, 1935-02-22
WASHINGTON
BY George Durno

etymie The boys who should
know at headquarters here continue
TO predict that an indictment OF
Senator Huey Long for income taN
violation Us just around the corner
AS nearly As can be gathered, how
ever. a Snag has been hit. A number
Of Longs political l~ieutenants al
ready have been run through the
New Orleans grand Jury mill but
what was touted 10 Washington IN
private advices as q grade-A case
against the KingfiSh himself seem
ingly has run into a temporary sty-
mic.
There Ia talk Of sending a special
assistant 10 the attorney general
down 70 New Orleans 70 remove any
gumdropS that may be floating
around In the carburetor.
Break - Meanwhile, Huey's shouts
OF accusation against Postmaster
General Jim Farley make many on
Capitol Hill incline to regard the
attack as a precautionary measure.
In other words. II the Bureau OF
Internal Revenue SlapS a tax indict-
ment on him the LouisiaNa Loud
speaker can then charge persecution
pointing first 10 mis- general break
with the Roosevelt administration,
and secondly to his Set-to with Far
ley.
Longs break with FDR is nov
Just about as complete as possible.
In his recent Share-the-wealth radio
speeches the KingtiSh bluntly has
charged the president with failing
10 deliver and demanded still an
other national deal with himself In
control Of the deck.
Steps - Internal revenue investi-
gators have been checking up on
Longs finances since the latter part
OF the Hoover administration. The
best men the government has have
been working on the case for months
Ia fact Of which the Delta Dicta-
tor is well aware.
But the Canebrake senator makes
no bones Of his aversion 70 bank ac-
counts. checks. notes, etc. He deals
Ia cash. Always he has a big roll
Of bills In his pocket. A friend can
cot get Huey 70 cash a check for
him. Huey prefers loaning the de-
sired amount on ar oral promise 70
repay rather than be forced 70 en-
dorse anybody's paper for cashing.
Certainly he writes no checks.
Last fall the government Sleuths
on the Job were sure their case would
be made by the end OF the year.
They're still working "a reach the
highest steps on the indictment lad
der.
Aggression - Early In 1884 this
column reported the prediction Of a
battle SCARED labor leader that
there would be much violence along
the labor front before the summer
was ended. This prediction was
borne out by bloody strikes In Min
neapolis, San Francisco, the south
ern textile areas and elsewhere.
This same seer Of the organized
labor movement nov forecasts that
the next six months OF 1885 Will be
marked BY a series OF desperate,
sporadic, localized strikes"
They will be sporadic and i0caliz-
ed, he says, because the union move
ment-despite President William
Green and the executive council Of
the American Federation OF Labor
lacks truly centralized control. They
will be desperate because they will
again be led by 'rank-and -filers'
who think the Washington labor
headquarters Is not sufficiently ag-
greSSive IN its struggle with the
bosses.
Battle Green's thinly yelled
threat Of an auto strike unless the
Auto Labor Board is abolished Is
accepted here as q move 10 mollify
more impetuous men In the union
ranks who crave action when a
cause Is az stake. Older heads have
pointed out 10 the A. r. OF L. presi-
dent however. that should he carry
through his threat the argument
would be with President Roosevelt
rather than the auto manufacturers.
FDR was painfully specific In the
letter he addressed the "a. Y. of Z.
declining 20 do away with the Auto
Labor Board. The president assert
ed this agency. headed by Leo VOL
man, was a part OF the government
He suggested that no minority. nc
matter how we'll organized, should
try 70 dictate It's abolition.
A strike called Oh this issue alone
would be duck soup for the employ
ers TO this extent they have visions
Of sitting back and letting the White
House fight their battle for them.
Riding - Although the United
States Chamber OF Commerce Ia,
gone on record In favor OF cuttins
President Roosevelt's desired $4,000
100000 work-relief appropriation IL
half, business men identified with