The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-03-12

LaGuardia May
be Assigned TO
Tough Post
BY Charles p. Stewart

o OUaIiNu - 1ACeaNh
The recommendation by New
York's Mayor Fiorello II. LaGusr-
dia of the death penalty for meat
black marketing may land La
Guardia in a federal administra-
tive post, il is reported in Wash
ington.
Vigorous personalities are rec
Ognized as essential to adequate
handling OF today's national war
situations and one such PERSONAL
~ Manhattan's Little Flower
certainly is possessed OF, il any
body is. There is talk TO the et-
feet that he is largely wasted in
dealing with such little municipal
problems as those OF burg like
Gotham.
Then along came his testimony
as a witness before a committee
investigating black market condi-
tons. The. certainly are a local
sanitary issue in a Congested spot
OF Manhattan's proportions.
II they involve a diseased meat
dissemination OF disease and
death. Fiorello is very properly
deeply concerned with them.
His death-sentenCe suggestion
though. struck the Investigating
committee with something OF a
Jolt. Licensing OF dealers, with
license revocations and fined or
prison terms for violations, have
been urged. But the firing squad?
II took Fiorello to think that up.
Yet the shock was not an unfay-
orable one for Manhattan Isle
mayor.
II marked him as an individual
who has pep" and initiative.
Then along came Gov. Thomas
p. Dewey of the Empire State,
with his signature on bill pro-
yiding for its premier city, in the
event OF its current mayors sban-
Comment OF civil duty for military
service. That particular transfer
nation will not occur, OF course;
Fiorello is too valuable on the
home front to be spared for duty
anywhere else.
Nevertheless, LaGuardia OBJ
Yiously is being speculated upon.
There are plenty of differences
OF opinion in official Washington.
Director Leon Henderson of the
Once OF Price Administration had
them with rival set-ups. He was
pretty hard-boiled. too. but the
opposition got his goat and he had
TO retire. Fiorello is hsrder-boil-
ed than that.
I have mentioned the once OF
Price Administration from which
Leon Henderson was crowded out
as director. OPA's new manage
ment is wobbly, too.
LaGuardia should be able TO
boss It, in opposition TO anybody.
Opposition by other bureaus is
what Queered Leon.
The OPA has been accused OF
bungling. Leon may have made
mistakes, but he did not bungle.
His trouble was that he was in
terferred with. Fiorello is not the
kind of individual who'd tolerate
interference. Not for a minute.
Meat regulations has been one
OF our chief complications lately.
General Counsel William LaRoe
OF the Independent Packers AS
ISOLATION, notably has blamed
OPA (our meat regulators) for 1t.
Whether or not he is right may
be questionable. but Leon Hender-
son was not able TO settle the
matter. Fiorello LaGuardia is
tough enuogh to terminate it. His
motto is. Don't merely watch the
situation; SETTLE it,"
A metropolitan New Yorker, La
Guardia is pro-labor and pro-agri-
culture. He is in line with big
business and industry, within rem
son. He il with their workers
and with the farmers. He really
is a remarkable all-around econo-
mist knew that guy when he
was in congress. He truly is an
sllaround public servant.
He will never be president. be-
cause he's too recently OF 'old
country" ancestry. BY parentage
he is Italian.
But II there was an ideal man
for the present situation-he Is
LaGuardia.