Evening star., 1933-09-11
BLUNT TALK HELD
HARMFUL TO n. RIA.
Johnson's Military Traits De-
CIared Offset to Benefits
of Drive.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

Allusions to N r. A., if balanced and
fair, should begin with recognition OF
the fineneSS of its aspiration, which Is
to get the unemployed back to work
and to build sound base Of purchas
ing power for new period Of prosper
ity. Such illusions should recite also
a concrete humanitarian advance.
BY the permission N. r. A. gives in
dustries to make binding rules, cspe-
cially the cotton textile industry, child
labor is now outlaWed after decades Of
vain attempts to end it by other means
Conscientious manufacturers willing to
exile child labor are now enabled by
the N. r. A. code to impose abolition CT
child labor on the small percentage who
formerly practiced it, and by practlcing
it created unfair competition
Finally it seems likely that the Blue
Eagle campaign has had uplifting effect
in contributing to a spirit of greater
confidence and hope throughout the
country. These and similar benefits of
N. r. A. are sometimes forgotten by
those who have distaste for some OF
the methods by which administrators
Of N. r. A. are bringing it into effect.
Readiness to Talk Harmful.
Some of Gen. Hugh S. Johnscn's
troubles have arison from too great
readiness to talk offhand Observing
him, one felt. with sympathy fer him,
that. partly through circumstances and
partly perhaps through temperament,
he had got into course in Ehich he
could be led to say things that did dam
age to him and to his cause. iIc per-
mitted himself to be photographed CIV
ing what the newspaper caption called
the NJ r. A. salute. Gen. johnson, with
his right hand raised stiffly to its
farthest reach. looked rather like a
combination of German Nazi. Italian
Fascist and a referee signaling the
knockout in prize fight. The analogy
to Nazi and Fascist was a little dis
quieting.
One provocative utterance from Gen.
johnson arose in way which, when
understood, takes away some Of the
disturbing quality of the utterance. At
press conference, newspaper man
asked him, How soon are you going to
crack down on Henry Ford?" john
sons reply was really on his part an
attempt to avoid saying anything vio-
lent. He said. Il should think the
American public would crack down on
Mr. Ford" The phrase crack down"
did not spring from Gen. Johnson him
self.
A little later in the colloquy. he took
away some of the sting by a remark
which was not generally printed: Il
hate to talk this way about Mr. Ford
when he is not present"
Although some of Gen Johnson's
utteranceS lose some of their violent
quality when seen in the light of the
circumstances. nevertheless he has a
leaning toward brusque military i'm
perativeness which is hardly in the
Cylir nf vol 1fo~
Wartime Methods Copied.
Perhaps one handicap for Gen. John
son is that his own education in the art
of inciting mass movements was in con-
nection with the wartime draft, of
which he had charge. At the time of
| the last registration, taking in males
from 18 to IS, there was fear of public
disapproval and an enormous propa-
ganda was used to work the country up
to acceptance of it. The wartime
methods have been copied almost
literally by N. R. A. Out of this. arises
the disposition to put an odium like
that OF Stacker on any who does not
conform.
Another military trait has been Gen.
Johnson's insistence. in the early stages
| OF N. R. A., on uniformity He was
| unwilling to concede the existence of
differences in industry, and was prone
to bark refusal to pleas for exceptions
to the universal rules he insisted upon.
An additional fact is that through
abnormally hard work, abnormally long
hours and abnormal strain, Gen. John
son may readily have had periods when
he was what the French call exalte or
New England calls in a state" The
whole N. r. A. headquarters is some
times touched by the same spirit. Con-
Sidering the momentousness of what
N. R. A. is attempting, and its effect on
the country and millions of individuals,
the greatest possible good Judgment
poise and tolerance is a pretty impera-
tive necessity
A basic difficulty about N. R. A. is
that 1t has two separate detectives. One
IS to get men back to work quickly.
The other is to bring about a material
change in the relations between en-
ployer and employe. The first objective
calls for speed and more speed The
| second gives rise to delay. This DELAY
is Just now operating to bring about
a slackening in the resumption of in
dustry which was conspicuously under
way during the Summer.