The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-07-31
BEHIND |YkE SCEkH
 M WASHINGTON
- ' W88sN8S ~b&e@Ea Democrat Washlngtsn
 Correspondent
mV M0nalRV UllTc -

Other Government Workers
 Get Vacations, but There's
 No Rest for Ed Mctirady
 ... Proves He's Tops as IIa-
 Dor Trouble ConclllAtor .
 Ills Toledo Plan Has At.
 tracted Wide Attention.
 Washington, July sis-New Deal. eFB seldom have been ecaFcer in Washington than now. Nearly all Of them are having their vacations.
 But not I'd ModFady. It doesn't look aB if he would get any vaca- ton at al.
 Most lately Mcurady hRs been down in Savannah, oa,, trying to head off a strike Of longshoremen. Before that he was sitting in, un- officially, at conferences in Waah- lngton between the A, r. of L., and the Committee for Industrial Or. ganlEatlon.
 4 month ago ha was trying to do hls Job as an official ct the democratic national convention and mediate the strike of RCA workers in nearby Camden, N ]. at the same time.
 Before that, it was a long string of other labor difficulties, tnelud- ing the bltuminous coal mines set. clement, to which Mcdrady applied the important finishing touches.
 He has played . unique role as the aAmlnlslFatlOn's trouble shooters and eencIllatOF par exoel- fence. IIe also has his position as assistant aecFetFay of labor plus direct authority from the president, whose name ha uses for all lt'a worth in the plnches.
 No high official ever had such . big jall record Aa MeGFRdy. He was arrested . score CT more times In labor disputes before he en- tered the government service. Never convicted and always, he says, "fFamed".
 At any rate, he has fought 'n la bor's battles and today has labor's confidence. Ha has had the eonfi- dence of employers, too, or his rec- ord of successful coneiliatiOn couldn't have come to be what t iS.
 Doesn't Look His 64 Years Most of those who zee Mcorady are astonished to learn that he is e years old. His hair and mouAs tache are black and his body is hard. He dresses Hnappily.
 He works fast and vigorously, nearly always until late nt night, and he speaks tenscly and forcefully. During the last three years he has flown nearly 100000 miles ir con. nection with his peace-mAking ef- forts.
 He was born in Jersey City and his formal education ended with q high school course in economies and business management in Bos" ton. First . newAboy, he became . newspaper pFesgman e years ago, then head of the iIhwspaper pFeGsmen's union, the central la- bor union, the Massachusetts Fed- eTatoin of labor.
 He went Into democratic poli. tles, t0O, serving iB the Mas. Sachusetta legislature. In hls earlier days he was an amateur boxer.
 During the war he recruited skilled labor snd investigated War Department contracts. In 1919 Samuel G0mpeEs hired hlni ae . lobbyist for Che A. '. of L., on Capitol HIlI and he served in that Job for Il years, making many friends and few enemies,
 He led laboFh drive for the N0Tris-f,ad duArdia Rnti.injunction act and for defeat of tho iipinlna. ton to the Supreme Court M Judge John J. Parker, who had uphold so.cAlled yellow dog" eontFaeS' Won Over Madam Perkins
 He went into the campaign for | Roosevelt in 1889. When NRA wal formed, he became Gen. Hugh John- sons labor aide and friend. Ro0se- welt and Farley wanted t0 make him assistant secretary Of labor, but Secretary Perkins couldn't sec t.
 Medrady performed valuable services. Tt was he who got the Pennsylvania "captlve mine" coal miners to call off a Htrike when he promised them, "The president intends that you shall get A square deal"
 After that, Miss Perkins told PaFIeyI J was wrong Rb0ut Mir. MOdFady." Today Mc0FaAy and his female hess have strong 70. spect for each other.
 MCdrady thinks you can adjust almost any labor dispute without . violent bitteF-end fight, costly 10 both sldes. Sometimes he fails but he insists there would be fai fewer labor troubles if there were more tolerance, understanding and a-pssaa=-~~as--ss~-H-=-s-'~-''s