Evening star., 1940-02-29

tact through
congressional appropriation. has OBJ
tanned such an influence over the
House Labor Committee as to assure
the blocking of all amendments of
any material character relating to
the labor relations law.
The special House committee
headed by Representative Howard
Smith of Virginia, is writing a report
to be filed with the House in the
next few days, but the regular House
Committee is prepared to kill it just
as desired by the Labor Board. The
independent Democrats in the House
probably will have to ask that the
House Labor Committee be dis
charged from consideration Of the
amendments-a move that means
80 days delay and the necessity of
getting a petition signed with the
required member of House members.
There are enough votes to dis
charge the House Labor Committee,
but it is sad commentary on repre-
sentative government when a gov
ernment bureau can lobby, not only
to keep its appropriations intact,
but can prevent substantive changes
In the law itself.
Roosevelt Brought Into Picture.
The Labor Board for three years
now has successfully blocked all ef-
forts to amend the Wagner Act. 1t
has obtained enough votes on the
regular congressional committees to
keep amendments from being re-
ported. This influence, however, has
been welded on the assumption that
the President wanted it done.
When Mr.. Roosevelt comes back
from his vacation, the question OF
whether he agrees with the Labor
Board and is going to accept full
responsibility for its acts as now
revealed by the special House In
vestigating Committee will have to
be answered. There is some rea-
son to believe that the President is
far more in agreement with w. M.
Leiserson of the Labor Board than
with Chairman Madden as to what
should be done about the future Of
the board and the law.
It may be that the administration
will decide to stand pat and sup
port the already discredited Labor
Board. This would, of course, mere
ly hand a political issue to the Re-
publicans in the coming campaign
and win for them large part Of
the American Federation of Labor
vote, which, when it comes to &C
tive influence at the polls, is still
the major factor in American labor
politics.
Stand Like Stone Wall.
The stubbornness of the Labor
Board members with respect to
amending the existing law Is largely
responsible for the widespread re-
sentiment that has been developed
against both the law and the board.
Chairman Madden and his asso-
ciates believe in the technique of
not giving way at all to the opposi-
ton, and it must be said in fairness
to those who are on his side that
they have the fundamental con-
ception that they are part and par
eel of a revolution that started in
1888 and put the New Dealers be-
yond any responsibility, either by
law or precedent, for the accustomed
rules of fairness in administrative
tribunals.
The Labor Board members are no
exception to the prevailing New
Deal view that all power must be
concentrated in governmental boards
which shall be judge, jury and pros
ecutor. 1t is to be able to hold on to
this autocratic power that the Labor
Board is fighting, and its belief is
that in such a crusade any methods
are justified-even the violation of
Federal statutes.
In a sense these Labor Board
members have nothing to fear, be-
cause the Justice Department is
headed by a man who refuses to
prosecute New Dealers. The only
persons nowadays indicted in labor
matters are opponents of the ad-
ministration, including certain lead
ers of the American Federation of
Labor on technical charges.
Department Ignores Evidence.
Representative Smith formally has
turned over to the Attorney General
plain evidence of the violation of
Federal statutes by Labor Board
members and employees, and has
pointedlv asked for action by the