The CIO news. (Cumberland, Md.) 1942-????, 1943-06-07
LOOKING AHEAD
By Len De Caux

where did this beard come from? Must be that
fellow in the White House. I warned 'em grass
would grow in the streets But didn't know it'd
grow my chin"
He rubbed his eyes at the sight of so many uni
forms, as he hurried through the streets.
Regeneration, that's what it is" he murmured.
why, he's even putting the people in uniforms!"
But Rep. Van Wrinkle felt at home again when
he got to Congress- He launched at once into one
OF his favorite speeches.
1t was full of well-seasoned cracks about "New
Deal professors" "crackpot bureaucrats" and "com-
munistc policies" He felt he rose to new heights
as he denounced social reforms" governmental
subsidies and "toadyng to labor"
1t worried him little that someone laughed
when he referred to this year Of 1888" He heard
a stage whisper: THAT guy must have been asleep
ten years. He doesn't know there's war on and
thinks this is 1888"
But he recovered his composure as one Congress
man after another after him to talk very much
like he had. "If I've been asleep, I'm not the only
one" Rep. Van Wrinkle comforted himself.
To wake up some Of the Rep. Van Wrinkles to
the realities of 1943 let's read them some findings
OF recent Fortune magazine survey of public opin-
ion.
toned think Pres. Roosevelt is doing good" Job
of running the war; and that even in his domestic
policies, Sc per cent think he is doing good" job
81 per cent rate 1t fair and only II per cent think
1t poor"
But what the people think of Congress is quite
different story. Only 1850 think Congress Is
doing good" job of helping to win the war: 5o%
call 1t fair" and 17% say Congress is doing a
poor" job
Yet many Congressman asleep to the real
issues OF America at war that they interpret the
absentee" elections of 1912 (when millions of
progressive voters were kept from the polls by
armed service or war work. as mandate to revive
the anti-New Deal slogans of ten years ago.
They picture themselves as champions of busi-
ness, resisting all social reforms" that benefit the
masses of the people bureaucratic encroach-
ments.'
They don't seem to realize that such 1888 be-
havior in this year of 1913 makes them stooges
OF profteers obstructing measures essential for
victory
Consider Congressional reactions to imitation
control. This Is an obvious war essential that calls
Tor widest extension of raoning, for ronclad price
ceilings, for rolling back runaway prices and for
government subsidies, wherever necessary to roll
them back.
But no sooner did OPA start its work than every
stray price profteer began caterwaung into sympa-
thetic Congressional ears, and OPA was denied ade-
quate funds. Leon Henderson was sacrificed, and
Prentiss Brown put in his place.
Brown brought In Lou Maxon, the profteers'
friend, and began appeasing. Grade labelling was
thrown out the window, the police whistle" was
discarded, and prices shot up here there and every.
where.
Labor and consumers raised such a fuss that
nay Roosevelt stepped in to call for real price con-
troll and subsidies to roll back prices. And the first
timid steps were taken in this direction.
X
But this enraged the profiteers and their Con-
sressional echoes. They have demanded and re-
,eived the scalp of j. X. Galbraith, Maxon's chief
oPA opponent They are fighting desperately against
subsidies. And some haf-dozen Congressional com.