Evening star., 1939-07-20

to the strike call here. Alliance
leaders claimed more than 10000 of
the city's l47.0O0 W. P. A. workers
would leave their posts.
National Response
Logs, Survey Indicates
Although the Workers Alliance
expected 100000 w. P A. workers
in 1900 cities to demonstrate today
In protest against restrictions in the
new relief law. incomplete reports
gathered around the country by the
Associated Press indicated that few
workmen left their jobs. There were
disputed figures in New York and
other cities, but most w. P. A.
officials over the country said work
was going on normally.
President David LASER of the
alliance said here it would be two
days before I'VE get the whole pic
ture" Of the number who took part.
Alliance officials said the work
stoppage was not strike, calling 1t
instead the "culmination of legiti-
mate protests of w. P. A. workers
and unemployed against conditions
Of the relief act which forced them
to labor at conditions that degraded
Inundated and starved them
The Workers Alliance in the Dis
trict was not participating in the
demonstration. An announcement
by Phillip Bonosky, the president
said the Executive Committee had
called off the stoppage here.
This does not mean that we in
the District have abandoned the
fight against the Woodrum bill he
said. Instead, We have changed
our approach" The alliance is to
hold mass meeting at Sylvan
Theater at 7:30 Saturday night,
when prominent speakers will dis
cuss the w. P. A. situation and pro-
pose means for fighting the Wood
rum bill" according to Mr.. Bonosky.
Offlcials of the w. P. A. Teachers
Union "a. F. of L. said that 5000
of the $4,000 employees on w. P. A.
education projects in New York had
participated in halliday work
stoppage yesterday protesting fur
ther dismissals.
Publicity Denounced.
A request by H. Ralph Burton.
chief investigator for the House
Appropriations Subcommittee in
vestigating the Federal Relief
Agency, that 1t. Col Brehon B.
Somervell, w. P. A. administrator,
furnish him a list of the names
of w. P. A. workers in New York
who joined in the work stoppages
was denounced by the Workers
Alliance as IAN invasion of civil
rights
The Alliance asked the American
Civil Liberties Union about the pos
sibility of legal action to restrain
the committee from using the listse
United States Attorney j. Cullen
Ganey, in Philadelphia, said today
he was studying charges by w. P A.
investigators against dozen per-
sons associated with w. P. A. Fed
eral writer's projects in Pennsyl-
vania. He said he would seek Fed
eral indictments if grounds for
criminal action are found.
Abuses Alleged.
The charges, which grew out of
three-month investigation, were
listed by the United States attorney
as: Falsely making and approving
travel expense vouchers, "kickbacks"
on such vouchers to superiors and
use of Government employees and
funds on publication work of private
nature.
Paul Comfy French, State director
OF the projects, which have produced
guide books and historical pamph-
let's, said he had heard of some of
the allegations but no employees had
been dismissed because no official
proof had been presented.
In the meanwhile quiet was set
ting in Minnesota, where fatal
rioting marked the strike against
the new w. P. A. law, which sets
up 130-hour work month for the
same pay that formerly prevailed for
so to 80 hours.
Workers joined in the one-day
stoppage. then met to consider a
peace plan already approved by
their leaders.
Col. F. C. Harrington, w. P. A..
commissioner. announced that this
plan had been worked out by Gov.
Stassen of Minnesota and Linus
Glotzbach, State w. P. A. admins
traitor. and that he approved it.
Where under strict Interpretation
of the "five-day rule" strikers absent
from work five days would have to be
re-certified for relief, the new plan
provides that they may get their
jobs back merely by signing affidavits
that they have engaged in no illegal
acts.
However, the threat of Federal
prosecutions still hung over the
strikers. United States Attorney
Victor Anderson announced several
violations of law forbidding intim-
idation Of w. P. A. workers had been
uncovered and Federal Judge Robert
c. Bell summoned a grand jury for
next Monday to consider the evi-
dence in conformity with instruc-
tions from Attorney General Muir
ply.
Pennsylvania A. F. of L. leaders,
meeting today to consider calling of
the w. P. A. strike, said there had
been pressure" from Washington
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