Evening star., 1935-02-27
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

No one on Capitol Hill can recall
a situation just like the Senate work
relief snarl. which has tied Congress
into a knot, baff1ed the administra-
tion and perplexed Senate Demo-
cratic leadership. Wishes are fathers
to many thoughts, but until Vox
Populi has been heard from in un-
mistakable fashion prognostication of
the outcome remains sheer guess
work. White House spokesmen as
sert that the switch of a couple of
Senate votes will suffice to turn the
tide definitely in the Presidents favor
and give him the bill he wants. Just
where the votes are to come from
is a mystery, with no sign of
breach in the enemy front. To what
extent F. D. r. intends to WELD the
big stick. to mobilize public opinion
against insurgents, will develop as
soon as he's back at the White House
tomorrow. Not all of his senatorial
lieutenants favor his making a direct
appeal to the country through
fireside broadcast. They are con-
fldent that popular reaction will man
ifest itself sufficiently through tele-
grams and letters to Senators. Ad-
ministration forces are not unmind.
full that the other side is also zeal
ously at work and will fight to the
last ditch for prevailing wages. Alto
gether, it is one of the most amazing
congressional scraps on record and
the persuasive tactics now in progress
are likely to be pattern for con-
troversial occasions In the future.
William c. flushing, principal fig
ure in the American Federation of
Labor forces. which proved so effective
in securing passage of the McCarran
prevailing wages amendment, was for
many years an associate of Assistant
Secretary of Labor Edward F. Nc
Grady as an A. F. of l.. legislative
representative at Washington. Fifty
one years old, Mr.. flushing halls from
Litchfield, Ill. He Is patternmaker
by trade and has been shop foreman
and superintendent in that craft in
many parts of the country. While res
ident in the Panama Canal Zone he
was for six years the labor representa-
tive on Government boards dealing
with wages and grievances. In 1924
he was a delegate from the Canal
Zone to the Democratic National Con-
vention in Madison Square Garden,
New York, and was q member Of its
Committee on Resolutions.
So thoroughly organized was the
barrage laid down by organized labor
that one Eastern Senator was deluged
with kilograms from practically ev-
cry American Federation 'locap in
his State, asking for support of the
prevailing wages proposal He never
theless failed to react to them and
voted to support the President. His
Office reports that subsequently many
letters have approved his action, while
not a single one in disapproval had
come to hand up to the middle of
this week. Another administration
supporter decided to mail q form let
ter to advocates of the prevailing
wages proposal, setting forth that in
his opinion relief work is not entitled
to the same scale of pay as private
employment. In several instances,
the Senator in question says, the cor
respondents have written back to say
they had thought things over, changed
their minds. and now agree with him.
Rooseveltians feel pretty sure that
senatorial votes from Western States,
with vast public works projects now
under way and nearing completion,
will be found in the administration
column on the next decisive roll call.
During the next few weeks the
Supreme Court is expected to hand
down decisions on four or five other
points which have an important bear