The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-10-31
NOTHING ELSE TO DO
BY ]. e. Jones


The big question before Congress at
the present time calls for repeal OF
a provision in the Neutrality law
about arming merchant vessels. The
law states that whenever there Is
war, anywhere, sit shall thereafter
be unlawful . for any American
vessel engaged in commerce with
any foreign state to be armed.
In the first World War Secretary
of State William Jennings Bryan
took determined stand against
Americans engaging passage on
ships that would go into the Euro
pean war zone. He also opposed the
arming of American ships carrying
commerce between the United States
and England and France. When the
present war broke out the Bryan
philosophy was approved by the
American government. The sinking
of the Lusitania and other ships in
fluenced Congress when 1t passed
the present Neutrality Act.
Our Neutrality Act is not based
on International law. 1t is a state
ment of the policy of the United
States, and under the operation of
our Neutrality law American ships
are already defying Hitler by going
into waters that he has mapped for
his war zone. The United States has
also challenged Japan by navigating
our ships in war zones prohibited
by that nation.
Inasmuch as the neutral policy of
the United States is so un-neutral
that we do nearly everything Ger
many tells us not to do, the step to
arm American vessels is a natural
suggestion. 1t has been recommend
ed by the President. The proposition
will be approved by Congress be-
cause the Robin Moor and other
boats have been targets for German
submarines.
Elsewhere in this correspondence
we have stated that the Senate is
''all set for bitter fight against
making any changes in the present
Neutrality Act, and that is a true
statement Nevertheless, Congress
has very definitely decided that
there's nothing else to do.
Protecting The Defense Worker
Nowhere else in the American
economy is there threatened SO great
a dislocation of employment, due to
the curtailment of non-defense pro-
duction, as in the automobile indus
try, where the assembly lines now
are required to turn out fewer and
fewer motor-cars and, instead, are
grinding out more and more items
for defense. This change over takes
time and means loss of jobs temper
arily. 1t means permanent unemploy-
ment unless the defense work equals
the volume of normal production in
the motor plants.
knowing the Importance of, and
the difficulties in, this current labor
problem, it is most gratifying to
hear from c. e. Wilson, President
of General Motors, that his company,
the leader of the automobile indus
try, has adopted these four princip-
les for working with the Office of
Production Management and labor
representatives on an Interpretation
of the OPM policies regarding de-
tense employment and transfer of
employees to defense work:
1. That everything must be done
to expedite the defense program.
2. That the Importance of en-
ploye morale must be recognized
and everything possible done for the
employees now working in our plants,
so that they would know they had
been given every consideration and
had been treated with the utmost
fairness.
8. That it was important to reduce
to a minimum migration of workers
between plants and communities.
A. That the Interpretation of the
policies should be simple and readily
understood, and not disturb any
existing satisfactory procedures.
While the agreed upon interpreta-
tions of the OPM policies as out
lined by General Motors is neces-
sarily technical, due to a sincere eff
fort to cover the many eventualities
involved, there are two outstanding
provisions that set the tenor of the
formula:
One is that a General Motors nom
defense employee who obtains en-
ployment in any defense plant main |
tains his g. M. seniority so long as
he remains in defense work. The
other provides that preference for
in newly created de-
tense jobs will 60 to workers who
previously have been employed In |
plants In the same COM
munity. Thus, migration of workers
will be minimized.
Yes, defense does come flrst with