Evening star., 1935-02-22
WAGE AMENDMENT
| FIGHT IN HOUSE
Roosevelt Leaders Expect
to Recoup Senate De-
feat by Labor.
Continued From First Page.)

4OWo.
I'm response to your telephone in
quiry. I am very glad to repeat what
told you and several members Of
your committee last week.
Every action Of the administration
during the past two years has been
directed, first, to the objective Of rails
ing wage scales which, from the point
of view of public interest, were set
at unconscionably low levels, and,
secondly, we have constantly followed
the objective Of preventing reductions
In existing wage scales.
| so much for that, except that I
might add that both Of these objec-
tives are constantly before us and will
continue so to be.
| Success Of Operation.
"As you are aware, the practical
operation of the principle of collec-
| tive bargaining. plus the operation of
the national industrial recovery act,
have. in the overwhelming majority
of cases of organized or unorganized
labor, either raised wages or pre-
vented any reduction in wages.
II object to and deny any asser-
ton that the payment of wages to
workers now on the relief rolls at
less than the prevailing rate of wages
may, under some theory, result in a
lowering of wages paid by private
employers. I say this because it Is
an obvious fact-first, that the Fed
4 80 =.
government will act to prevent re-
ductions. and, secondly, because public
| opinion throughout the country will
not sustain reductions.
II have enough faith in the country
to believe that practically 100 per
cent Of employers are patriotic
enough to prevent the lowering OF
wages. In this thought they will
| have the full support of the Govern
ment.
| II think that the record of this ad-
ministration has demonstrated that
in the administering Of this legisla-
ton I will not permit anything to be
done that will result in lowering the
wage scale of the Nation"
After reading the letter, Glass said
he did not see how any one who
professed confidence in the President
can have so little confidence as not
to believe he means what he now
says"
Glass then solemnly warned the
Senate about the state Of the Nations
opposed to the inevitable increase this
amendment would require"
THE President is opposed to It,"
he said, because like many thought
full citizens he has begun to consider
how much further we may go in pub
lie expenditures before wrecking the
credit Of the Nation.
Fate Of Laboring Man.
"And should such a thing occur,
let me ask the proponents of this
amendment what would happen to the
laboring man, the wage earners. 1t
would be that class first of all which
would feel the disastrous effect Of a
breakdown Of the public Treasury"
Just before the roll call Senator
McCarran replied briefly to Glass, say
ing:
II wonder If he stopped to think
what catclysm there would be If 80
per cent Of the people would come to
| be without toll.
II want my President to underwrite
this wage scale, and if he does, he will
stand as one who led country which,
in spite of the actions of surrounding
countries, has maintained Q living
scale"
The roll call follows:
For the amendment:
Republicans: Austin, Barber, Borah,
Capper, Carey. Couzens, Cutting,
Davis. Dickinson. Frazier, Gibson,
Hastings, johnson. McNary, Norris,
Nye. Schall, Steiwer, Townsend, Van
denberg and White-total, 81.
Democrats: Adams, Black, Bone,
Bulkley. Costigan, Donahey, Lonergan,
Long, Maloney, McCarran, McGill,
Murray. Nicely, O'Mahoney. Reynolds
| Schwellenbach, Truman, Van Nuys
Wagner, Walsh, Wheeler-total, 21.
Progressive: La Follette-total. 1.
Farmer Labor: Shipstead-total, /.
Grand total for-44.
Against Amendment.
Against the amendment:
| Republicans-Hale, Metcaf. Total, 2
Democrats - Ashurst, Bachman,
Bailey, Bankhead, Bilbo. Brown, Bu-
low. Burke, Byrd, Byrnes, Clark. Con-
nally. Coolidge, Dieterich, Duffy,
Fletcher, George, Gerry, Glass. Gore,
Guffey, Harrison, Hatch, Hayden,
King. Lewis. Logan, McAdoo, Nickel
lar, Minton, Moore. Murphy, Pittman,
Sheppard, Thomas (Utah), Trammell,
| Tydings. Total, Al.
Grand total against, 43.
The following pairs were announced:
Copeland of New York, Democrat, aye,
and Keyes of New Hampshire, Repub-
ncan, no; Norbeck of South Dakota,
aye, and Overton Of Louisiana, no;
Mrs. Caraway Of Arkansas, Democrat,
aye, and Barkley Of Kentucky, Demo-
| crat, no. Senator Thomas Of Okla
homa. Democrat, was absent and un-
paired, but would have voted aye had
he been present. Senator Smith Of
South Carolina, Democrat, was absent
| and impaired.
Work Needed by Others.
Meanwhile Harry L. Hopkins, the
Federal relief administrator, insisted
that work would be found to suit
those Of the 3,500,000 not fitted for
| manual labor. He included artists
and said there were a quarter of q
million women now employed on the
work relief program.
A relief study, he said, showed that
96 per cent of the unattached tran
sients and 90 per cent of heads OF
families, who registed at a number
Of cities during the last three months
: Of 1884 were able and willing to work
| Most of the transients, he added
i came from semi-skilled and unskilled
occupations.
Another report he made available
said hundreds of farm families had
repaid advances from the relief ad.
ministration in less than a year from
the time they were taken OF direct
relief.