The voice of labor. (Cumberland, Md.) 1938-1942, 1942-02-12
Why Don't
They Pick On
|TheirOWnSize
by HENRY ZON
Federated Press

BY HENRY ZON
Federated Press
WASHINGTON - Every 80 oftcl
the new spapcrs Of the country dis
playa wide yellow streak down IN
middle Of thci- backs. Editors seer
to have a throw back 10 the ROmal
days when tossing individuals TO III
lions was considered highly anus
ing.
The mos recent instance OF TIL
was the campaign conducted b
newspapers against tho Office o
Civilian Defense. With their self
sewn cloaEs OF public virtue wrap
ped securely around them. the cdi
tors sent Their reporters into battle
4 dancer BY the name OF Mayrii
CLANCY and an actor By the nam
Of MELVIN Douglas were thc sup
posed objcc,ivcs The howl wa.
raised that the dancer wa gctiini
$1,000 wear while Douglas was va
supposed 10 be getting $4,000 a year
The fac, that Douglas was actual,
Working without compensation" va
only discovered later
CLANCY thc dancer. mmcdialcl!
became fan dancer III tho news,
paper columns though there va.
nothing to inrica:c that she eve
used tan for anything cxrcp, Il
cool herself with
Office humLriSiS were given III,
Job OF calling the OCD and tryins
TO find out what. cxactly tho dance
CLANCY did for civilian defense. I'll,
fact that She had something 10 de
with entertainment provoked sl'
!nnGcrdocs IL 'ypc.
Tho house played willing rol,
m promoting tho Roman holida,
and Rep. Martin Dies 'D-Tcx. >
something Of an expert OF the Ro.
man holiday question. pitched II
with all his talent.
u was discovered that num-
ber Of employees Of the OCD
had been opposed TO the con-
tinuancc Of the Dies committee.
Some others in the OCD had
supported the cause Of the span
ish government against the
wishes of Martin Dies and the
unlameDted Neville Chamber
lain. That proved they were
dirty Reds.
HumoriStS ~ III" house toos ug
the cudgc!s Rep Leland M Fore
'R-Cali. who's reelection haC
been opposed b. Douglas and Other
screen actors. whetted his tomahawl
to a Aac edge ana came il swing
ing ono member shouted that no.
body could get a JOB IN OCD unlcs.
they were on TIE Dies blacklist
Another gent shouted that Doug
las war getting $4,000 a ycar--whicf
he iSut--which Is as much as Gen.
cral Macarthur gets while Chanc!
was getting more than Capl. colii
Kelly He shut down when 1t wa.
rudely pointed o3t that he va.
getting $1,000 a year compared With
MacAr,hur's $4,000
II mas be that Cnaney and Doug.
las aren't worth their salaries. Il
may be they are worth considerably
more The point isn't important.
NO newspaper editor sailed
forth 80 boldly against dolla-
a-ycar men when those gentle
men were anonymously criti-
cized BY the special senate COM
mittee investigating the national
defense program
No Office W'SccrackcrS were as,
signed 10 go around the oPM anr
find out lust what dollar-a-year mer
cid TO earn their salaries or Tha
incorporation executives vho wer,
on the payroll were doing.
Reports that men in the metal
section OF the OPM were callinl
the Bureau OF Mines to find on
where brass mines are-blISsfull,
ignorant, apparently. OF the fac
that brass is mixture OF cope
and zinc-were passed over in tn
oblivion ofthe obituaries.
Dancer CLANCY and Actor Doug
las have no means OF kicking back
at least kicking back so II hurts
Dollar-a-year men have Somethinl
to do with advertising budgets ant
chambers Of commerce and board
OF trade
Dancers and actors arc fai
game. When they're down they'rl
to be kicked When the advertising
budgets Of the movie industry arr
behind them they're to be treatet
with kid gloves.
Somehow It's only the little gu!
who gets kicked around in news
papers. There are not many featur,
stories about the captain OF indus
try-except those that show how
he rose to where he is by being kinC
to his mother and brushing hi
teeth twice a day.
Some day the little guy Is
going 20 get wise. He's going 10
realize that he's the guy that
buys the paper and he's the guy
that buys the products that are
advertised In tab paper.
Why don't the editors pick or
somebody their own size2