Evening star., 1933-07-30

laugh that greets his epigram, but he
doesn't play for it. He is utterly
without showmanship, but he gives al
most as entertaining a conference as
President Roosevelt, who understands
showmanship well. A man in politics
needs showmanship-poor Mr.. Hoover
did not have it. Gen. johnson, as an
Army man, has never learned it. It
is his intelligence and force Of per-
sonality that make him good show.
Responsible for Fairness.
Some one demanded that all Gen.
Johnson's corps of assistants shall be
divided with exact equality between
men from the field of labor and men
from the field of management-judici
fairness to be attained through mathe-
matical balance. johnson points his
finger: II am responsible for fairness.
If anything Is unfair or anyway wrong,
am responsible. take the response
bility. don't put 1t on anybody else.
There hasn't been any unfairness yet.
II there Is, or you think there is, you
come to me. I'm responsible for fair
ness and for everything else"
His acceptance Of responsibility Is
complete, as complete as that OF a
general in war. No passing the buck
in anything Gen. johnson has to do
with. He has assistants and advisory
boards, boards representing labor. and
industry and consumers. But always
the decision is on Gen. Johnsons
shoulders. The law puts 1t that way
and he likes to have it that way. There
is advice but no voting, the law does
not contemplate voting. The law says
that Gen. johnson Is to say Thus
| or to say so" and Gen. johnson says It.
The law as written Is his Bible. He
won't 60 outside it by q comma. When
committees from industries ask him
how to write codes, what to omit or put
In, the general says: There's the
law, write your code as the law says
it must be written" This sounds more
legalistic than Gen. Jotnson's mind is
It Is one of the ablest minds in WASH
ington, and the ability includes capacity
to balance one set Of conditions against
another.
Job Entails Discretion.
His Job entails discretion, much OF
It; and Gen. johnson exercises 1t. No
formula could possibly fit all Of an in
dustry. There are exceptions, varta-
tions, differing conditions, like the dif-
ference between drug stores that stay
open all night, and drug counters In
department stores that close at pm.
Adapting rules to differing conditions
Is part Of Gen. Johnson's job, and he
likes it. He is absolutely without pride
OF opinion; hasn't the faintest self-con-
sciousness about making an exception
to his own rules, or even reversing them.
He rather enjoys the intellectual proc
ess, the debate which shows need Of
change. He seems to enjoy finding q
man Who can prove his rule is wrong.
Firmness Is there, q terrific quantity
Of It, but not firmness for the mere
sake Of consistency. His Is first
class mind In perfect trim, and there
fore It likes exercise. He would be un-
comfortable without q new and dim
cult problem every half-hour or so.
All In all, II American industry must
have q supermanager-let Us take that
term, since "czar" Is taboo-one
feels that Gen. johnson is first-clasa
man for the job.
The big question about this industrial
recovery machine at Washington Is
how long Is 1t for? Is 1t for today CT
must It be for aye?
| Like It or not, face It or hide from H.
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