Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-09-03
INSIDE
AMERICA
written by the Staff OF
The CIO NeWs)

iect lesson in the working of
polltax and lily-white voting
restrictions, which keep mass
es of people from going to the
polls.
Mississippis First District
has population of about
263,000 citizens, white and
Negro. On the national aver
age, that would mean about
$4,000 people over 81 who
would be eligible to vote. In
Rankin's district, only about
$4,000 voted - even though
the campaign had been vigor-
Gus among three candidates.
OF the $4,000 votes cast,
Rankin polled about $4,000.
So Rankin won the reno
mination as the candidate of
14% of the people in his dis
trict, and the actual choice of
only about 10% of those who
would or could vote.
Yet in Congress, Rankin
whom Walter Lippman once
criticized for "lawless, subver-
sive and outrageous attacks"
on civil rights-will have as
much or more influence and
power as a Congressman who
truly represent the people.
n
Keep an eye on Massachu-
setts on Election Day. Bay
State voters are being asked
to mark their ballots on three
proposals to turn back the
clock on unionism.
How bad was MANS prop
aganda guess on prices? Gov
ernment figures show general
prices up 30.3% since June
1946, when OPA nose-dived.
Food prices are up even more.
Uncle Sans generosity to-
wards his nephew and nieces
sometimes takes funny forms.
Last year, for instance,
Uncle spent only $19 million
to help give new hope and
courage - and rehabilitation
to his hundreds of thousands
of physically handicapped nep.
heWs.
He spent even more than
that on animals. The Depart
ment of Agriculture's S733
million budget includes See
ing why chickens have pip;
why sheep are effected by
gid; why pigs have cholera;
why bugs bite trees and
plants; and why cows have
miscarriages."
American Federation of
Physically H a n d capped
thinks the situation is dis
graceful - and 1t is. Conven-
ton in Washington recently
moved to force government
to act on behalf of crippled
manned folks, who need not
charity but help to rebuild
their lives and their earning
power.
AFMH President Paul
Strachan put his finger on
sources of resistance to i'm
proving aid for handicapped
the do-nothing 80th Congress
and "those soulless corpora
tions and their spokesman
whose chief interest is In
profits and not in the welfare
of human beings"
Newspapers, magazines are
trying hard to convince pub
lie that workers think Taft
Hartley law is simply won
derful. Effort has produced
some of weirdest journalism
in recent months.
United Press has carried
several articles along this line,
which parallels propaganda
claims OF NAM. (NAM makes
big fuss over public opinion
polls of DR.. Claude Robinson,
who does special jobs for the
big trade outfit.)
UP carried defense" of
injunctionS - on basis that
they stop strikes, UP didn't
say that slavery also stops
strikesl
Y y y
NLRB General Counsel Ro-
bert Denham doesn't even try
to make believe that law is
good for unions.
In a happy birthday" press
confab marking first anniver-
sary of THIS operations, Den
ham seemed most happy with
Labor Boards new look"
under the anti-labor law,
Businessmen have told me
that the change in atmosphere
in the field offices (of the
NLRB) is almost miraculous"
he gloated, NLRB staff mem
bers had to change their
methods OF thinking, Denham
said
The defense restsl
AFL's International Typo
graphical Union, against
whom NLRB is seeking in
junction, has some sharp
things to say about dictation
of NLRB policy by Senator