The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-05-03
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
WOULD MAKE WARTIME PRESIDENT
|'' SUPER DICTATOR


Powers now enjoyed "by perhaps three men IN
the world, one in Italy, one in Germany and one
in Russia" would be conferred upon wartime
President of the United States by the May bill,
currently before congress-in the judgment OF the
magazine Factory Management and Maintenance.
The May bin CHI. R. s6O4), introduced by Rep
resentative Andrew Jackson May of Kentucky has
been reported" out by the house military affairs
committee is backed by the American Legion and
Endorsed by Assistant Secretary of War Louis
Johnson, who is in charge of the war departments
industrial mobilization plan. In an interview with
Factory Johnson urges that such bill, with teeth
IN it, is needed to prevent wartime initiation and
profteering.
In a survey of the Industrial mobilization plan,
the magazine points out that under the May bill
the president would be empowered, upon the dec
laration of any war, to do these things:
t1( Fix all prices Of goods, foods, property val
ues and rentals at any level (2) Draft for military
service all men between 81 and 81; 81 License
and control all industries businesses and financial
exchanges, except publishers of newspapers, peri
odicals and books; (4) Conscrpt factory managers
for government service, and (5) regulate the trans
portation and production of commodities and goods
in accordance with wartime needs. The bill would
also empower congress to fix definition of excess
sfve profits and authorize the treasury to collect
them.
"Only major war could justify the dictatorship
that would be involved" L. C. Morrow, editor of
Factory, declares, "yet a minor could furnish
the foundation on which dictatorship could be
established if legislation had already paved the
way. :. Even the prospect of the abandonment of
freedom is alarming in these days of spreading die
tatorship.'' .
Editor Morrow commends the aims of the May
BILL but warns against passage of such legislation
before the nature Of the emergency is known and
before the man who would be President is known"
In its review of the industrial mobilization plan,
for which the May bill is intended as enabling leg
siation, Factory describes the war departments
comprehensive program for changing the nation S
Industrial organization over to an efficient pro-
Queer Of war materials on "M-Day" Mobilization
Day.. In the files of the war departments plan
ming branch are data on the production capacities
of 10, 600 American factories.
Factories now making toy soldiers will turn out
knives forks, spoons and canteens for the messkits
of real soldiers" the article says. "Watchmakers
will rush work mechanical time fuses for bombs.
Elevator companies will make recoil mechanisms.
Factories now making oxygen tanks will, of course,
make bombs. Based the data in the war de-
partments files, an industrial map of the nation
has been drawn and divided into districts. No
plants will be asked to devote their full capacities
to war products. ALLEGATIONS call for between 20
and so per cent of the capacities of the average
plant"
The danger which Factory magazine sees will be
recognized by many thoughtful citizens, and that
is involved in 1.-The transcending question which
no plan answer" says the editor. The question:
"Who would be the wartime president and how
would he employ his tremendous executive powers?
There are perhaps three men in the world, one in
Italy, one in Russia and one in Germany, who have
anything like the authority which the May bill
would confer on our wartime president. All the
great dictators of the past, from Genghis Khan to
Napoleon, would shrink shyly into the shades of
history by comparison with this colossal figure. e.
Charlotte Observer. =. .sH