Evening star., 1940-05-23

tion means more than patriotism to
most politicians.
Today the labor politicians are in
control Of the Government. Their
insistence on keeping the business
and industrial leaders of the country
out of any share in the management
of the war preparations America
must make Is already raising serious
questions. 1t is reflected in the de-
cision of President Roosevelt not to
create any war industries board such
as commanded the economic ma
chine in the last war, but to let all
New Deal cabinet officers and agency
heads control exactly as they have
before the war emergency arose.
"Window Dressing" Advice.
Men of skill and experience in the
business world will be invited down
to sit in here and there alongside the
New Dealers on the dollar-a-year
plan, but the former will be mere
window dressing in the political
scene. 1t is shocking state of
affairs, but as long as there is a
free press the truth has to be told
The theory that because America
is not actually in the var, no change
in the management OF the Govern
ment's relations with business and
industry need be made will be de-
Tended by the New Dealers on the
ground that they were elected to
power in 1886. AS vigorously will the
proposition now be asserted that the
American people must decide in the
1910 election whether they want in
dustry to have any voice in the
production machine, or whether
some of the so-calleo social re-
forms" shall be relaxed.
The truth is the administrati ton
knows the Walsh Hawley Act must
be materially modified This is the
law which gives the Secretary of
Labor absolute power over wages and
working conditions IN every business
which takes Government contract.
Rather than take Government con-
tracts and accept domination, many
businesses have avoided the bidding
altogether. Any impartial inquiry
of neglect of our defenses will reveal
that procrastination in obtaining
steel for the Navy is related to the
arbitrarily interpreted provisions of
the Walsh-Hawley law. 1t was
thought that the courts would re-
move the arbitrary features, and a
Circuit Court of Appeals did so order,
but the Supreme Court in an opinion
by Justice Black ruled otherwise.
Afraid of Labor.
Likewise, the wage and hour laws
need changing so as to permit
high-speed production. But the ad-
ministration is afraid of labors
point of view. 1t is evidently not
afraid of an aroused public opinion
which believes in national defense
first and social reforms second.
The attitude of the New Dealers
here is significant because it is
manifested at the very time that
the British democracy has had to
put through it's Parliament laws
that conscript labor and capital
There is no doubt that restrictions
upon profiteering should be imposed
In the United States and that every
body must submit to governmental
dictation when war defense is being
built, but businessmen see no chance
to increase production if they sur
render to an already one-sided
Government which has less interest
in seeing the production machine
operated efficiently than it has in
the political support of pressure
groups.
Landon Fires Opening Gun.
The visit of former Gov. Alfred
Landon of Kansas, Republican
standardbearer in 1896, to the White
House and his subsequent an
nouncement that if the President
is equally interested in unselfish
service, he should publicly and
forthwith eliminate himself as a
third-term candidate" is but the
beginning of Nationwide demand
that if the President is to remain in
office, he must give business and
industry a chance to function eff
GENTLY in relation to the Govern
ments needs from military, naval
and aerial defense viewpoint.
It is most unfortunate that the
Republican party has been weak
in Congress as an opposition party.
But in the last "a hours Senator
Austin of Vermont, acting minority
leader, has proposed that in the
building of airplanes and in NUM-
tions production there be a nom