The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-02-07


 on national afs
 fairs considers
 the issues
 S which ,,.v~:,., were ;. W. TitsPAtrleh or indirectly by Mir. Smith. He Is q distinguished clergyman of MT. Smiths own persuasion who for many years has been Q fear less, able, and genuinely fair ob- server of, and commentator on, social questions. His services as coylsultant and adviser in vital i1- dustrial crises have been in con- stant demand even by those who do not agree with his concept Of business morality but who acc knowledge his profound scholar ship and his unflinching hones- ty. There is nothing spectacular about him either in mind or man. sier. The spread-eagle is alto- gether absent from his address. es, he has none of the tricks Of the professional orator, end none of the spotlight-seekin procliv- ities of many university profess sors. As plain as an old shoe you might mistake him for an every day parish priest walking about performing the routine of his rou- tine duties. But he Is 6 great man with the three essential characteristics of true greatness; --a magnificent brain, . deeply sympathetic humane heart, and indomitabie moral courage. His name Is Monsignor John A. Ryan and he is the director of the de- partment of Social Action of the National Catholic Welfare Con- ference. More years ago than 1t is fiattering to recall, the writer was 6 fellow student with him and exchanged campus bows. MT. Smith, however, knows him bet- ter than I ever did, however cofrl- pletely he forgets or ignores pr. Ryan's principles of human rela- tons.
 No Publicity
 Unfortunately, because he makes no effort to court publicity by indulging in the platform an- tics of on academic Tnountebank his discussion of vital, If unpleas- ant, truths receives disgracefully niggardly newspaper notice. A speech which, by reason of what 1t says and the educational value it contains, warrants Q verbatim report, is boiled down to a "stick" of print in the commercial news- papers. The Eneagre press of his own church reaches only an itl- finitesimal number of the people who would learn most and profit greatest by his words. It is to remedy that deficiency that Qtlo- tations from his latest public ut terance are made this afternoon. The reader is asked to compare the accurate description he gives of the group Mir. Smith repre- sents with what MT. Smith, and the newspapers now praising him to the skies, would fool us into believing 1t really is.
 A Real Analysis
 Speaking on Organized Social Justice" ct Q recent meeting Of the Catholic Conference on Industrial Problems held in Chicago, pr. Ryan analysed the duPont Liberty League, the National Association of Manufacturers, the United States Chamber of Commerce. and similer uitra-conservative blocg.
 "Thls group would abolish practically ell that still remains of the New Deal The members of this group never believed nor do they now believe in effective regulation of industry for social justice. They are opposed to legal determination of wages and hours of labor as we'll as to regulations for maintaining de- cent prices on agricultural prod ucts. They do not believe in giving labor effective 0ppor- tunity to organize nor in the stabilixation Of the soft coal in- dustry provided by the Guffey Coal Law, nor in restricting holding companies to fair rate of interest on the investment, nor in government yardsticks for the determination of fair rates on the output of electric power concerns as in the IVA, nor in Q Social Security Act wh' d places the greater part of the cost upon industry. Hence these groups hope that what remains of the New Deal will be declared unconstitutional. They want to go back to about the same conditions of unre- stricted competition and ul- regulated economic transactions which prevailed before the NEGAb OGWEU8SB0hAs 6vS~ vsS most moderate regulation of m. dustry they strive to discredit by applying to the epithet 'reglmentation.'"
 |
 Constitutional
 Amendments
 To the vast delight of the due Jnt Leaguers and his own per" sonaI satisfaction, l have no doubt, Banker Smith hacked away with his puny hatchet at the NRA:--
 'NRAl A vast octopus set up by government that wound It's arms around all the business or the country, paralyzed big busi- ness and choked little business
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