Montana labor news., 1934-06-28
Wings Over Washington
By LEN DE CAUX

WASHINGTON. -(FP)- General
Johnson was annoyed but not visibly
ratified. He called in the press to deny
a Washington story that he had been
summoned to the White House wood
shed for a verbal spanking-that he
had been told not to touch the steel
situation until he could learn to be
more polite. He assured the reporters
that this was all pure fabrication
mild language for the General.
But, spanked or u~nspanked, johnson
also took pains to indicate that he was
now keeping his hands off steel. He
had no jurisdiction over strikes or
threatened strikes, he said. All he
had done was to tender his good Of
fices" and try to influence the code
authority. If the steel workers had
rejected his mediation board proposal,
what more could he do? The plan
was just resting" on his desk and he
didn't intend TO do anything about it.
"You can't trade with a man who
won't trade" he concluded
= = =
The rough-riding General isn't ex-
actly like the model Victorian young
lady who'd burst into tears at your
frown." To be called a big bag Of
wind by an angry steel worker did
not debate him. Remarks about the
lessons he could learn if he "scorched
his summer pants at an open hearth
furnace, just suggested to him a tough
and insulting comeback.
= y +
Bluff and buster have their place as
ruling class tactics designed to subdue
rebellious workers. But when they
fail to insure docility, salye and
smooth-speaking may replace them.
So the Generals tactics were tempo
rarily withdrawn from circulation.
+ + +
But not the General himself. His
right-hand man, Donald Richberg, is
said to have drafted the next plan for
keeping the steel workers in their
places and on the job. And johnson
undoubtedly had his finger in the pie
even if he didn't put his foot into it
this time. This plan was the admins
tration substitute for the Wagner
labor disputes bill.
Administration spokesman have de-
MED that the substitute was aimed at
the steel situation. But wherever it
was aimed, the shot got there just the
same. There are also indications that
the administration is a little too quick
on the trigger, besides possibly need
ing some general target practice. For
it was apparently not intended that the
plan should be known in any detail
before the July "A Pittsburgh conven-
ton OF the Amalgamated Association
OF Iron, Steel & Tin Workers,
1t was not wanted that the substitute
should reach the convention in the raw
nor that the steel workers should
have the opportunity Of discussing its
rawness. The hope Of the administra-
ton was that the convention would
adjourn leaving some loophole for call
ing off the strike, provided some sort
of Wagner bill should be passed. Then
the finished product could have been
produced Cts raw materials no longer
so obvious nor subject to discussion)
and the day would have been saved
-for everyone but the steel workers.
But the terms of the substitute leaked
out ooner than was intended.
f. + +
Pres. William Green Of the A. F. of
L., Pres. Henry L. Hartman of the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, and Republican Senators has
tened to express their disapproval of
the administration substitute for the
Wagner bill. But their objections were
not so sweeping as to preclude a COM
promise. Both Green and Hartman
took exception to the vagueness of the
powers granted to labor boards which
the president would be authorized to
create. But satisfactory definition Of
these powers might mean acceptance
or at least that impression was given.
T. T. +
The Republican conference indicated
possible acceptance more definitely, if
provisions protecting employers were
inserted-the workers could protect
themselves as best they might appar-
emily. They asked revision OF the sub
stitute to prevent enforcement Of a
closed shop" to limit penalty clauses
and to provide for the proportional
representation principle, as laid down
by President Roosevelt in the auto set
Element (amounting in practice to le-
galization and protection Of company
%unionism.)
When the Specialization" supple
ment to the first report of the National
Recovery Review Board was found to
be signed only by Clarence Darrow
and William O. Thompson, many edi-
tors jumped to the conclusion that
barrow was the moving spirit. They
did not realize that barrow has always
been given to surface explosions
rather than to laying charges at the
roots of social injustice. Following
Thompson's resignation from the
board, Darrow has admitted that he
signed the supplementary report I'M
willingly and only at his former law
partners insistence. Thompson's let
ter Of resignation went even deeper
than the report. 1t tunneled to the
roots OF the whole system of profit
takers rule which the NRA seeks to
perpetuate.