Detroit evening times., 1945-03-17
BEHIND
THE NEWS
By Paul
Mallon

Mr.. Roosevelt ; rebuff ny
Congress on the drsft-for-work
bill growing complete and
overwhelming.
Only one New Deal senator
Just one 80 supported him
CMaybank of South Cardinal
on the crucial test vote, unless
YOU count leader Barkley, whose
job requires him TO lead in
whatever direction pointed.
Such ardent Rooseveltian
supporters as Guffey and Pepper
ran to the mild voluntary man.
power substitute which every
one agrees is not much as a
manpOWcr plan
Around the Senate, il has been
said Guffey, Pepper ct al. pre-
ferrcd the C.IO to the
President Whom the showdown
came. although this observation
contains some political over
SllllpllllOd liOIl
Even the House eased down
in the vote Wednesday TO an
-eNteRt--R7akihg atitte apparent
the futility on the Presidents
stand for compulsory draft of
workers.
How did it happen to stand
with him in the first place and
pass the stronger May-Bailey
-bttt7 Wen, the bin was pro-
NOTED by the House military
affairs committee which will do
whatever the army wants, or
dinarily.
1T WAS rammed through the
Il House because our army was
not vet out of the hole caused
by the German break-through,
and Speaker =Rayburn made
support of the war department
in this matter an iSSue of emo
tional prestige for the President
who was then absent abroad
Even then Rayhurn had only
A I0-man margin for compulslon
against one of the substitute
plans.
1t is quite clear now that the
House is Gazing IN and IN any
event Mr.. Roosevelt cannot get
a labor draft in any form;
furthermore, he must take APP
-praXimatelT the weak Senate
plan or nothing.
To attribute his defeat 10
the CIO, however Is ridiculous.
believe the primary cause was
this
The army admittedly made a
n stake when it expected the
end of the war last year and
began rctrenching on produc-
ton.
In diSmay it went 10 the OPP
posite extreme and since then
has been working on the Of
ficially announced basis that
the war will never be over, and
is constantly expanding its de-
mands Crecently steel, alumni
mum, zinc, etc).
At least they are following
this policy in general, although
l hear some private talk of in
dlvidual and secret cutbaCkS be-
ginning in certain lines, which
they do not want made public.
DUT the average congressman
ID is convinced the war in
Europe should he over between
April - and June 80 Man.
power MCNutt dutltully teStl-
fed for the boss lthe President
has done all he could 10 win
this fight for the army and him.
self that there would he no re-
trenChment on We Day, but
every one expects 1t must come
the day after, in a great many
lines at least
Furthermore. the President
army, McNutt and others failed
10 make out a case Of national
crisis on labor, warranting such
a drastic departure from demo-
cratic processes.
There are supposed to he
some 67OO0,00O people working
now. No Official ever claimed
the shortage was more than
10000 TO 100000 workers.
And there were many answers
offered 10 those figures The
shortages were IN SubStandard
wage industries. in certain locall-
ties. in special industries
Probably a greater deterrent
10 war production was the union
and money conditions. Unions
fixed quotas IN many WarplantS,
limiting production. w or kers
who could make big money. all
they could spend, working four
or five days a week, Just would
not work longer.
THE Mead committee got this
Il evidence out Of its Detroit
investigation, If any evidence or
such an obvious general condi-
ton was needed. Yet we are
supplying the world.
think a fair. objective ver-
dict on the months of debate
and conflicting evidence would
hold that the manpower short
age was limited and that the
condition did not come anywhere
near iustiiying a draft
Not even the prestige and un-
paralleled power Of the Presi-
dent could overcome these facts
and they could not he entirely
ohlterated by the official great
administration publicity CAM
palEn.