ENERAL JOHNSON, administra.
tor of the NRA, evidently must
be given credit for a skillful piece of
work in negotiating the agreement
" which forestalled the
threatened strike of
some 400000 workers
in the cotton textile
industry. The Imme-
diate peril was to the
workers themselves,
for the cotton mill
owners, embarrassed
by over - production,
would be willing to
. § shut down thelr
._, plants for a consider-
M. F. Tighe able time, Of course,
the New Deal would have suffered a
black eye, so General Johnson tackled
the problem energetically and per-
suaded Thomas F. McMahon, president
of the United Textile Workers of
America, and George Sloan, head of
the Cotton Textile institute, to accept
a compromise, and the call for the
strike was revoked.
The employers are permitted to go
ahead with their program of curtailing
production 25 per cent, and the labor-
ers have the promise of an NRA inves-
tigation into the matter of higher
wages and other points of difference.
The union also is assured of Increased
representation on the industrial rela-
tions board of the cotton textile code
authority and on the NRA advisory
board,
The next great labor trouble, the dis-
pute between the steel masters and
the Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers, promised to
be more difficult for General Johnson
to handle, and it seemed that prompt
action by President Roosevelt would
be necessary to avert the threatened
strike. The men demand the right of
collective bargaining through the
union agents. Michael F. Tighe, pres-
ident of the Amalgamated, declared it
was up to Mr. Roosevelt to provide
“prompt and unqualified enforcement
of the Jaw” on this point. He said the
government had failed the steel work-
ers and “their patience is exhausted.”
General Johnson offered a compro
mise in the form of a special labor
relations board for the steel industry,
similar to that which was created for
the automotive Industry in March.
But the proposition was rejected by
both the steel masters and the spokes.
men for the union.
According to the American Iron and
Steel Institute, the strike threats are
due to the activities of union leaders
who seek government intervention “to
maneuver themselves into positions of
power and domination over the steel
workers of the pation.” In a formal
statement, the institute asserted re
lations of steel companies and a great
mass of their employees are “peace-
ful,” and that the whole difficulty lies
with the Amalgamated association.
The “closed shop” is the one point
at issue, the statement says, and for
the employers to “accede to such a
request would be rank treachery.”
R CUSED to action by the drouth,
which Is the worst the country
bas ever experienced, President Roose.
velt telephoned from Groton, Conn. to
the federal relief ad- en
ministration, directing
that a special relief |
work program be put
into operation im-
mediately in the mid-
dle western states,
On his return to
Washington he called
a council of war to ex-
pand his plans and
hear proposals from
various . government
officials, It was stat- H. L. Hopkine
ed by Mr. Roosevelt that farmers
should be given cash Income from
work and also employment on proj
ects so that their immediate distress
might be alleviated.
Harry L. Hopkins, federal emer
gency relief administrator, at once al-
located $6,500,000 to 18 states so that
the work could start. The states re
ceiving allotments are: Wisconsin, $2.
100,000; Minnesota, $1,000000: South
Dakota, $1,050,000; Idaho, $250,000 ;
Kansas, $200,000; Montana, $350,000 ;
Nebraska, $276,000; New Mexico, $100,
000; North Dakota, $500,000; Utah,
$600,000; Wyoming, $150,000,
Work projects, Mr. Hopkins said,
will be put speedily under way to em-
ploy the heads of farm families in
need. The projects will Include the
development of additional water sup-
ply through digging wells and through
impounding or diverting water from
rivers and lakes,
Plans of live stock owners in the
most seriously affected states to drive
their cattle into Minnesota, North Da-
kota and Wisconsin for feeding” and
grazing were forestalled by the action
of the governors of those three states
forbidding the carrying out of the
scheme, In Minnesota Governor Olson
mobilized the National Guard to patrol
the borders and enforce the embargo,
JH EXRY P. FLETCHER of Pennsyl-
vania has been handed the rather
difficult job of managing the Repub-
ilcan party. The national committee
at its session in Chi
cago elected him
chairman to succeed
Everett Sanders. This
would seem to be a
wise cholce, for Mr.
Fletcher is an able
and energetic man,
notable for his diplo-
macy and tact and al-
so for ready wit. In
1898 he abandoned
law practice to be
come one of Theodore H. P. Fletcher
Roosevelt's Rough Riders, and after
the campaign in Cuba he transferred
to the infantry and served through the
Philippine insurrection. He entered
the diplomatic service in 1902 and aft-
er valuable service in Cuba, China
Portugal and again in China, he was
successively ambassador to Chilg
Mexico, Belgium and Italy. For a
time during the Harding administra
tion he was undersecretary of state,
and after his retirement from the em.
bassy in Rome he was chairman of
the federal tariff commission
The national committee adopted a
statement of principles for the party
in the fall campaign which in temper-
ate but firm language condemned the
doings of the Democratic administra-
tion, without any personalities, and
more specifically set forth what the
Republican party thinks should be
done to restore the nation to prosper.
ity. Opening with the statement that
“American institutions and American
civilization are in greater danger to-
day than at any time since the foun.
dation of the Republic,” the statement
plunged immediately into discussion of
the need for social legislation.
There was assurance of liberal treat.
ment of these problems in this para
graph:
“Our nation is beset with problems
of infinite complexity—the problems of
recovery; of unemployment, with its
unending tale of human suffering: of
agriculture, with its lost markets and
relatively low prices: of forever check
ing abuses and excesses that have be
come all too apparent, and thereafter
the problems of a wider spread of
prosperity, of relieving the hardships
of unemployment and old age, and of
avoiding these . tragic depressions,
These problems must be approached in
& broad, liberal and progressive spirit,
unhampered by dead formulas or too
obstinately elinging to the past”
Solution of the problems. however,
Said the statement, should be “within
the framework of American Institu-
tions in accordance with the spirit and
principles of the founders of the Ie
public.”
Further on the platform said: “We
are opposed to revolutionary change
without popular mandate—and all
‘change by usurpation,’ the customary
weapon by which free governments are
destroyed.
“We believe that the present emer
gency laws vesting dictatorial powers
in the President must never be permit
ted to become a permanent part of our
governmental system.”
During its session the committee
raised more than enough money to pay
all its debts,
HAROLD ICKES journeyed to
Chicago and testified In the disbar-
ment proceedings brought by him
against two Chicago lawyers, CC. WwW.
Larsen and J. M. Malmin, the latter
once a federal judge of the Virgin Is
lands. Mr, Ickes asserted the defend.
ants had tried to blackmail him in or
der to obtain for Malmin the position
of governor of the Virgin islands and
a federal post for Larsen. He sald
their “conspiracy” was based on
“trumped-up charges” growing out of
a Probate court case he handled as an
attorney some years ago,
The secretary's charges were later
flatly denied by the defendants. The
case was being heard by the grievance
committee of the Chicago Bar asso
ciation,
(CARRYING forward the program of
federal acreage control
which with passage of the
Bankhead cotton bill, the house voted,
206 to 144, for passage of the so-called
Kerr tobacco bill vesting the AAA
with statutory power to force com.
pliance with its adjustment program.
The measure was sent to the senate
REAT BRITAIN formally notified
the United States that it would
not pay anything on the war debt in-
stallment due June 15: that it would
make no more payments until the
United States consents to a downward
revision of the debt, and that any dis
cussion of revision at this time would
be useless. All of which means plain
default. The British note was sent in
response to a blunt notification from
President Roosevelt as to the sums
due. It was evident, from foreign dis-
patches, that the other debtor nations,
except Finland, would follow the
course adopted by the British,
In his war debt message to congress
the President sald this country ex-
pected the debtor nations to pay un-
less satisfactory excuses could be of-
fered, and he called attention to the
vast sums those nations are expend.
ing on armaments, His plain language
was not at all pleasing to the nations
that owe us nearly twelve and one-
half billion dollars.
HERE was rejoicing in
when It was announced that a son
queen, Leopold and Astrid
well,
ried in 1926, have two other children,
three, helr apparent to the throne.
being especially the
activities of the Nazis,
Facts and figures
were presented show.
ing officials of the
German government
had spent money for
the dissemination of
pro-German informa.
tion In this country,
the German ambassa-
dor, Dr. Hans Luther,
and the German con-
sul general in New
York, Dr. Otto Kiep,
both figuring in the testimony.
Dr. Hans
Luther
$4000 to a New York city publicity
and business promotion firm to “obtain
publicity in this country" of
Semitic statements,
to have contributed, unofficially and in
behalf of a third person, $300 In 850
man pamphlet, Doctor Luther was de-
scribed as the financial
sponsor of the pamphlet,
Under examination, Carl Dickey.
partner in the New York firm of Carl
Byoir and Associates, said his firm has
receiving 36000 a
counsel,
formation office,
month “giving advice,
getting together material
information™
Economie Bulietin™ is prepared and
tions.”
Perth Amboy, N. J. linked Ambassa-
dor Luther with
to the commitiee. Father Gross, a re.
to Hungary, Germany and Austria ™
“propaganda”-—some of
out customs inspection. Evidence was
presented to show that German con
aganda” was sent.
Representatives of the State, Post Of-
fice and Labor departments were In.
terested listeners to the testimony pro-
duced, and there were hints of Ister
deportation proceedings.
OUIS BARTHOU, foreign minister
of France, appears as the domi
may dispel the war clouds hanging
over Europe. The
mee: important thing
he already has ae
complished is the en-
gineering of an ac
cord between France
and Germany on con
ditions for the Saar
plebiscite and setting
the date for that vote
on January 13, 10388
a The agreement gives
TR assurance that France,
Louls Barthou ,,40r the pretext of
preserving order, will not use force to
prevent the return of the Saar basin
to Germany. It also means that the
Germans now have everything to lose
and nothing to gain from a putsch in
the Saar, so the possibility of a clash
in the near future is virtually elimi
nated, Of special Importance is a
clause that amounts to recognition of
the rights of Jewish and anti-Nazl mi-
norities in the Saar,
In the disarmament conference in
Geneva M. Barthou has been equally
forceful though not so peaceful in his
doings, He has stood out firmly
against the German demands for arms
equality and has greatly angered Sir
John Simon, British foreign secretary.
Washington, ~—Congress did a lot of
wrestling, in its closing hours, with
new legislation de
FearTooMuch signed to encourage
the building of more
New Debt homes by individu.
als, and In connection with this debate
there developed what [ belleve to be
one of the outstanding questions of
the times. The housing bill, as it was
called, would make borrowing easier
for those who want to own their own
bomes. In other words, it is a pro
gram that will put more people into
debt if they take advantage of the
And that is the ques.
tion: After the conditions that have
obtained through the last four years,
is it or Is it not sound economy to en-
courage individuals to contract new
Debate on the housing bill, there
has caused concern In the back of
many heads. Up to this time, how-
ever, apparently few of the legisiators
had paused to think of the trend of
hearings
the
the committee
that a number of
I noted in
Such stolid men as
and Hollister of Ohlo, and
ary side, like Goldsborough of Mary
:
for
sound. Mr. Luce, example,
which
be held. Mr. Luce, of
reflected the wholesome New
and the attitude of
Mr. Bus
however,
course,
England feeling
a southern Democrat,
To them, he added
to his home
the
the same tenor.
visit
indicated to him
baili
wick had need
encouraging debt. He suggested fur.
Thereafter, there was an
other tailspin insofar as recovery was
Whatever one’s conclusion about go-
ing into debt may be, the fact is un
has put out approximately $7.000.000,-
000 in the last year in various types of
The individuals or the corpor-
ations to which that money was loaned
are in debt to Uncle Sam, therefore,
President
Roosevelt and his associates and ad
defend their course with the
argument that by making the loans
they have enabled all of those folks
to weather the storm, He argues that
the economic casualty list would have
been much higher had the loans not
He holds that those who
borrowed from the federal government
were actually unable to get money
elsewhere and that the government
was merely looking after its own folks.
this manner, Mr
Roosevelt has sald repeatedly that
these loans will be repaid and that the
government will suffer no loss in the
end.
» - *
But, after all, there are the debts,
debts on top of debts. They must el.
ther be repaid or ree
Debts on pudiated. If they are
paid, the borrowers
Top of Debts must pay them out
of future earnings. That condition, ac.
cording to the latest line of argument
that developed under the housing bill
debate, means the borrowers can cre
ate little or no reserve for the future
It is being sald that the recovery
program and the New Deal generally
contemplates planning for the future
In such a manner as to ward off a re
currence of the calamity of depres.
sion. But I have asked in a good many
places ; what if the theories of economic
planning fall to work at all, or work
only in part? The answers 1 obtained
depended somewhat on the slant of the
person questioned. If they are follow
ing the professors blindly, they said to
me that the plans could not fail be
canse they were sound by every theory
under which they are drawn. If the
person to whom the inquiry was di.
rected examined the problem on a
practical basis and studied it wilh the
background of history in mind, I be.
lieve without exception the answer
wag: “Well, It will be just too bad"
My own feeling coincides with the |
Iatter view. If the New Deal program
for economic planning, for adjusting
production to consumption, for con.
iE:
at all. In the meanwhile, there was
a terrific bombardment of propaganda
cellation,
win. It was impossible,
came here and conferred at
with our debt funding commission.
Settlements were eventually worked
out. The debts were funded. That is,
the debtor nations were given a long
time in which to pay. They were giv-
en enormous concessions by our debt
commission in order to get some agree
ment for repayment of the various
loans, I know whereof 1 speak re-
garding those concessions because it
happens that 1 am the only newspaper
correspondent in Washington who re
ported everyone of the debt confer.
ences, and I say unequivocally that
those funding settlements represented
on the average
than osnethird In the total amount
which the debtors contracted original-
iy to pay.
- - -
Now, again we are in the midst of
new efforts to get something done in
the way of repay
Dodges ments, The foreign
R nt nations are not go-
epaymen to pay If it
put the very
that obtains with
everyone who Is in debt and who has
hit on the depression
conditions, They raise the
money, so they say. To avoid de-
faults, some of the foreign nations
made what they called token payments
8 year ggo at this time. Some of them
have offered token payments again,
tut token payments amount to about
the same thing as when your friend
eats the apple and hands you the core,
It was a nice apple to begin with, and
the funding settlements were nice set-
tiements when they were signed,
Frankly, I suspect that the United
States is never going to get more than
about 10 per cent of the total now
due. There will be plenty of argu
ments, propositions and counter prop
ositions, negotiations and hauling and
filling, and after awhile some of the
foreign governments will have suc
ceeded in creating enough public sen.
timent among their home to
cause a national action of the same
character as that taken by France a
Fear ago.
The condition as regards the foreign
debts owing the United States, I am
afraid, will be paralleled right here at
home by individual corporation
and bank debts owing the federal gov-
ernment. Many borrowers will ron in-
to hard luck, as they always have
done, and they will appeal to the poli
ticians to save them.
When those debts become a political
issue, it will be an issue too strong for
politicians to withstand. They will
arise on the floors of congress and
weep about the plight of “those poor
people.”
ing can
They
argument
be avoided.
up
natural
chin bs
cannot
been
people
and
- - .
The special senate committee is get-
ting under way with its inquiry into
the wariods indus
May Stir
tries that manufac
. ture materials for
Up a Stink war, and it appears
now that it is headed into an investi-
gation that will disclose plenty of
things that will cause a stink to arise
when the investigators have laid their
findings before the committee headed
by Senator Bye of North Dakota. 1
spent a couple of hours the other day
certainly his opinion that there are
things awaiting revelation that will
surprise the populace, le
“Stuffed” Ballot Box
in English Parliament
If an old yarn is to be believed,
the people of the world owe their
privileges regarding habeas writs to
an old trick of crooked politics,
When the act of 1070 was going
through the English parliament there
was strong opposition in the house
of lords. The third reading, ae-
cording to one Bishop Burnet, was
carried by a trick. Two members of
the house of lords, Grey and Nor.
ris, were appointed tellers to count
the vote,
A very fat member was counted
as ten members by Lord Grey who,
80 the narrater saves, did it at first as
a joke, Then, seeing that Lord Nor.
ris, who was in bad hedith, did not
potice what had happened, Grey,
who favored the blll, went on with
his misreckoning, which added
enough extra votes to carry the bill
“There must have been” wrote a
famous English authority some years
ago, “some mistake, accidental or
willful, for the members de.
clarad to be 57 to 55 for the bill and
by the minute-book of the lords it
appears that there were only 107
peers in the house”
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and health resorts of Europe. Over
$1,000,000 of these foreign mineral
Waters are imported annually i
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But it isn't necessary to go to Fu-
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We have many marvelous mineral
Waters in our own country—many ex-
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Most surprisin
the fact that today you can make
natural mineral water in your ow
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light.
ceiving their credentials and money
with which to start out on the trail.
They were headed for what amounts
to a rald on the files and books of
some factory which the investigators
believed had been engaged in the man-
ufactore of war materials and which
they thought also had been engaged
in propagating information that would
cause a couple of foreign nations to
look with suspicion upon each other.
Suspicion between two nations is ob
viously a prelude to more serious gif-
ferences, and eventually war Is the
result. The committee has started out
to expose such conditions, if they ex
ist, and the investigators are convinced
that things of that sort are being prac
ticed by some of the makers of mu-
nitions,
1 have no way of knowing where the
investigators are going in their con-
tinuing effort, but from all indica-
tons they have orders to dig deep into
files and records to see what they can
find. They will come back to Wash
fetter and records that they think
shed light on the various suspected
activities, and, of course, when the
beak tak :
those things will be ht out.
Sngages in wapproviing or
are going to be smeared.
4