Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-07-13
Returning
Vets Are A
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WASHINGTON. JuIv 9 (Ll


The 100000 returning vet
erans are a grab bag. AT least
10 different organizations are
trying to grab them and more
organizations are being formed
each week.
The American Legion and the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the
biggest two of the established
organizations, are watching ap-
prehensively the returning vet
Grams creating new groups or be-
ing satisfied with what exists.
Already in competition with the
VFW are the AMVETS and the
American Veterans Committee,
both organizations composed of
World War ii servicemen.
New Groups Formed
Last week saw the creation of
two new groups, both of them
frankly political. In Chicago the
new Republican Veterans League
followed a typical Republican
line in its first pronouncement--
the u. S. must not become
gravy bowl for an impoverished
world"
The second new group, found
ed in N. Y. city, baptized itself
Veterans Political Committee,
Inc, of the u. s. Proclaiming it
self to be non-partisan the VPC
revealed no important name
backing and denied through its
executive secretary, Capt. Jerry
A. Freeman, that II was another
political party"
Neither of the two new groups
had anything to say about un-
ions, full employment or unem-
ployment compensation.
Vet Groups Unendorsed
Neither AFL nor CIO had en-
dorsed any veterans group, but
privately their representatives
have found II easier to work
with WV, AMvETS and the
American Veterans Committee
than with the Legion. The Le-
glon, some labor leaders believe,
Is repeating its post-World War
| program in demanding super
seniority" and taking a position
that not only union representa-
tives but other veterans organi-
cations find unacceptable. Labor
leaders are NATURALLY concerned
about the possibilities of the Le-
gion once again turning into the
strike-breaking and union-bust-
ing outfit II was during the post
war days and during the de-
preston.
What the Legion and the VFW
think of the new outcropping of
veterans groups is still concealed.
One veterans organization Of
ficial figures that most of them
will die a natural death. Own
ing the best chance of survival,
he admitted, was the Natl. Con-
ference of Union Legionnaires
which started after World War /
and which now has 127 posts
throughout the country.
Smith Is Organizing
Meanwhile in various sections
of the nation anti-unionists and
rabble-rousers like Gerald L. X.
Smith are attempting to organize
veterans into special groups that
would serve fascist and anti
union purposes.
While veterans organizations
multiply, only organized labor
has offered any solution to the
veterans biggest problem--em-
ployment. Numerous daily pa
pers have been forced to the con-
clusion that the discharged vet
eran's expectations of a Job are
being kicked around. The St.
Louis Post-Dispatch declared
editorially last week that the re-
turning serviceman Is getting a
"runaround." The paper assert
ed that Instead of being able
to step into the kind of job he
wants-one that is interesting,
pays fairly we'll, offers security
and a future--many veteran
today Is encountering depress-
ing runaround without getting
anv emuloyment at all"