The daily independent., 1937-07-01
Mn AkaA
By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. ALLEN

Girdler's Talk To Hand-Picked
Press Even Hotter Than Public
Hearing; Told Reporters 1t Was
"Off The Record" After Story
Was Already Sent; Castigated
Officials, Rival Companies;
Swore He Won't Sign With CIO,
Connery's Death Probed AS
Wage-Hour Bill Legislators Re-
ceive Threat.
Washington-Tom- Giro | e,r
stocky, bald, outspoken head Of
the Republic, Steel Corporat on,
put on two pyrotechnic eXhibi-
tions during his brief and stormy
stay in Washington.
The first was his testimony be-
fore the Senate Post Office Com
mittee. This appearance was pub
lie and fully reported. But the
second was an exclusive affair,
held in Girdler's air-conditioned
hotel suite. Although much more
colorful and pungent, only few
of the less explosive high-lights
of this performance got into the
newspapers.
The occasion was a press con-
fernce at which were present, in
addition to Girdler, his lawyer;
several of his publicity men. one
of them Sam Jones, employed last
year by Governor Gene Talmadge
of Georgia and the Republican
National Committee; and eight
hand-picked reporters, several
representing trade journals.
Drinks and lunch were served.
The Associated Press, for some
unexplained reason, was not in
vited to send correspondent.
The other two afternoon news
services were represented.
The host was as unrestrained in
his remarks as he was liberal in
his hospitality. He caStigated two
! members Of the Steel Mediation
Board, Chairman Charles P. Taft,
End, and Lloyd K. Garrison, Dean
of the University of Wisconsin
law school, in unprintable langu-
age.
A few minutes later he applied
even more Vituperative profanity
to Myrron Taylor, head of the U.
S. Steel Company which signed a
contract with the c. I. O., and to
the Jones and Laughlin Steel Co.,
which Girdler boSsed before 60
ing to Republic. Senator joe Guf-
fey charged before the Post Office
Committee that Girdler was ouSt-
ed from JoneS-Laughlin because
he betrayed its trade secrets. an
accusation he heatedly denied.
Belated Damper
BY this time in tull steam,
Girdler laShed into Governors
! Frank Murphy of Michigan, Mar
tin Davey Of Ohio, and George
Earle of Pennsylvania, also in un-
printable language. The National
Labor Relations Board, he de-
clared flatly, could not be trust
ed to conduct a fair election.
IF the Labor Board orders an
election in your plants, will you
abide by the result?" he was ask :
ed.
IF they issue an order and the
courts sustain it. possibly I'll have
to abide by it," Girdler replied,
but III never sign contract
with the c. I. O.. unless the courts
order me. The Wagner Act does
not require that we sign a con-
tract.
But to hell with that. I don't
enter into any kind of an agree
ment, oral or otherwise, with the
c. I. O."
Girdler returned by plane to
Cleveland shortly after this tir-
ade. Late that night, after word
of the conference had been wide
ly disseminated throughout the
Washington press corps and alb
breviated accounts of it had been
sent out, neWsmen received ex-
cited telephone calls from Cleve-
land.
What Mr.. Girdler sad was off
the-record," they were informed.
You should have thought of
that earlier" retorted one of the