The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-03-22

| Roosevelt at one time spoke disparag-
| ingly of the refusal" of the bankers to
make loans. The President subsequent
ly learned that attempts to pump money
out of banks must fail for lack of bor-
rowers. think everyone acquainted
with conditions must agree that the
Eccles idea and the Nye legislation
mean absolutely nothing in the way of
recovery aids, for it has always been
true, you can lead horse to water but
you cannot make him drink.
The fallacies being put forward by
Senator Long and Father Coughlin, and
now being nibbled at
Stop and by Governor Eccles
Consider and Senator Nye OBJ
yiously have been ac-
cepted by thousands Of people. Senator
Long claims that at least six million
persons are supporting his scheme. 1t
would seem to be the time, therefore.
for citizens to begin to analyze the
trend of events. if they are Influenced
by such leadership.
In connection with this trend, 1t is
| interesting to observe how much
trouble Senator Long and Father
Coughlin already have caused for the
administration. 1t must be said frank
| ly, Mr.. Roosevelt and his advisers thus
far have not found way to deal with
| it. They have tried fighting back and
| each time they have succeeded only in
furnishing fresh ammunition for the
Long Coughlin team. Senator Robin
son of Arkansas, Democratic leader in
the senate, made one of his greatest
speeches of criticism of Senator Longs
schemes, but the result was only
| fresh outburst by the Louisiana sena-
| tor who took Senator Robinson's own
words and converted them to his use.
I reported to you previously that the
administration had prepared at one
time to take action against Senator
Long on income tax questions. But
apparently the powers that be have de.
| cided that such a course, instead Of
| putting Long back in his place, would
make a martyr of him. Among the OBJ
servers here the belief prevails that
the only way Longs attacks can be
stopped and his tactics broken up Is
by ridicule No politician, however
thick-skinned, can stand being made
the butt of jokes.
i The administration has told congress
that it wants to keep the NIsA. Through
Donald R. Richberg,
NesD Plans sometimes called the
for MIRA assistant president,
| the administrations
position was laid before the senate
committee on finance the other day
| with the suggestion that the proposed
new NRA should be confined to matters
of interstate commerce. That is, the
administration proposes that in extend
ing the NRA for two years from the
coming June 16 expiration date, 1t
would apply only to industry engaged
| in lines of commerce and endeavor
| that carries across state lines. BY the
same token, the proposal would elm
mate the codes of fair practices from
| application to the so-called service in
| dustry and could not, therefore, apply
| even to hours and wages in those local
| plants now under codes.
Mr.. Richberg's statement Immediate
| ly provoked discussion which certainly
| can be expected to increase in volume
| because it is in the nature of protests
from those who claim to speak for la
Dor Sidney Hillman. of the NRA high
command, Immediately protested as did
William Green, president of the Amer
| lean Federation of Labor Each of
| these individuals contended that the
| MIRA would be worse failure than It
| is now if it were confined to the mar
| row definition of Interstate commerce
| and applied only to those industries.
Mr. Hillman, who is labor's representa-
tive on the National Industrial Recov-
| cry board, when he learned of Mr..
| Richberg's statement promptly struck
back with an emphatic observation that
the country would not permit such ac-
| ton.
ut Is unthinkable," he said, shat
congress VIII withdraw the only protec-
ton that the three million or four mil
lion underpaid, overworked and help
less workers in the service trades now
have. Some of them as result of the
NRA are for the first time in their
lives getting one day of rest a week
and something little better than the
coolie wages they have been paid In
the past.
Il am not interpreting the Constitu-
ton. leave that to the Supreme Court
of the United States. But have been
impressed by opinions given by out
standing members of the bar that a
condition of keeping millions of work
ers at starvation wage levels does af-
| feet interstate commerce"
Thus is presented the conflict Of
views between administration ap-
pointees, and reconciliation of their
views is not made easier by the activity
of the labor leaders. It is to be re-
called that Mr.. Green and some of his
stalwart labor associates are not en-
thusiastic about Mr.. Roosevelt and his
labor policies any longer. They are not