Detroit evening times., 1945-11-15
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
Peoler
DREsIDENT TRUMAN's COM

his unemployment compensation
plan is reminiscent of the
Roosevelt demagogery which
abused all d issenters and
appealed to ignorance, avarice
and the mob spirit.
Here is a proposal which
would repudiate the basic prin-
ciple of unemployment compen-
sation and substitute a dole.
Unemployment compensation
at stated legal rates is not a
favor from a generous state TO
subjects whose political grati-
tude the ruling party desires TO
exploit at the polls.
1t is legal right of the indi.
vidual clients.
Mr.. Truman's proposal is not
legal but emotional and is based
on desire rather than right.
The president offered this
plan while the war with Japan
was still in progress,
The hidden purpose was TO
persuade large num bers of
transient war workers then en-
ployed in shipyards and aircraft
factories on the Pacific Coast
10 stick TO their jobs and not
drift away.
After VI day, the plan still
was pushed, however. the pleas
now being that these workers
would have hard going during
conversion.
This flouts the propaganda OF
the Roosevelt government, and
particularly OF the Treasury
during the war production
years, which held that the
maintenance Of time and one
half and double time pay. un-
der conditions of labor short
age. Was justified because the
workers would invest their sur
plus in bonds and use some Of
the money 10 supplement their
legitimate unemployment COM
penSaton during conversion.
This was one cause of the
present initiation. These rates
had been established during a
time Of labor surplus and un-
employment. oStenSlblv as
mere expedient 10 discourage
employers from operating IN
overtime periods and 10 spread
the work.
Actually, Of course there was
no intention ever that they
should be revoked
One political effect OF this
maintenance Of this overtime
rate was that Roosevelts
henchmcn in the unions were
enabled 10 boast 10 the workers
that they had wrought great
benefits for them.
Actually they had nothing 10
do with il.
Roosevelt did II all. and the
unions levied veritahle income
taxes on these high wages and
used much OF the money 10
elect him the fourth time.
MR.. TRUMAN is right Of
vi course. 10 the extent that
living costs. the housing short
age and the income tax IN
many areas ~ work LETT the
workers with little If any more
than A living wage
a II need was 20 be the basis ol
qualification for his dole, and
Il vnnAGFfyn moro
need as such a basis, then pro-
vision should have been made
10 Judge each case apart arbl-
trarily on the basis of need.
a family unit Of three, each
of whom had been earning an
average Of say $50 week and
lived together with reasonable
economy would have come t'
VI Day well hceled, -
Another worker, the sole
Garner. with a wife and three
dependent children 4n another
section of the country. also
earning $50 a week, would have
wound up broke and threadbare.
Mr.. TrumanS proposal, how
ever. would have regarded these
two cases as equally needy, and
moreover would have cXaGger-
ated the disparity by granting
the prosperous unit first cited
SIS week and the other only
S25.
DUT that is not all there is
ID 10 the case against Mr..
Truman's dole. An employer
with a $40 a week job avail
able for half-Skllled youth,
previously employed IN war
industry, would find that he
was actually offering only SID
a week. the margin above The
Truman dole
One employer who did have
such a Job in state with high
unemployment rates was un-
able TO fiji il for this reason.
frankly stated.
The available candidates we're
hardly IN blame either, when
they could draw $50 or $50 n
week on the odd-iob basis
which is not regarded as en-
ployment. or just relax on the
S25 week.
One company presents corre-
spondencc exchanged with the
state unemployment commission
in two cases which illustrate
the abuse of such laws, even
Az their best. and before the
addition Of the proposed Tru-
man dole.
\ N ono case boy Of IL
Worked part time for about
three months and quit rather
.ka. .oi.o q fpII tirfNn iOh