The people's voice., 1939-12-20
DIES Committee
TACKLES JOB FOR
big BUSINESS
BY ALEXANDER L. CROSBY
Federated Press)

| D~~~~~NNCN
There's a lot behind the scenes in
the attack of the Dies un-American
committee on consumer organizations
and most of the fenagling will never
get into the paper. One reason is
that the hands of the newspaper pub
fishers are not precisely spotless.
A simple way to explain the charge
by j. B. Matthews, Dies investigator
that Consumers Union and other
groups are communist-dominat is
that Matthews is paying off a four
year-old grudge. In 1885. Matthews
faced the dilemma of many persons
Iwho profess to love labor. The en-
ployes of Consumers Research in
| Washington, N. j., formed an AFL
union and struck when several mem
bers were fired just prior to nego-
tiations.
AS a minor executive, Matthews had
to choose between the strikers and
the boss. He did not hesitate. Dur
ing following months he distinguished
himself as strikebreaker and in a
subsequent court proceeding he was
branded as a "scab-herder."
The freezing treatment Matthews
got from his former friends in liberal
and radical circles did not sit well.
1t was still more annoying when the
ex-strikers, under the leadership of
Arthur Kallet and Dewey H. Palmer,
created rival organization for i'm
partial testing of consumer goods
And it was the final straw when the
new group, Consumers Union of U. s.,
recently surpassed Matthews organi-
not in hon in iro
That's the simple explanation but
it is only one part Of the story. The
real significance of the attack on Con- |
sumers Union is that the Dies COM
mittee is now attempting to serve
American business in a new way |
Having done its best to discredit labor |
unions in the public mind, it is now |
trying to discredit consumer groups.
That the rise of the consumer move
ment has big business worried is well |
known. Several of the leading trade |
associations have tried to launch a
counter offensive. AS the largest con-
sumer group and as a pro-labor or
ganization, Consumers Union has been
the chief target.
The newspapers have gladly helped.
Norman S. Rose, president of the Ad-
Federation of America and
advertising director of The Christian
Science Monitor, recently warned
that radical elements" in the con-
sumer field are trying to undermine
the American democratic enterprise
system" and called for action.
But the manufacturers who have
piled up millions through high pres
sure advertising and selling of inferior
Dr. over-priced goods were not in a
position to conduct a successful Of
fensive. Consumers who have been
gypped by these gentry would hardly
believe them if they declared that
Consumers Union was communist
,ront. r
So the industrialists got the Dies
to attempt what they could f
1T accomplish. And it is significant ,
hat nowhere In Matthews long re- !
,ort is there a word to imply that r
Consumers Union is not doing first !,
lass technical job for its members. :
lis only accusation is the same one +
hat the Dies committee has plastered
N the labor unions communist. +
Having forecast the attack a month 4
arlier in an editorial in Gu Reports, i
Consumers Union was not surprised. q
director Kallet said that Matthews Z
harges were altogether false" and Il
ointed out that the Dies committee y
ide has been accused of perjury for i,
revious statements about Gu. n
Commenting on Matthews assertion n
hat Gu is opposed to advertising v
.allet said: "The best proof that we d
elieve advertising to be a valuable
force is that we use it our IL
elves" 9,
AS postscript on Matthews, there t.
the rarely-told story of a conference m
eld at Washington, N. j., in the b
lmmer of 1935-just before the strike o
Consumers Research, and while 9;
latthews was still boasting of his
ldicalism. There was talk of stir G
ng up consumer strikes, of doing fe
lings that Matthews would now call vi
EVOLUTION. III
There was also talk of creating a
deral consumer department, and the dt
an envisioned for the new cabinet er
,st was that now unhappy warrior, of
B. Matthews. ST
r.
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