The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-04-11

10 Iell C1le house ApprOprl
Roosevelt disclosed his intention
to go to bat personally for relief
to Rep. Clifton Woodrum, chair
man of tine committee who chided
him for a last-minute upward re-
vision of his budget estimate.
Roosevelt pointed out that when
he submitted the estimate in Janu-
airy he had warned that it was
tentative and subject to change.
Economic conditions make an
increase necessary, he told Wood
rum, and he was prepared to as
sumo personal responsibility for
asking for it.
An economy advocate, Woodrum
would not commit himself on
whether he would go along with
the new request. But with the
President backing a $1,50O,O00 900
appropriation (the same as this
years., its chances of getting by
Congress are strengthened con-
Siderably.
NOTE-Harrington, an army en-
gineer, fought vigorously for
restoration of the $5OO,0OO,OO0 cut
and was praised by the commit
tee for the manner in which he
presented his arguments.
LABOR ACT SAFETY
The secret decision reached at
the House Republican caucus on
the drastic Smith amendments to
the National Labor Relations Act
was to play it safe.
The COP boys will take no stand
for the present. They will keep
mum until public reaction can be
gagged. Then the next step will
be decided. But whatever party
stand is decided on, the strategy
will be to let the Democrats carry
the ball in the open battling over
the amendments.
Their author, Representative
Howard Smith of Virginia, is a
Democrat. BY keeping silent and
letting the Democrats scrap over
the amendments, Republicans fig
ure that regardless of how they
vote. the proposals can be fixed
in the mind of labor as Demo-
cratic baby.
Originator of this STACEY was
Floor Leader Joe Martin, who
besides having his willy eye fixed
ON the coming elections, also is
personally cool to the Smith
amendments. Martin feels that
the Labor Act should be re-
vised, but he is against any
thing rs drastic as Smith pro-
poses.
Martins plan was approved
overwhelmingly by the caucus, but
not until Representative Clare
Hoffman, fiery Michigan anti
unionite, had been sat upon.
In a laundering speech Hoff7
man demanded that his party COL
leagues get behind a discharge
petition to bring out a bill he had
introduced several months ago.
This would completely emasculate
the Labor Act, but has been get
ting mothball treatment from the
Labor Committee. Hoffman was
hot under the collar about it.
Republicans ought to sup
port a discharge petition" he
shouted. I'm that way we can
take full credit for amending
this vicious Labor Act. If every
Republican will sign petition i
can get enough Democrats to go
along to bring out my BILL"
HOFFMAN AND THE BULL
No one interrupted Hoffman
while he spoke, but when he fin
ished, tall, gangling Representa-
tive John M. Robinson, lone Ken
lucky Republican, who had been
holding whispered consultation
with Martin, rose and drawled:
my good Michigan friend re-
minds me of a red bull we had
down in my neck of the woods
who had a great antipathy 10 rail-
road trains. Every time one passed
his pacture he would snort and
rampage all over the place. He
made a powerful lot of noise and
frightened lot of folks and got
thinking mighty high of himself.
well, one day he got to think
ing so high about himself that
he jumped the fence and ian up
the tracks in the path of an on
coming express train. He was
really going to show them how
tough he was. Well, my friends.
the bull derailed the train all
right, but you cauldn't scrape to-