The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-19
GOOSE-STEP
DAY PROVED
Big F|zzLE
Silent Cal, Wise "PoI,"
MuzzleS Wilbur
BY LAURENCE TODD
Federated Press staff Correspondent.

BY LAURENCE TODD
! Federated Press staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Sept. 49,
Defense Day mobilization has
failed to accomplish for the
army and navy the revival of
public interest in the war game
which was hoped for it. While
the war department chiefs an
nounced that 100000 per-
sons took part" in the ceIebra-
ton, President Coolidge has
given tangible evidence that
this claim was a bluff.
He has sent an urgent sum-
mons to his secretary of the
navy, Wilbur, to hurry back
from the Pacific Coast by air
plane in order to quell the big
navy shouters in the navy de-
Ipartment. Cal is afraid that the
voters will hold him responsible,
in November, for the fire alarm
attitude of the swivel chair adj
mirals who are now telling the
public that the navy budget
must be increased by $50,000,-
900 at least.
Wilbur, who was picked for the
cabinet by Coolidge on the advice of
Sen. Sam Shortridge, sponsor of the
anti-Japanese clause in the immigra-
ton law, has been out in the golden
west, lambasting the Japanese and
suggesting that There is nothing so
cooling to a hot temper as a piece
of cold steel"
Boost For Business.
This contribution to international
peace was hailed by the big navy boys
as great boost for business. 1t
looked as tho Defense Day would earn
fine dividends in increased salaries
and more promotions, which in turn
would bring fatter retirement pen
sions and allowances.
They looked around and discovered
that the budget bureau had reduced
fated estimates made by naval bu-
reau chiefs for the service for next
year. Among the items reduced was
the one for naval aircraft. On this
they rushed to the star-spangled
Hearst press, and raised the cry that
national defense was being betrayed
Coolidge waited a few days, OBJ
served that nobody got excited about
it, and concluded that it was bet
ter politics-until after election-to
stand by the budget bureau. So he
called Wilbur in for instructions.
Officers Connections.
Meanwhile, the employees in the
navy yards have become alarmed as
to their immediate future. They see
that the naval officers, who are social
ly if not financially connected with
the owners of private yards and NUM-
tons plants, are blocking every
chance the government have had on
competitive contracts.
This program on the part of the ma
val officers is based, apparently, ON
their desire to use the industrial dis
placement of the navy yard employees
as threat which will induce con-
gress to maintain big navy regard
less of world conditions. Every effort
to get contracts for articles needed by
other departments of the government,
and which can be produced cheaply in
the machine shops owned by the navy
meets with disaster. Some of the
men suspect that the navy yards bids
are shown secretly to favored private
bidders, who then underbid the navy
just enough to get the contracts.
Private Companies.
Millions of dollars worth of ship
repairs, of metal work for the end
less activities of Uncle Sam, are turn
ed over month by month to private
companies, whose officers are social
chums of high officers in the public
service, and who join the naval Off
GERS in their demand for more costly
armament.
Thus far, the organized shopmen
employed by the war and navy de-
partments have failed to present to
congress a detailed and comprehen-
sive plan for turning these govern
ment shops to productive peace-time
uses. But now the word is going
around that something must be done,
by common agreement, or the disarm-
ament wave will leave 100000 work.
ers in the yards and arsenals high
and dry.