The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-08-19
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS
RECONvERSION AND
THE WORKERS
By HORACE A. WHITE

RECONVERSION AND
THE WORKERS
Last week In Congress- Q very hot
debate was carried on over the
Murray.kilGore Bill. This bill car
ried with II certain reconversion
features. but the thing that oc-
casioned the hot debate WAS the
Unemployment Insurance features.
I II provided . liberal allowance for
war workers who would be thrown
out Of work after the war. In fact,
II was possible under this bill for
a man and bis family 70 receive -
high ~ $50 . week. The bill pro-
vided an average of $500 . year for
American unemployed workers. II
was too much 10 hope that such
a liberal bill would ever Get past
the Senate. Il did not. The liberal
forces and the labor unions Of the
country were behind the bill and
tried very hard 10 get II passed In
its entirety, but II not In its en-
tirety, they certainly wanted to re-
tain the liberal unemployment In
surance features.
Another bill has been introduced
embodying some of the same fea-
lures that the Murray-Kilgore bill
embodied. The new bill Is very
much weaker and has few meaning
employment insurance. The one
thing that the new bill does do as
4 fights TO displace the Murray
Kilgore bill is to bring into focus
again the old states rights fight.
Senator George OF Georgia is press
ing this new meaningless bill. What
little protection II does offer In the
matter Of unemployment is that IT.
puts the major responsibility Of this
protection in the hands OF the states.
The Murray.Klgore bill would set
up a national body with uniform
standards and discrimination toward
none, with the controls for the ad-
ministration Of the bill in the hands
OF the Federal Government This
bill brought forth more breast beat
ing and snorting in Congress than
| has been heard there in long,
long time. The boys who were
opposed 10 the Murray-KilgOre bill
said that 1 was no time for US to
be concerned about protecting the
defense worker. but rather Ii was
the business Of the Congress to pro-
tect the returning soldier. This was
all well and good. Certainly the
returning soldier must be given
every right to start life anew under
the most favorable circumstances.
On the other hand, II this program
for the soldier l. to be worked out
I his behalf realistically. the home
front war workers would have to
be guaranteed = certain minimum
of security. II the home front war
! workers who are greatly In the
majority have to compete with the
soldier as q civilian rather than as
an American, then there can be no
guarantee Of anything like = decent
opportunity for the returning SOL
der The boys In Congress did their
"damnest" TO have the American
public to believe that the tears
they were shedding over the return
ing soldier were something more
than crocodile tears.
The people on the home front
know that unless the breast beating
in Congress is for all the people
and their security, anything else is
merely pitting one group against an
other in order to give both groups
q kick in the pants"
The biggest job before the leaders
Of workers In this country for the
coming year II TO develop = process
by which the workers can make
their likes and dislikes known to
their political representatives. After
the process has been developed, the
heads Of workers organizations
must be very diligent in teaching
the workers to use the process.
This. OF course, Is q hard Job but IL
must be done II we are to save
democracy from its fascist lovers
American pattern. II one were to
read carefully these days periodicals
and magazines. he would discover
| that there is a kind of conserva-
! tism about economic matters sweep
| ing the country at this time. There
are just enough liberal words
sprinkled through this conservative
! thinking TO beguile and mislead the
average American. This conserva-
tive thinking, which in essence Is,
az is .eep government out OF eco
nomic planning and social security
| for the people. but let us say long
and loud that everybody must have
a job" The people who are doing
this sort Of thinking have methods
in their madness. They know that
| there is no way to have a stable
economy and social security for the
great masses of the people without
some uniform national planning.
The only place you can look 10 and |
have a right TO look to for such
planning is the national government.