The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-04-08
SEEN
HEARD l!S
around the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field y
By Carter Field .

Washington.--Since his arrival in
Washington, Georges Bonnet, the
new French ambassador, has been
the target at nearly every social
function he has attended for ques-
tions about the sit-down strikes and
what has happened about them.
The questioners started of with the
popular delusion that the sit-down
strike originated in France.
M. Bonnet hastens to set them
right about this. He is not sure just
where they did originate, but he
knows they were in vogue in Poland
before they were ever employed in
France.
But the big surprise is what has
happened since they started in
France. The French government,
questioners are told, simply said 1t
would not stand for theml 1t so
notified strikers and labor leaders.
When sit-down strikers were APP
preached by the French police, they
abandoned their posts" with only
vocal objections. No one was hurt.
There was no disorder.
All Of which is rather startling to
Washington's diners-outr especially
as they had assumed that the pres
ent French government is almost
Communist-certainly more liberal
than most, and presumably much
more pro-labor than the present adj
ministration in this country.
Meanwhile there is plenty Of dis
cussion in senate and house cloak
rooms, and elsewhere, as to what
ought to be done about sit-down
strikers, and who ought to do it.
There are plenty Of suggestions that
Grover Cleveland would know how
to handle it. In fact, his name was
mentioned to recent visitor on
Capitol hill by two very distin-
guished senators.
Where Power Lies
There is very wide difference of
opinion as to where the constitution
al power lies. Some lawyers among
the national legislators insist that
the federal and state governments
have joint power. The theory here
Is. that the sit-down strikes in the
automobile plants affect interstate
commerce, hence thrusting respon-
Eibility on the federal government
for the movement of goods across
state lines.
This is minority view, as most
lawyers agree that automobile pro-
duction, to take the most popular
instance, is strictly intrastate. de-
spite the very obvious effects such
a strike would have on interstate
commerce, both in the flow OF sup
plies to the plant and the flow of
automobiles from the plant.
However, the Supreme court Is
expected to settle that point, very
definitely, In its forthcoming deci-
sion on the Wagner labor relations
act. The two cases are almost on
all tours. The government contends
it has the right to compel plants
engaged in similar production to
submit to labor regulations of the
federal government. The compa-
MES insist they are intrastate. The
decision of the court will almost
certainly decide that point of con-
? tention.
Most lawyers who have studied
the case believe that the court will
hold the Wagner act unconstitution-
al, some of them even predicting
that the decision will be unanimous.
If that should prove true, it will
become almost certain that RESPONSE
bility for handling sit-down strikes
Ii they are to be handled by any
governmental power at all, which in
itself is highly dubious-will rest
with state governments. Perhaps
even local governments.
A Real Menace
Despite all reports to the con-
trary, the administration does not
propose to attempt compulsory ar
bitration of labor disputes. In the
first place, the administration has
no desire to get in a Touchdown
and drag out fight with organized
labor, and If there is one subject
on which John L. Lewis and William
Green see eye to eye it is that they
want no compulsory arbitration
least of all from the government.
The administration recognizes the
seriousness of the present labor de-
velopment. President Roosevelt has
told members of the house that he
is much concerned about the posi-
bilities of the Shutdown strikes; that
he regards them not only as illegal
but as real menace to the country.
He made this admission despite
the knowledge Of every man in the
group to whom he was speaking
that he himself had virtually forced
General Motors to negotiate while
sit-down strikers were occupying its
plants, which action resulted not
only in the success of G. I. O. in that
battle, but made its victory in steel
easy, and started wave of strikes
and other labor disturbances il.
other industries.
What the administration is fgur-
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