The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-22
Drive for Huge War
Program Begun By
Commerce Chamber
Continued from Page y

immediate postwar impetus to peace
has slackened. An increasing turbu-
lence has manifested itself in the
world political situation. While the
United States is not now involved in
any political situation threatening its
security, your committee considers it
timely that emphasis be given again
to peace as a prime essential to world
economic well being and to adequate
defense as the best guarantor of
peace"
Nevertheless, the Chamber asks
workers to take stock in it's palpably
demagogic and hypocritical statement
that 'the Committee recommends that
the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States reafhrn its position in
favor of the general principles of
limitation Of ornaments. In deter
mining what constitutes a proper
level Of ornaments for the United
States, our government should give
due consideration to this nations re-
lation to the existing world political
situation, to the needs of our world
wide commerce, as well as to our
traditional role as champion OF
peace"
In the face Of the present Black
Committees findings, which revealed
some Of the hundreds of millions
given as mail" subsidies by the gov
eminent to corrupt shipping corpora
tons, the Chamber Of Commerce au-
daciously recommends that the gov
eminent give its members more MIL
lions. On this occasion, however, it
onlinously omits mention of the mail
fiction. 1t is outright war prepara-
ton. 'Due to the important role
to be played by an American-owned
Merchant Marine as naval auxiliary
in time Of war, our government
should lend continued support to the
a Merchant Marine, particularly
along lines recommended by the Navy
Department"
Under the heading "War Reserves
and Industrial Preparedness" the
Committee "reaffirms the National
Chambers position urging amendment
Of the National Defense Act to per-
nit educational orders for equipment,
munitions and accessories" What are
educational orders?"
Educational orders are that type
Of order long sought from Congress
by manufacturers of munitions, ord
nance and other Army and Navy
equipment, and their uniformed lieu
tenants, which would permit the War
Department to place contracts with
out complying with the legal neces-
sity Of inviting public bids. In effect,
it Is factory subsidy plan, which
would increase the profits from the
war manufacturers beyond what they
ordinarily exact from the workers.
The very fact that big business is
reViying its campaign for "educa-
tional orders" constitutes o sharp re-
minder of the inperialist war danger;
for shortly after the World War the
nearly forgotten Graham committee,
in its account of the stupendous war
time graft and corruption native to
capitalists, roundly condemned the
use of educational orders"
In its report entitled Expenditures
in the War Department-Camps" the
Graham Select Committee on Expen-
ditures in the War Department, on
April 10, 1920, emphatically stated:
Your committee respectfully recon-
mends that the power Of secretary of
war to suspend the requirements re-
lating to advertising, under section
3709 and the amendatory sections, be
either entirely withdrawn or be def
nitely limited, so as not to permit
him to abrogate the wise public policy
OF taking competitive bids quickly by
other means. Your committee respect
fully recommends that such legisla-
ton be made broad enough to cover
other officers now having similar
powers Of suspension"
Other members of the Chamber of
Commerce Committee who signed the
report are: Philip j. Fay Nichols and
Fay, San Francisco, California, chair
man; Walter G. Cole, business coun-
selor, Detroit, Michigan; Jesse Draper,
president Of Draper Owens Company,
Atlanta, Georgia; Walter Harnisch-
feger, president Of the Harnischfeger
Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
L. G. Newlands, vice presiA mt of the
Oregon Portland Cement Company.
Portland, Oregon; and W all Will
son, chairman of the boagl Of direc-
tors of the Seattle Trust Comrany,
Seattle, Washington,