The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-26
Washington
Merry-GO-
Round
By DREW PEARSON and
ROBERT :. ALLEN.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 26.-Dur-
w ing the behind the-scenes
cat-and dog fight which led to the
soft coal strike. there was only one
point on which the coal operators
definitely agreed
That was TO dump the dispute. If
possible, into the lap of the Presi-
dent
On nearly everything else they
disagreed among themselves almost
as much as they disagreed with the
miners on their demand for a wage
increase Of approximately so cents
per day.
one faction - chiefly Kentucky
and West Virginia operators-re-
fused to consider any wage increase
at all. To every proposal they re-
Piled with a grim No"
Another faction was willing to
grant the miners demands without
reservation.
A third factiOn-and the largest
also was willing to grant the de-
mandS but with one important
reservation. II proposed shutting
down the mines for four weeks.
during which the $4,000 900 tons Of
| coal now IN reserve would be used
/ up
And how will the miners live
during that time2" demanded John
L. Lewis. square lawed head of the
+ United Mine Workers. They can't
live on air. VIII YOU pay them
during the enforced lay-Off?"
The operators said they would not.
So that ended that.
THUS the conflict ragged between
L the operators. until finally one
of them conceived the idea of
abandoning their civil war and turn
ing the heat on the President.
Some of them were sore at RoOse-
Welt anyway - chiefly because he
had interviewed in their dispute
through Edward McGrady, his As
sistant Secretary Of Labor. This
latter group secretly wanted a strike
in order to get rid of their surplus
| coal supplies
SO they proposed to their fellow
| coal mOguls that. inasmuch as the
President had stuck his nose into
| our business" they dump the red
hot potato in his lap. They pro-
posed calling on him publicly TO ar
! bitrate the controversy.
Such a scheme puts Roosevelt on
a very hot spot with the union.
1t is adamantly opposed to arbi-
tratiOn. It contends there is Moth
ing to arbitrate. that the issue IS
clear cut and simple-that either
the miners get a 10 per cent wage
increase or they do not.
ANY arbitration by the President.
therefore meant the alienation Of
the United Mine Workers. One of
the most powerful unions in the
country. it has been most friendly
to the Administration.
The coal barOns, of course, knew
this But as one of them gleefully
put II.
That's no skin of Of our Shins.
/ Let Roosevelt worry about that"
IERIENDS of Brain Trusters Tom
L COrcOran and Ben Cohen are
telling this story on the two in
4 Separabl5 companions.
Calling at the Rural Resettlement
/ Administration. Nh. CorCoran was
told by a young lady assistant that
the official he wanted to see was
busy.
He'll be through in few
minutes she said. Won't you have
a seat, Mr.. Cohen?"
Thank you, but am not Mr..
Cohen"
You are not?" said the secre-
tary. That's funny. I always see
you and Mr.. Corcoran together"
| NOTE-Brain Truster Cohen. an
attorney Of the PWA, is tall. slender.
Jewish and PROFESSIONAL. Brain
! Truster CorcOran. an RFC lawyer. is
short, stocky, and has the face Of
the most genial Irishman ever to
draw the breath of Boston.
XXTHEN John w. Davis. attorney
w for J. P. Morgan & Co, filed
his Baltimore test Of the constitu-
tionality Of the Holding Company
Law, the Administration for once
saw eye-tO-eye. A few hours pre-
vious, SEC Commissioner Healey
/ urged utility interests to aid the
/ government in obtaining an early
test Of the new acts legality
The POstoff1ce Department has the
only complete collection of state
flags in the country. Wash
ington has numerous statues Of men
on horseback, but only one of A
mounted wOman-and she nom
American. The statue is Of Joan Of
Arc