The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-03-25

amazed at the policy of; so ,articulate a
President in ignoring the existence of
an epidemic of lawlessness described
by Senatorial friends as, IA "grave ma
tional peril" Senator Hiram Johnson,
of California, who is not unfriendly to
Mr.. Roosevelt and is very friendly to
labor, declared that the situation
threatened breakdown of government
and that the end of the road was a
dictatorship.
Neither Senator johnson nor the
other Senators who spoke on the sub
ject either Wednesday or Friday men
toned Mr.. Roosevelt by name, but they
did urge that the Government move to
enforce the law and stop a movement
that points toward chaos. They made
this appeal to. the Government with
out mentioning the President, but the
President is the Government, and the
failure to lay this baby squarely in his
lap is another example of the curious
custom of avoiding ascribing to Mr..
Roosevelt full responsibility for his
acts. From the start the disposition
has been to blame the "Brain Trust" or
the "New Dealers" or his advisers, or
anyone except him. And now Sena-
tors say the Government should move,
we'll knowing that the Government
can't move unless Mr.. Roosevelt moves,
because they are identical. The effort
to lay the blame on the Supreme Court
is too absurd to be seriously discussed.
1t is significant that during the two
days of debate no voice was raised in
justification of the sit-down strike.
There is feeling that Mr.. Roose-
welt will shortly clarity his position"
Continued inarticulate inactivity upon
his part, it is held, will be increasingly
construed as approval of and encour-
agement to the sit-down strike, which
has been outlawed by the courts and
is not defended by any responsible
pCISOHs SOHLllluSu ollCiLoC quiz
stance to the charge that he is under
the domination of John L. Lewis,
whose C. I. o. has created this situa-
ton, and for some reason is unable or
unwilling to take firm stand for law
and order-the only defendable thing
for President of the United States
to do.
1t is already being pointed out that
there has not come from him or from
any member of his Administration,
with the single exception Of Secretary
of Commerce Roper who fastened to
say he spoke unofficially, single word
indicating disapproval either of the
sit-down strike itself or the blazing
defiance of the courts by the strikers,
although violence and disorder have
followed in various sections and the
local authorities have been unable to
cope with the situation. 1t is further
being pointed out that il during the
General Motors strike he had taken the
position that the court order must be
respected, Governor Murphy, who, ii
is conceded, was under, White House
inspiration, would have. performed
very differently. A Presidential appeal
would have brought them out Of the
plants and without violence. The fact
is the strike leaders and the strikers
have been proceeding in the belief that
they have the sympathetic though
silent support of the President and his
silence has justified them in thinking
so. - ~.
The stage has been reached now
where friends of Mr.. Roosevelt are con.
WINGED he will suffer real damage un-
less he takes the sort of stand the
nation as whole is justified in ex.
pecting of its President. The demand
for action reflected in the Senate last
week is likely to be repeated and q
feeling of resentment is being mani.
Tested in various ways at the White
House merit in the face of an intol
cradle and indefensible state of affairs
The belief is that in his own interests
as well as those of the country Mr.
Roosevelt, reluctant as he clearly is
will be forced into action. IF he fails
to act, the situation may get out Of
hand and the perils spoken of by the
friendly Senators become reality. Il
once the idea permeates that thu
reason Mr., Roosevelt ignores this con