The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-03-17

ulE 81 lNASASA ID " PSAioAANS WI n
ers who are anything but sab
oteurs, but simply are insisting
upon a proper observance Of their
legitimate rights, or who, perhaps,
make honest, wholly unintentional
mistakes on their various jobs.
Presidents William Green of the
American Federation Of Labor and
Philip Murray Of the Committee
for Industrial Organization both
have said so.
What Director Betters OF the
mayors conference takes excep-
ton to Is the statement that his
organization had a hand in con-
cocting the scheme. It's a state
ment which was made by delegates
at the A. F. of LIS recent conven-
ton in Miami. l don't know that
President Green made 1t. Indeed,
according to Director Betters,
Green must be quite aware that 1t
did the mayors an injustice. How
ever, some Of his fellow-laborites
certainly blamed them, for the
story was carried out of Miami by
a press service or two and ap-
peared in newspapers all over the
country.
To- Director Betters wants II cor
rected.
The mayors, he explains, not
only didn't sponsor the proposed
law; they weren't even consulted
concerning it.
Not Federal Law
The things authors, by the way,
haven't urged 1t as federal stat
ute. They asked for it, instead, as
an enactment by the various
states, and their draft was sup
posed to be a model for the state
legislatures to initiate.
Accepting, for the sake Of argu-
ment, the laborites' contention that
the model if followed, would lend
itself to abuse by anti-lahor inter-
ests, it's fair to remark that IT die
seem like a curious proposition fol
the Conference of Mayors to have
Matched out, for Mayor Fiorellc
LaGuardia Of New York Is presi-
dent of that conference, and he's
about the last public man in the
United States that I'd ever have
suspected of putting his o. K. or
an anti-labor suggestion.
|. In fact, 1 had occasion to say sc
IN an earlier article on the subject
He's been a Republican, but very
liberal one He's sat in congress
as a Socialist. He was last elected
mayor Of New York on the Ameri-
can Labor Party ticket. With that
kind Of record, you'd hardly have
expected him to indorse a scheme
that possibly would work out to
the workingman's disadvantage.
So when the news. first came out
from Miami that the proposed
anti-sabotage law was rated as
dangerous to labor and that the
mayors, led by LaGuardia, were
severely criticized for favoring it,
my initial reaction was that the
outlined model couldn't be as bad
as the A. f. Of l. seemed to think
1t was.
My impression was that, had the
other mayors approved the thing
over Fiorello's head, and II was as
pernicious as represented. he'd
have quit his presidency rather
than acquiesce in their verdict
Betters' Denial
But Director Betters' denial OF
the Miami story puts decidedly
reverse English upon such a con-
clusion.
From his version, II appears that
the mayors must be strongly anti
the so-called model. He doesn't
specifically say that they're anti
maybe some Of en- are not, but
he does make II clear that, as at
least a majority. they resent hav-
Ing their conferences name asso-
ciated with its sponsorship.
II it would be a safe law, why
should they be so perturbed about
II?
So now l have my suspicious
that perhaps they think 1t WOULD
be dangerous.
My own notion Is that LaGuar-
dia is the bulk Of that mayoralty
OUTFIT
He was a big shot in congress