The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-03

That reason, he told the Ar- kansas congressional delegation next morning, was the fact that his son, Franklin, had telephoned him from Iceland just before he made his speech,
 Franklin told me that the boys on his ship were very much con- cerned about the coal strike called by John l.. Lewis,' the President informed the Arkansas congress- men.
 "He said: Pop, there's not . man on my ship who isn't 100 per cent behind you in opening up the coal mines. They all want
 you Co go after John l.. Lewis because they're ready to give
 their lives for their country, if receSsary, and they believe that
 the folks back home should do their part by keeping defense
 production going at top speed.
 And that goes for me, too, Pop"
 The Presidents voice showed that he had been moved by hb sons phone call and Represen- tative E. c. ("Took"l Gathings, also deeply moved, replied; You tell young Franklin and those other fine young Americans with him that Congress won't let them down. And we won't permit Lewis or anyone else to let them down, Mir. President"
 Thanks. Took" the President replied. "Lewiss position is in- defenSible. He can make all the h-flown speeches he wants to about Wall Street, but he can't deny that he, John L, Lewis, is obstructing the defense program by closing those mines"
 "UnfOrtunately, there isn't much that I, as President, can do about it if Lewis refuses to cooperate. There was no diff culty in taking over the strike closed Kearny shipyard and in sending the Army to keep Or- der in that West Coast airplane plant"
 'In both cases the majority of
 the employees wanted to work.
 But Lewis wields such control over union miners that the only
 way we can deal effectively with
 this coal strike, and prevent
 similar strikes in the future, is
 through legislation"
 CAPITAL CHAFF
 Ex-Democratic National Secre- tary Chip Robert flew to Wash ington from Florida last week with a patch over one eye and small printed card which he handed to friends. q was helping an old crippled lady off the air. plane at Jacksonville" the card read, when her crutch slipped and hit me in the eye. If you don't believe this, ask Evie; she doesn't either" Evie is Mrs. Rob- ert .. Justice Department offi- cials are bemoaning the coming retirement of Judge Charles Cav anah of Idaho, close friend of the late Senator Borah, ard one of the great judicial figures of the Rockies. .. William D. Up- shaw, for years the rip-snorting prohibitionist Congressman from Georgia and one-time Dry can- didate for President, is now pack ing them in at revival meetings in northern Indiana. Elmer Wheel CT. of Dallas, Texas, has organized the 'Wheelers of. the WorId," which has for its motto, We're Ashamed of BurtOnn K." The club is collecting dimes to buy a bomb- CT for Britain. In submitting a formal application to the EGG for a new radio station, an ap- plicant listed among his assets, ''I00 barrels of three year old whiskey."
 U. s. AND IRAN RAILROAD
 There's a long secret story be- hind the final decision to send U. s. railroad experts to repair the railroad through Iran to the Caucasus--a story which reflects no credit upon the way war strat- egy is being handled.
 For a long time 1t has been planned to send U. S. supplies from Basra, at the head of the Gulf Of Persia, by rail through