The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-11-28
The Cherry Tree
Where We Hutchet Out
The Truth
0 JOHNSTON AND LEWIS
@ A GREAT TEAM
O "CRACK DOWN HIGH"
. AND GREAT JOHN L.

/
In this calmer atmosphere of three
weeks after the event." there is one
teeney weeney thing that seems to
need writing about somewherc-and
it might as well be here.
Those who didn't turn their radio
dials to shut him out will remember
the caterwaulings of one Gen. Hugh
S. Johnson, as he trundled out his
line of horrendous warnings, rather
pitiful relic Of the spector that was
Hugh Johnson in the days of NRA.
Still trading on the headlines he
got during that hectic period, Hugh
Johnson did his stint of high priest
ing for whomsoever would listen to
hear him through.
Well, it wasn't easy to listen to
Hugh Johnson for a full session, but
for the sake of knowing just what
kind of show he could put on, it has
to be done-a chore for the benefit
of subsequent elucidation.
Johnson had two main strings to
his rather squeaky fiddle. One was
that we were headed hell bent and
ne got away with those two words on
the air) for dictatorship and war; the
other that John L. Lewis was a great
and good man.
Labor men who think that John L.
Lewis is something several grades be-
low sainthood will not soon forget the
aura of nobility which Hugh Johnson
sought to cast about the head of John
l.. Lewis.
1t was almost Johnson's opinion, in
those radio diatribes, that Hugh John
son and John l.. Lewis were response
BILE for all that was done under and
by NRA. By folly they were the hard
riding twins in them thar days-if you
listened to Johnson.
johnson put the millions to work
and Lewis put them into unions. Of
course there was nobody else around
in those days-just nobody that mat
tered.
It's easy to lay on the halos in re-
trospect-easy to build up the Cae-
sars.
So, let's have a look at the record.
x X x
What sort of man was this cackling
Johnson in those days when NRA and
the Blue Eagle swept down upon the
country to give it lift?
Well, he was just about the most
absolute autocrat that ever had a
chance to WELD great power. r..e
That he ganged up and played with
John l.. Lewis doesn't have t o be
proved; the general admits it.
But he doesn't drag out his own
dictatorship record. He's too wise for
that.
However, hundreds of labor men
will remember the "crack down" or
ders of that day-from which there
was NO APPEAL. You dared at
your peril.
"Crack down" became famous in
the headlines. Good old "Crack down
Hugh"
And thousands of labor men will
remember the petty despots that were
brought in by him and given power.
Kids fresh froc college welded power
over whole industries. Youngsters
fixed wages and hours under NRA
md you were just about run out of
the place for dare to protest.
Deputies tied to big industries were
given jobs where power was used as
ruthlessly as ever it was used by any
old Roman pro-consul. | could name
some Of them-and so could William
Green and so could the chiefs of a
score of international unions.
Nor was that all. This hero Of the
radio and Of the columns went so far
as to issue edicts saying who could
and who couldn't appear as spokes-
men for unions. Their freedom Of
choice was subject to approval by the
great viceroy.
Perhaps, having fallen from that
pinnacle of power Gen. Hugh S. john
son finds it difficult to resume the
role of common man. Perhaps that
is why he sputters like fizzled and
worn out volcano, pitifully pontifical,
trying hard to spout like the iron
pants general Of those years-per-
haps something like bullet Hopping
weakly out of a muzzle, with not
enough powder in the breech
But the general must keep in char
acter-the boss who tells 'em. Well,
at least he ought to know about die
tators. He was one. But there are
50 many other things that he has for