The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-12-17

it. As a further indication Of Ham,
iltons line of thought, there was
the answer he made to a question
at the National Press club, early
in September: That's why l sent
him Landon) to Maine"
So that it is just possible that
Hamilton, flushed with the enthu-
siastic reception of his own CAM
paign speeches, and realizing his
chiefs lack of oratorical ability,
may be figuring that he and not
the governor is the real "titular
leader" of the party at the mo-
ment.
Hoover suffers no such insubor-
dination in the ranks of his follow
ers. No Hoover lieutenant would
ever have said he sent Hoover
anywhere. No such thought would
have occurred to any of them.
Strange as it may seem to the Hoov
er haters-and there are plenty OF
them-there is still more than a
trace of idolatry among the Hoover
worshipers.
Reason for Friction
There is plenty of reason for the
friction that was SO obvious during
the campaign between Hoover and
Landon. And it was far less the
fault of Landon or Hamilton or any
of the lesser lights in that camp
than Hoover and his lieutenants be-
lieve.
For example, take the matter OF
speeches. A speech for Hoover is
an ordeal, to be endured only as
means to an end. The man suf-
| fers when he speaks before an au-.
dience. After all these years he
| has never developed that love of
| the sound Of his own voice which
so afflicts most orators - United
States senators and representatives
particularly.
But there is no doubt that he
| made the real speech at the Cleve-
| land convention. And he can be for
| given If he overestimated his own
strength in gauging the demonstra-
ton that followed
So, consumed with sense OF out
ragged justice against Franklin D.
Roosevelt and the New Deal, Hoov-
er wanted to put -his shoulder to
the Landon Wheel-not to help Lam
don but to hurt Roosevelt.
But 1T quickly developed that
there were practically no commune
ties in which the local Republican
leaders were not actually afraid
to have Hoover come.
Shorter Hours
i The cause OF shorter hours
marches on. In fact, with General
Motors fixing forty hours as the
maximum before overtime begins,
with Chrysler close behind, with
Ford long since on the five day
eight-hour week, it can be said that
the forty-hour week is really estab-
lished-will soon be standard.
| The chief argument against the
thirty-hour week, when that mea-
sure was advocated SO strongly in
congress two years ago, was that
it would be impossible to maintain
the present American standard OF
living, much less to advance it, II
hours OF work were made SO shert.
The point was that it was thought
impossible for the workers to pro-
duce enough necessities and luxu-
ries to maintain the present stand
ards unless they put in more than
thirty hours week.
Another point was that thirty
hour week would disrupt manufac-
turing methods in SO many indus
trial plants.
But when these arguments were
made, and the retort was made,
How about a compromised the
answer always was that there must
not be any imposition OF a legisla-
tive strait-jacket upon business.
Strangely enough, now that pros
perity is returning, developments
seem to justify the employers ar.
gument at the time-though with 8
little more progress the arguments
all save the idea of doing the thing
T by law, may Npe MADE 70 seem
little silly.
There are a good many objec
tons to doing the thing by law, some
OF them theoretical and logical, ane
some of them highly personal
An Old Story
Beyond any doubt, for example
, it is not fear of any short-hours Law
. which influenced the motor makers
, to cut hours without cutting pay
| In the first place, this gradual short
ening OF hours and increasing tn
! purchasing value Of wages per hou
has been going on since power wa
first applied to looms in England
| There have been plenty OF CROWN
pains-strikes, bloodshed, lockout
! and depressions. But the progress
has been steady, with speed gradu
ally increasing. 1t was only four
teen years ago that the steel mill
r worked most of their hands twelv
: hours a day, holding that an
9 change was irreconcilable with cor
: tinuous production. But in 1923 the
Q went to eight-hour shifts.
!. Besides the continuous and ne'
n err ending pressure of progress, how
III i II.