Evening star., 1944-12-15

~ ne CT6 and Frank R. Kent
AFT, It seems timely to inquire Just
what is the matter with Miss PERKINS
IT also seems worth asking whethel l.
considering the names on the Whioe
House slate, the new Secretary VIII
he much of an improvement, II any
over Miss Perkins. She Is salu Io
be tired and not anxious to continue
In office for another four years.
But before those who have harpeo
scornfully for so long on the
Madame" Perkins string rush> up Vi, o,
the roof to cheer it might be well
To consider whom sthey are going
To get in her place and exactly Wnat
they had to complain about IN her'
No serious charges have ever been
made against Secretary PERKINS, ho
speciic criticism Of a kmo calling
for reply has been offered. IL Is True
she did not make administrative Ia
bor policy either in peace or IN war
But that is hardly her fault. Mr.,
Roosevelts intimate personal ana
nolitical relations with the labor
leaders particularly OF the ClO1
made it inevitable that he Snoulo
make his own labor policy.
No Reflection on Secretary.
The Wagner Act, creating an In
dependent National Labor Relations
Board, in 1884, and, much more re-
Gently. the creation Of the war La
bor Board, have still further re-
moved labor policy from the Labor
Department. But these things
would have happened under any
other Secretary and involved no re-
Election upon Miss Perkins.
Far from being the worst Secre-
tarv of Labor We have had, gooo
argument can he made that Miss
Perkins is the best. Certainly no
one will contend that either OF her
two immediate predecessors-Wn-
liam N. Doak, or James J. Davis
tPuddler JIM, now about to retire
from the Senate-were better tnan
Miss Perkins-or even as good. NOR
did the late William B. Wilson, our
first Secretary of Labor, leave be-
hind him an enduring reputation
AS the office was created IN 1918
and. besides Miss Perkins, only three
others have held it, she can come
pretty close to substantiating claim
to having been the best.
The worst that can be said OF her
IL that she seemed always willing to
believe that in any controversy the
employer was always wrong and the
union particularly the C1O) was
always right; that she felt that
everything Mr.. Roosevelt said or did
was absolutely perfect and only the
ignorant and vicious would dissent,
and that, occasionally, she said some
silly things. SO far as the first two
of these allegations are concerned,
Miss Perkins differs not at all from
other administrationists.
If there is any other member OF
the cabinet who considers what MI.
Roosevelt says or does less than
perfect, he has kept his thoughts
completely to himself.
Others Have Creased" Labor.
If there Is any member Of the
cabinet who thinks, for example,
that union labor particularly the
CIO unions) has been less than
completely unself1sh and co-opera-
tive in the war effort, he has care
fully refrained from expressing that
view Actually, the Undersecretary
of War, Mr.. Patterson; the Secre-
tary Of the Navy, Mr.. Forrestal,
and others who know-or, anyhow,
should know-a lot better, time and
again have praised the labor lead
ers when criticism was what they
had well earned.
Despite unctuous reiteration of the
no-strike pledge, the thousands on
thousands Of strikes which slowed
down war production have been
minimized or ignored by every Gov
ernment official from the President
down.
AS to silly remarks, certainly Miss
Perkins ranks below her cabinet COL
league, Attorney General Biddle.
Nor has she been accused of inti-
mate association with the most no.
torious lobbyist in Washington
Tommy Corcoran. This is no brief
for Miss Perkins. She is not an ideal
official, by a long shot. Neverthe-
less, she is no more vulnerable than
various other highly placed officials.
Aud II11fOlp q q II ic m
parently the basic reason for the
long, sustained campaign against
her is that she is a woman.
AS her successor, the first name
on the list is that of Daniel j. Tobin
head of the International Transfers
Union. Mr.. Tobin is an old labor
hack whose general pompoSity was
well displayed in his Roosevelt sec
ondlng speech at Chicago last July.
Various unsavory charges, in great
detail, have been made against him
In print by Westbrooke Pegler. which
he has never answered, except by
abuse.
Could Do Much Worse.
The idea that in any Way he
would be an improvement on Miss
Perkins cannot seriously be enter
tanned. And if Mr. Tobin should
not be appointed, then the place is
expected to go to some labor stooge
upon whom Mr.. Green of the AFI