The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-02-21

be held to determine whether the company union really rcp- resented them. To this Weir agreed. But when the day came for the election, Weir defantly refused to permit government representatives in his plants. He conducted his own election, an- nounccd that 85 per cent of the workers favored the company union.
 The workers charged fraud, violence, intimidation. A dele gation told Roosevelt afterward that the real victor was Mae West" whose name had been derisively written on the ballots by those who did vote.
 MANEUVERS
 This trump election. held early in December, has been followed by series of secret behind-the- scenes negotiations. Early in Jan uary word reached the Labor Board that Joseps Guffey czar of Pennsylvania democracy, was attempting to undermine the La bor Board on Weir's behalf Guffey went direct to the Presi- dent, who later took charge of the matter personally.
 Even his efforts to bring the recalcitrant Weir to q peaceful settlement proved unavailing,. however. and finally Roosevelt issued an executive order design ed to strengthen the Labor Boards power in dealing with the case.
 This was several weeks ago. Since then the board has been slowly mancnvcring Weir into a position so that when the court fight develops the battle will bc wagcd on the issue and ground chosen by the government.
 Senator Bob Wagner, chair man of the board, and former New York supreme court justice, believes that the government has won this secret battle. for po- sition. The new election will not be held on the company's prop erty. And in the opinion of the board, 1t puts Weir definitely on the defensive. If he seeks to pre- vent the vote by an injunction, or refuses to deal with the workers representatives after they are chosen, then the government is in the position of being able to charge him with q clear-cu and specific violation of the law, de- prive him of his Blue Eagle.
 The board expects Weir to fight. Not only because he is per sonally hostile to Roosevelt's New Deal for labor, but because the entire steel industry is de- termlned to exhaust every re- source to resist unionism.
 IDLE PRISONERS
 Congress will soon tackle a new kind of unemployment problcm-how to provide work for some 1000 idle federal pris- oners without causing loss of em- ploymcnt in private industry.
 In the past four years congress has taken directly opposite stands on the matter. In 1930 it ap- proved an act giving the bureau of pensions q $500,O00 revolving fund for the establishment of prison factories. Last month, however, the house fatly refused to authorize $50,000 cxpendi- ture for this purpose. The prison bureau asked for the money to buy equipment for the Jnanufac- ture of metal office furniture at the new Lewisburg, Pa. peni- , tentiary, where HOO convict3 are housed with nothing to do. f,,.- A. l. t~ the govenment at low cost.
 However, Representative John q. Cooper, of Ohio, blocked the plan, claiming that workers in private metal furniture factories would lose their jobs.
 To cope with this dilemma, Georgia's representative, Malcolm C. Tarver, has proposed bill setting up board of five mem- bes to survey the field and in- stall factories in prisons that of- private industry. The bill has been approved by, the house judiciary committee and will soon be put before the house.
 MERI.Y-GO-ROUND
 Harry Payer was once eased out of the state department by Cordel Hull, but he still seems to have some influence in that organization. It looks as If he were going to put across his old friend, Dr Frank Carrigan, who once handled his accident cases in Cleveland as the new minister fn Sol. NI,, ,l tary Perkins and Emma Gold man, onc-time deported anarch- ist, are friends, still call each other by their first names. They got to know each other in the old Greenwich Village days. Speaking of Greenwich Village, q large part of its one-tlme pop ulation now is running the CWA. .. Senator Black and his mail contact committee have dug up some sensational evidence re- garding the International Mer- cantile Marine and are saving It as one of the big climaxes of tho investigation. -. Kermit Roose- welt, fifth cousin of the Presi- dent, Is one of the directors.
 Featured on Postmaster Jim Farley's wall Is Q photograph of his six-year-old Jim Junior" trying to put a letter in a mail box. :. Jim Landls. crusading member of the federal trade con- mission, frequently works all night at his desk. He has couch in his office on which he takes cat-naps from time to time. =. The most popular luncheon dish on the menu of the senate restaurant is bean soup. /It is prepared in a ten-gallon caul- dron.
 (Copyrlght. 1884. by United