Evening star., 1937-03-28
Roosevelt
Continued From First Page)

were their party leaders in the House,
made the following statement:
''It has always been the custom
Of the President upon his return after
he has been away to summon party
leaders for a conference on the legis-
lative situation. We discussed a great
many phases of the legislative pro-
gram; it ran the whole gamut. All
phases Of legislation were discussed,
but I am not in position to make
any statement as to details. I think
the communication was executive and
any further statement made will have
to come from the President"
He said that later there might be
some labor legislation, but that no
details were discussed.
The Speakers statement on arriving
at the White House was as follows:
Before going In to see the Presi-
dent, l wish to make a statement,
The report has been built up in some
OF the newspapers and the impress
sion has been created that the Presi-
dent was to confer with us on the
sit-down strikes. I am in a position
to say that neither directly nor indi-
rectly has the President indicated to
me or to Mr.. Rayburn that he de-
sired to discuss the sit-down strikes.
There is no basis for these stories"
Miss Perkins First Caller.
Miss Perkins, who was the Presl-
dents first caller yesterday after his
return, took up with him the whole
labor situation, including the sit
down strike. Before leaving the
White House she told newspaper
correspondents she did not regard
the Ait-doWn strike as serious menace
to the country-ths: it was only a
sporadic outcropping, and that there
was no organized group behind it..
She denied that the c. I. O., headed
by John L. Lewis, was responsible for
the sit-down strikes, or for instigating
them.
THE men in the plants themselves
adopted this method of striking" Miss
Perkins said, in exonerating the c. I. O.
leaders. She added that with the
settlement Of the Chrysler strike she
believed the whole Detroit area, which
has been in the grip of the sit-down
strikers, would become peaceful.
The Secretary was asked If there
might not be trouble in the Ford
plants, which c. l. O. leaders have
indicated might be tackled soon IN
their effort to organize the automobile
workers. She replied that she could
make no prediction about what might
happen in that direction, for she had
no information. She expressed great
satisfaction that the Chrysler sit
down strike was ending without vio-
lence or bloodshed
Admitting that the sit-down strike
has been held to be illegal, Miss Per-
kins said it was not clear what the
Federal Government could do about 1t.
The sit-down strike" she said, "is
violative Of the law against trespass.
That is a matter that belongs Pc
culiarly to the State and local govern
ments. The whole question will have
to be carefully studied before any
step Is taken to enact Federal laws
dealing with the sit-down strike"
May Amend Wagner Act.
She said that if the Supreme Court
should hold the Wagner labor rela-
tions act constitutional, it would then
be possible for Congress to supplement
or amend this act. Eventually, she
added, the question Of incorporation
Of labor unions might be taken up and
along with it some plan for making
the employers more responsible in their
dealings with labor There has been
some consideration given already, she
said, to these problems.
While Miss Perkins was declaring
the sit-down strike situation was clear
ing up and giving Lewis a clean bill
Of health, Senator Holt, Democrat,
of West Virginia. violent critic Of
the administration, was issuing
statement accusing the c. I. o. Of
conspiring to overthrow the American
form of government.
THE American form of government