to keep the State Depart- ment as well informed as is possible under present conditions. Italy has become the pivotal point in the Eu- ropean conflict. Hence =all news from there is of enormous impor- tance. Army Gets Ukeleles Hundreds of musical instruments are being sent from London to British troops in France and else- where. Among the instruments do- nated to the Musical Instrument Fund, headed by Madame Novello Davies, mother of Ivor Novello. the actor-playwright-composer, are uke= leles, mouth-organs, accordions, ban- jos, mandolins, phonographs and records. She has 16 pianos waiting transport and has been promised a bassoon. 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