Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-04-29
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COulO IldVS USCA cSAI w Vic AsAASA1-
igan governor and, I truly believe.
that il there had been request
for federal troops, there would have
been a distinct change in the at
titude of Labor Leader Lewis al
most overnight.
Further, have heard from plenty
of lawyers in the house and senate
that the decision that no federal law
was being violated was wholly
questionable. Those lawyers were
quite convinced that Mr.. Roosevelt
had federal statutes at his COM
mand to use as the basis for ac-
ton in the various sit down strikes
if he seriously wanted to get mixed
up in the labor row.
Then, am reminded of the very
frequent attacks which were forth
coming from the White House and
other New Deal spokesman when
employers and banks and business
generally failed to measure up to
New Deal demands in the recovery
programs. The President spoke with
emphasis on those occasions. He
has been completely silent in the
current situation.
And he has been able to maintain
silence through protection given him
- by political ma
AePr neuvering in the
Silent senate. AS an in
stance of this, let
me cite the efforts of Senator
McNary of Oregon, the so-called Re-
publican leader, in the senate, who
attempted to put the question di-
rectly to the President. He sought,
when the senate was floundering
and lodging over resolution con-
denning sit down strikes, to change
the form of the resolution from one
needing only concurrence of the
house to a joint resolution which is
a measure that requires the sigma
ture of the President. Majority
Leader Robinson was quick to block
that maneuvering. No one needs to
tell you, of course, that Mr.. Roose-
welt did not want to have that reso-
luton come to him.
So, as a second instance of fed
eral government sissiness, we see
a subservient majority of New Deal
ers adopting resolution which said
in effect, "You naughty boys! You
know it is wrong to indulge in sit
down strikes, to take possession of
other peoples propdfty ,sanN we are
going to slap you on the wrist for
it." Well, that was a declaration of
policy but when the resolution was
before the senate they could not
resist the temptation to denounce
business because they charged it
was unfair to labor.
Then, we have another circum-
stance. Representativ Dies, Tex
as Democrat, proposed resolution
in the house for an investigation of
sit down strikes. Mr.. Dies was will
ing to condemn sit down strikes
but he wanted to know what the
facts were. Very quickly, many Of
the weakened boys on the floor
of the house smelled thorough-go-
ling inquiry into labor organizations
generally, into political activities of
labor groups, into racketeering
where local labor organizations are
in the hands of irresponsible or
scheming radicals. So, the house
sneaked out from under and, as
painlessly as possible, lodged this
issue by depositing the Dies resolu-
ton on the table from which, of
course, it will never be withdrawn.
called these policies political
cowardice in an earlier statement
in this article. All of the elements
seem to me to be present to justify
that description. But there is an
other phase of the whole situation.
It concerns the future of the poll
ticians who have run away from
the real issue this time. I am quite
convinced it will rise up to hold
them in the not too distant future.
In the course of the discussion of
the labor controversy, adverted on
,, several occasions
Idtk OF to the politics that
Third Term is imbedded in the
situation There is
SO much of politics in the picture
that one hears in the under current
around Washington discussion of
President Roosevelt's future plans.
It is curious, but it appears possible,
that Mr.. Roosevelt may be forced
to run for third term. Such a
course obviously would break all
precedents, but Mr.. Roosevelt likes
to break precedents.
He has stated on several oc-
casions his ambition to leave the
White House in 1910 with the nation
at peace and economically prosper
Gus. This observation has been re-
peated whenever the opportunity
was propitious. On the last occa-
sion, there were number Of OBJ
servers in Washington who sus-
tanned the same reaction to the de-
claration, namely, that perhaps
and only perhaps-Mr. Roosevelt
had a yearning in his heart to serve
another four years after his pres
ent term expires. One writer, noted
for his direct expressions, observed
that Onlv bv constantly rofarr;rc