The Washington times., 1935-11-26
NRA BIRD LIVES
TO PLAGUE
PRESIDENT
BY EARL GOODWIN

defunct, is apparently stirring in
its NRA nest; and If this Admin
istration doesn't look out, Presi-
dent Roosevelt will sooner or later
have to make a decision for or
against another NRA.
And in that event, as a candi'
date for reelection, Mr.. Roosevelt
will have taken on just one more
worry. because business and labor
are at cross purposes over NRA.
Most of industry is said to be vio-
lently opposed to NRA; practically
all organized labor is violently IN
favor of it. Isn't that a soothing
prospect for a President who prom
ised business a breathing spell?
George Berry, chief OF the Press
mems Union, whom President
Roosevelt appointed to the ace
job in what is left OF NRA, has
shown great activity in getting all
sides of the NRA factional SQUAD
BILE to come to washington to talk
1t over.
There are those who say that
the President had no idea that
George Berry was going to be so
active in finding out what was go
ing on in industry with NRA.
They claim the President be-
lieved he was appointing Mr..
Berry to a nice little job Of post
mortem and autopsical work,
peering into the corpse to see
exactly what it was that laid the
old Blue Eagle low. Instead, Mr..
Berry turns out to be the man
with the galvanizing mechanism
to bring the old bird to life; and
II he does, won't q lot Of poll
ticianS be mad!
And of All Places
Mr.. Berry has sent out thou
sand of letters inviting industry
and labor to come here December
0 to meet in Constitution Hall,
the D. A. r. battle ground. The
choice of Constitution Hall, after
the nine-tonothing views on the
Constitution in reference to NRA,
might make some of the NRA
attorneys pink around the ears,
but that's where the meeting
starts. It probably will end on
some vacant lot with the cops
looking the other way and no
holds barred!
One of the criticisms of the
comfortable business men who
thought they were going to have
q breathing spell is that Mr..
Berry has asked for complaints
from labor organizations. One
look at almost any labor publica-
ton will uncover a continuous
line of complaints from local
labor officials, who declare unani-
mously that things are worse
since NRA died; longer hours and
shorter wages.
But the President, himself, the
only time he mentioned NRA at
his press conferences, has given
q much more cheerful picture, in.
dlcating that 80 per cent of in
dustry was living up to codes of
good conduct and good wages, etc.;
that 10 per cent were chiselling.
There Are Other Ways
The President has never given
any public indication he wanted
to stir up the bitter NRA feud,
and 1t is likely he will keep out
OF it. If NRA is to be revived, it
will be under his leadership; not
before election.
But there are other ways for
NRA to be revived. One is a new
act of Congress, if you can imagine
this Congress sticking out its politi.
cal neck to that extent; another
is for NRA to move over under
the wings Of the Federal Trade
Commission, where so many people
think it belongs, and the third
here is the big secrets under
the Guffey Coal Board.
If the Supreme Court holds
that the Guffey act establishing a
new little NRA" in the btu
minouS coal industry, is constitu.
tional, then NRA may move right
over to that outfit and be admin
iStered by that board.
JournaliStically speaking, there
should" be good story in the
gathering of the clans December
8 at Constitutional Hall to talk
for and against another NRA;
but the President may steal that
show, because he speaks twice on
that day. Once will be before the
Farm Bureau Federation at Chi.
cago; and later in the day at
Notre Dame University.
The former speech, before a ma
tional farm organization, is being
looked for as a major political ef-
fort and an answer to the ire
mendous roar of disapproval from
the opposition to AAA. The Notre
Dame speech may or may not be
important; but, taken together,
they may overshadow the NRA
convention