Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
h RESIDENT HOOvER's veto Of
= the unemployment service bill
was the subject of q speech by
Robert F. Wagner. Senator from

| view 1OTk, lASL nlRnL IN the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by Tht
| Washington Star and broadcast over 9
Nationwide haOk-up of the Columbis
Broadcasting System. The text of tn,
speech follows:
One Of President Hoover's last act.
In connection with the legislation Of
the Congress which adjourned on the
4th Of March was his veto Of q bill
had introduced In the United States
Senate making provision for the es-
Enlistment of a Nationwide system
OF employment ofnces: In q statement
which was given widespread publicity
through the press the President at.
tempted to justify his work Of nulli-
| flying the will Of an overwhelming ma
jority Of Congress. Apparently. how
ever. the public was not persuaded. The
volume Of public criticism and protest
has refused to subside. Consequently
three weeks ago tonight at this very
hour Mr.. Doak, Secretary of Labor in
President Hoover's cabinet, in a fur.
ther attempt to mollify public resent
ment Of the Presidents act, delivered
an address which he entitled Reasons
/ for President Hoover's Veto Of the Wag-
ner Employment Bill" You have heard
! one side of the case. am happy to
be afforded this opportunity to state
| the other side, because, as have said
once before. 1t Is my sincere conviction
that by his veto of this bill President
Hoover he's failed every man and wom-
an who Is out pounding the pavemehts
in search Of work.
Replies to HoOver's Charge.
Mr.. Hoover made o very serious
charge In his veto statement. He said
that the employment service bill I had
| introduced and which Congress had
passed was blow to labor" Were ]
to permit this imputation to 60 UNI
challenged would be unfair TO the
hundreds OF men and women identified
| With the labor movement who stead
lastly exerted all their energies to bring
about the enactment Of this legisla-
ton. The best way, 1t seems to me, of
discovering whether the bill Is q blow
or q blessing to labor is to inquire of
those who can authoritatively speak
| for the wsge-earner. The first wit
| ness shall summon Is Mr.. William
Green, president of the American Fed
GRAFTON Of Labor. No one can suspect
| him of furthering any cause except 1t
be for the benefit Of the nottingham
Did he oppose this bill? The very con-
trary Is the fact. He was one of
the most jealous advocates Of the leg
islation. Twice he appeared personally
before q committee Of the Senate and
committee Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives and pleaded with Congress
to create the employment service which
the bill provided. He testified that
the bill was not blow, but blessing,
to the wage earners Of the United
States.
Mr.. Whitney, president Of the Broth
erhood Of Railroad Trainmen, wrote
the members Of Congress asking them
to vote in favor Of the bill. Will any
one believe that 1t was his purpose to
inflict a blow on the 10000 wage
earners he represented? Mr.. Sidney
Hillman, president Of the American AS
ISOLATION of Clothing Workers, Joined
In the petition to Congress, urging the
prompt enactment Of the bill viii any
one believe that he was faithless to
the thousands Of workers for whom he
spoke? The American Association for
Labor Legislation fought an unrenit-
ting fight to secure the passage Of the
employment service bill. VIII any one
tell me that they did not know where
the interests Of labor lay? Indeed,
every labor organization throughout the
country supported the measure. These
are the witnesses produce to estab-
lish that the bill was boon to labor,
not a blow. Mr.. Hoover has not been
able to summon single voice from
the ranks Of labor to give sanction to
his accusation.
All Glasses Backed BIN.
The Spokesman Of labor were not
alone In support Of the employment
service bill They were Joined by busi-
ness men and bankers throughout the
Nation; by economists, by churchmen,
by all who have given time and ef-
fort to the study Of the problem and
have by experience learned of the bit
ter need in this country Of an ade-
quate service to help men and women
find work.
The commissioners Of State employ
ment services In is States Endorsed the
bill. Not one, to my knowledge, OPP
posed 1t. Surely these men were in q
position to know whether the plan es-
tablished by the bill was sound. II
the bill was not properly designed to
promote the prosperity and welfare
Of the entire American people would
1t have won the Endorsement and ap-
proval Of economists like Prof. Tausig
Commons of Wisconsin, Prof. Douglas
OF Swarthmore. Prof. Seager Of Co
iumbia? Would churchmen like Father
John A. Ryan and Rev. s. Parkes Cad
man have lent it the strength Of their
advocacy unless they were convinced
that the bill would promote the we'll
being of the American people? Would
business men like Mr.. Filene Of Bos-
ton and Mr.. Lewisohn Of New York and
hundreds Of others have supported the
bill II they were not satisfied that 1t
was soundly conceived and designed to
accomplish its beneficial purpose? In
fact, 1t Is common knowledge that the
members of Mr.. Hoover's own emer-
gency commission, headed by Col
Woods. Endorsed the bill and urged the
President to sign it. There Is not an
authority on the subject upon whom
Mr.. Hoover can lean to sustain his veto.
Charges Doak Shifted.
Only one more witness I shall can,
and that the Secretary of Labor him.
self. I cannot forget and the public.
in passing upon this issue, will not for
get that Mr.. Doak himself as repre-
sentative Of the Brotherhood Of Rail
road Trainmen, privately and publicly
advocated the passage of the employ
ment service bill. He appeared before
a Senate committee which held hear
ings upon the bill and never uttered q
word of diSapproval. His opposition
bryan only after he became member
of Mr.. Hoover'S cabinet.
When Congress reconvenes In De-
cember shall reintroduce the bill. !
shall do so because am convinced that
this country cannot discharge its full
responsibility to the employers and en-
ployes of the United States without
making provision for an adequate, Ma
tion-wide employment service which
will quickly. eficiently and fairly bring
men and jobs together. It will take
the full force Of an intelligent, active
public opinion to pass the bill over the
praeiHaY,f'e aFlnoeifiOy1 nrd N fe fOF that
some Of its details.
The problem of finding work for idle
men and finding men for idle jobs per-
sists alike in times Of prosperity and
depression. The cruel routine of knock