Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-09-21
On The
Beam
By
Clayton w.
Fountain

The klgore Bill, WHICH
would provide for federal
experimentation of state job
less benefits up to a uniform
limit of $500 for 26 weeks,
has been stymied by the old
sticks-in- -the-mud who serve
on the Senate Finance Com
mittee and the House Ways
and Means Committee.
Ancient gents of the caliber
of Senator George and Rep
resentative "Muley" Dough-
ton have silently but effect
lively sabotaged this legisla-
tive attempt to aid the ma
tion's millions of displaced
war workers. 1t is strictly a
coincidence, of course, that
both of these tottering legis-
lators hail from Southern
states wherein employers pay
wages that you could put in
your hollow tooth.
Out of the wisdom of their
years, these statesmen from
the sticks have decided that it
is economic folly to spend
tax money in paying people
more to do nothing. They base
this reasoning on the bankish
belief that higher jobless
benefits will destroy the
workers will to work.
UNCLE SANS LARGESS
1t is amazing how these
Congressional codgers can
strain their wits to figure out
Just who in our economy is
deserving of Uncle's Sans
largess.
Take the Dupont family, for
instance. In the years from
1888 to 1943, inclusive, this
tight little clique of pluto
Gratis cleaned dividend har-
vest of some 282 million dol
lars through ownership of
General Motors stock alone.
God and the SEC only know
what they picked up from
other holdings.
But, early in the war, when
labor sought to block profi-
teering with a $500 annual
income ceiling, the Georges
and the Doughtons in Con-
gress would have none of it.
1t never occurred to these
lethargic legislators that, in
obstructing the enactment of
the rs grand income ceiling,
they were protecting the
privilege under which the Du-
Points and others like them
are permitted to pluck, the
fruits of industry for doing
exactly nothing.
TAX REBATES
Provision by Congress of
system of tax rebates for cor
porations, with which to sup
plement their postwar in
crements, offers another ex-
ample of this heavy-handed
splitting of economic hairs.
To tide them through the
troubled times of reconver-
sion, Congress has provided
the corporations with: Cd An
available cash refund from
Uncle Sam equal to one year
of average pre-war profits;
and (2) an insurance fund
financed by Uncle Sam, to
be drawn upon in case of low
earnings or profits, equal to
eight years of average pre-
war profits.
PROFIT INSURANCE
This means that corpora
tions previously employed at
war tasks have their profits
insured for the postwar pc
riod. If their earnings fall be-
low the pre-war average, they
automatically tap Uncle Sans
till for enough gravy to keep
the big stockholders comfort
able supplied with champagne
and caviar.
But this same Congress that
has so generously provided
postwar profit insurance for
the corporations is suddenly
seized with a fit of thrift"
when it comes to granting un-
employed workers $25 for 26
weeks.
Give the corporations mil
lions-but turn off the federal
faucet when the jobless work
ers come asking for few dol
lars to keep them going un-
til they get job-that is the
spirit of the present Congress.
And so it will be until the
people build a political party
that has the power to fill the
seats of Congress with legis-
lators pledged to put the in
terests of the nation above the
privileges of a few plutocrats.
lated jobs. There is dearth
of material on economic and
labor problems which adult
workers can profitably use
The proposed Bureau could
prepare such material.
Teaching workers groups is
like no other kind of teaching