Montana labor news., 1932-06-02
RECONSTRUCTION COMMITTEES" LATEST
HOOVER DODGE.

President Hoover has a new scheme for discrediting
Congress, boosting his own candidacy and lodging re-
Sponsl6llty for nationwide hunger and unemployment.
He called 80 newspaper publishers to the White House,
May 25, and told them that he needed their help. He
said that the country was in a serious condition. His
visitors showed no surprise at that. Then he said that
he wanted reconstruction committees" formed in all the
large cities, similar to the Young-Harrison super-business
committee established in New York recently. For the
first time, he claimed credit for having suggested the
formation of the Young committee of bankers and manu-
facturers and railroad ~magnates.
Somebody asked Hoover what these reconstruction COM
mittees were expected to be and do. He explained that
they were to be composed of prominent ~persons-which
meant the weather. men-and that they would be need
ed to give cooperative action toward restoring employ
ment and general business. In other words, they were
to establish discipline, carry out orders from higher up,
and discourage local demonstrations by the unemployed
If they were to cooperate with the White House.
HoOvers secretary announced next morning that, during
the 3-hour session of the Chief with the publishers, the
latter expressed unanimous sympathy and support" for
the idea.
While Hearst and the New York Times STAYED away.
Roy Howard, boss of the Scripps-Howard newspapers,
whose reactionary tendencies are the cause of distress
among the liberals who are employed by his concern,
was prominent in this gathering. Other interests repre-
sented were the Chicago Tribune, New York Herald
Tribune, Providence Journal, the Cannot chain, Phila-
delphia Evening Bulletin, Boston Herald, and many
standpat papers in the Middle West. Howard, who is
conspicuous in the Stop-ROOsevet movement through his
connection with Newton Baker, was the center of Cos
sip when the publishers left Washington. One rumor
was to the effect that he had indicated that he would
make his papers come out for the sales taxa complete
betrayed of their previous attitude-if Hoover would pub
licly endorse that scheme for taxing consumption. An
other was that he had offered merely to stand neutral,
instead Of continuing the fight against a sales tax. Re-
ports whispered by members of the conference were that
Hoover had not openly demanded that the publishers sup
port a sales tax; he had merely forced the talk in the di-
rection of an endorsement of that measure of saving the
rich at the expense Of tn poor. Brought to a show
down, he had indicated that he did not see any other
means of balancing the budget"
Before the meeting was over, reports. were current
that Howard was already negotiating with Tammany Hall
for delivery of New York's delegates in the Democratic
national convention-after a few complimentary ballots
for Al Smith-to Newton Baker. Politicians put this re-
port alongside the fact that Hearst, who has some in
fluence over the Garner delegates, is the chief sponsor
for the Garner delegates for Baker, the Morgan attor-
ney in the Middle West, they asked. Would the COM
CAR RIJT a