The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-04-27
The COlonePs Dilemma

press his feeling that the Workers
Alliance, whose Communistic domina-
ton is now conceded, is not subver-
sive organization and that its unre-
stricted activity in welding together
WPA workers for the purpose of
gouging more money out of the Gov
eminent and eXerting political pres
sure on Congress is not to be deplored.
*#*
Few detached persons will agree
with Colonel Harrington about that.
His is not a view easy to sustain in the
face of the admitted facts. The trou-
BILE is that Colonel Harrington is noe
in a position to express an indepen-
dent Judgment To voice the view
which the facts make unavoidable
would be equivalent to an indictment
of the President and that, of course,
is too much to expect of him. Colonel
Harrington is a superior man to his
predecessor, Mr.. Hopkins, and an i'm
mense improvement upon Mr.. Hop
kins' aide, Mr.. Aubrey Williams.
49,
He is non-political, which is IN
marked contrast to the first, and he is
not addicted to the inhammatory and
unbalanced eXhortations, which gained
the second so much unfavorable noto-
riety. Also, Colonel Harrington is a
good executive, which neither Mr..
Hopkins nor Mr.. Williams every really
was. Primarily they were New Deal
ers, who believed everything that
tended to strengthen Mr.. Roosevelt
and his policies was right and justi-
fled. That, after all, was natural
feeling on their part, as but for Mr..
Roosevelt and his policies both Mr..
Hopkins and Mr.. Williams would still
be shrouded in the obscurity from
which they emerged in 1888.
Colonel Harrington is an army Off
Ger with a good record assigned to a
new job. 1t isn't necessary for him to
promulgate his political views and he
has not done so, which is fine. Never
theless, he cannot differ with his Com
mander-in-Chief and hold his job.
Therefore, it is plain that no express
sion of distaste for the Workers ALI
ance can come from him. Not only
would that be a Reputation of his
predecessor, Mr. Hopkins, who flattered
and Endorsed this Communist organi-
cation, but a direct criticism of Mr..
Roosevelt, who has received its lead
ers in the White House, accepted their
political support and contributed to
their power through public recogni-
ton.
1t seems reasonable to believe that
if Colonel Harrington did not owe an
allegiance to the White House he
would express a very different opin-
ion of this agency which makes his job
so much harder than it ought to be.
An indication of this real feeling came
in that order some weeks ago prohibit
ing, under pain of dismissal, any WPA
official from taking time off to partic-
ipate in the Workers Alliance demon
strations for larger appropriation.
That was the spontaneous action of an
executive who did not propose to per-
nit professional agitators to exert an
influence over the men under him. 1t
was the action Of a man who did not
propose to have his department run by
an organization whose chief idea is to
make the work as costly as possible,
and which sets itself against any form
Of economy or cost reduction.
AS an intelligent man, it is impos-
sible that Colonial Harrington should
not know these facts. 1t is impossible,
too, he should not know-frst, that
the Workers Alliance was conceived
by the Communists, and is now run by
Communists and near-Communists.
Second, that it is financed largely by
the C. I. O., which is also the heaviest
political contributor to the Roosevelt
campaign.
Third, that its prime purpose is to
force Congress to appropriate more
and more money for relief and to raise
the WPA wage scale higher and
higher.
Fourth, that so far from caring
whether its success along these lines
bankrupts the nation, actually nation
al bankruptcy and the consequent eco
nomic chaos is the principal gaol of
the Communist party, which has a
strong hand in the Workers Alliance.
Fifth, that the Workers Alliance
leaders aim to form its membership,
composed of WPA workers, into mo-
bile political force which can be used
TO compel concessions from high pub
lie officials and threaten Congress
with hunger marches on Washington