The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-02-25
John |. Lewis Leading
Anti-Wdge Ceiling Fight
Man Who Came Back Is Responsible for
Battle Against Little Steel Formula
OF Increases.
By BAUKHAGE
Netps Analysf and Commentator.

tdlneu promise from Chairman
May of the Military Affairs commit
tee for immediate hearings on his
amendment to the Selective Service
act and the block McNutt" move
was soon heavily under way.
As you know, Representative Kill
days bill is aimed to make depend
ency the basic cause of deferment
while McNutt's move was to estab-
lish participation in the war effort
in field, factory or the armed forces
as the principle governing the order
of induction.
McNutt's order set the boys in the
non-essential businesses hammering
at the doors of the United States
Employment Offices all over the
country and CONSERVATION and con-
fusion reigned
Then up spoke Mr.. Kilday. The
attitude of those favoring the meas
ure to draft the single men first, ev-
erywhere, before the married men
and the others with dependents go,
is this. They say they do not want
the Selective Service act made a
weapon to force men into essential
Jobs. They claim the act was never
so intended.
Legislation, they say, must be
passed after careful study which will
| lay down manpower program;
military service is an honor as well
as duty. II must not be used as
| threat.
kilday's Views
/ | talked with Representative Kill
day before the hearings began.
| He was optimistic over quick COM
mittee acceptance of his bill though
he said he didn't want to hurry the
hearings and he realized all sorts Of
opposition might develop. He point
ed out that his measure would not
alter the present deferments, that 1t
doesn't mean, as some seemed to
/ think. that single men, now deferred
under the present deferment rules,
will be yanked out of their jobs and
thrown into the army. Opponents
say, however. In some cases, this
will be the actual effect.
/ Whatever the effects on agricul-
ture and industry may be il the bill
passes, it will sink the present Man
power commission program without
trace and with all hands on board.
| There is plenty of public appeal in
! the Kilday measure-the argument
that 1t is more important to keep the
family together than to fill quotas
for industry or the army and the
navy, the argument that there is no
authority in the Selective Service act
to do what the Manpower commits
sion order is aimed to achieve,
namely, to state what job a man Is
to hold. And that side of the argu-
ment has particular appeal in a con-
gress exceedingly jealous OF its pre-
negatives, sworn to prevent usurpa-
tion of its powers by the admins
trative branch.
A Prediction
| Last week, reported the predic-
tion by keen observer Of this whole
problem to the effect that one more
desperate measure would be at
tempted by the Manpower commits
sion before it would be forced to step
aside for some other agency. McNuti
acted, and within "a hours OF that
i prediction, the military affairs com
mittee announced hearings on the
Kilday bill, looks very much like q
bird of i'll omen echoing the second
part of the dire prediction-the END
of the ManpoWer commission as ar
agency with any power Of initiative
left. To many high army officials
there Is grim satisfaction in what is
happening. Long ago, it was init
mated that sooner or later the mill
tary would have to take over the
whip hand and settle the manpoWel
question in its own way. Some mill
tary men would be quite happy Il
have the Kilday measure pass
sweep everyone draftable into the
armed forces and then do its own re
ALLEGATION, screening out the mer
necessary to industry and agricul
ture and furlough them back as mill
tary needs, first, and the industry $
second, demanded.
One can imagine, however, how
union labor would like to see KHAKI
and navy blue manning the stamp
ing machines and the lathes beside
the workingmen in civvies. Labor.
objection to the bill was expected
from the first.
And so we have a four-way clash
Legislators. Manpower commission
Military, Labor.
Once more. a labor draft looms
as the headlines say.