Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 September 1944 — Page 6

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Give Light and the People Will Find “Their Own Way,

JOBS FOR WAR VETERANS © THE Hoosier Forum on this page today Walter Frisbie, * the able seoretary-treasurer of Indiana's C. 1. O., ob-

jects to what he calls our “inaccuracies and innuendoes” about the C. IL O. atfitude toward soldiers getting" their jobs back when they come home from the war. Not too accurately himself, Mr. Frisbie denies ‘that Philip Murray, “‘or any other C. L ‘0. member” ever even implied that the worker who stayed safely home at war . wages has a better claim to a Job than the soldier who left it to go out and fight. Yes? W elly as Al Smith used to say, let's look: at the record: The Baltimore Sun quotes. Victor G. Reuther of the C. I. O. United Automobile Workers as sdying: “It would be a big mistake to get Jobs for veterans by taking them “away from someone eise.” 1t quotes Joseph A. Padway, A F. of L. general counsel, as denouncing the view of Col.ul H. Griffith of selective Service that veterans are entitled to get their jobs back “even if they replace workers of greater skill and seniority.” That, said Mr. Padway, was a “misinterpretation of the act.” And it quotes Philip Murray, head of the C. I. O,, as citing a court ruling that “geniority rights are’ property rights within-the meaning of the fifth amendment to the constitution.” On the other hand, Sidney Hillman, who professes to know a lot about politics, took a different position from that of his labor colleagues quoted above. Speaking for his Amalgamated Clothing Workers, he said. “Certainly, all the veterans who left us to enter the services will get their jobs back.” No quibbling about seniority. And, on

this issue, we think Mr. Hillman is right as rain. = = fa » o ”

FURTHERMORE, in his letter, Mr. Frisbie adds: _ “As a matter of plain fact the law does not require an employer to take back a worker who has gone: into the - armed services. .. : Well, as a matter of plain fact the law does require an employer to take back a worker who has gone into ‘the armed services—and what the professional C. 1. O. hierarchy from Mr. Murray on down objects to, is that it doesn't compel that soldier to join a C. 1. O. union to get his job back. With the help of a fr iendly government the C. I. 0. has managed to force through a lot of closed shop contracts since the war began, and’ a closed shop contract makes no provision for scab labor just home from Saipan or Verdun. The C. 1. O. leaders have done a good deal more than imply their hostility to this federal safeguard for the men in our armed forces. Mr. Frisbie himself continues: **..-. . It will not aid our country or the serviceman a jot if the 11,000,000 returning veterans are given jobs and 11,000,000 civilians are thrown in the streets... Maybe not, Mr. Krisbie, but a lot of us sleep better at night for knowing that the man who went out to fight for us does get back the job he left, without.any strings to it, and without any argument about seniority, and without joining anything unless he wants to join. ; We feel pretty sure that a vast majority c of fa union Ge “the-same-way about-it.— Ce

MR. BIG GOES T0 WASHINGTON No NOT AS YOU thought. We are not referring, pri-. 2 ‘marily, to Mr. Roosevelt. Rather, to Mr. Big Busiressman. To Donald Nelson, Charles E. Wilson, Will Clay- / ton, as specific and symbolic and spectacular examples, In private life Mr. Nelson was ‘executive vice presi: dent of Sears, Roebuck; Mr. Wilson, president of General Electric; Mr. Clayton, head of Anderson, Clayton & Co. All big businesses, very big. Each was doing well at his job, very well. His as_sociates liked him, his customers _liked him, his stock-holders-were happy —all was serene. Comes the war. And .these men—along with many “like them —are called to Washington to help out, war being big and their: know-how being big. - Fachwgets the full- - authority directive from the other Mr. Hg n 2 THEN, IN THEIR new Vir, brick-throwing | - and dagger practice starts. Ambitious young lawyers “on the make,” and bureaucrats and congressmen and iobbyists and general-purpose politicians and New Deal. job-holders see in these big guys new and shiny and capacious targets. War or no ~~~war, this is too good to pass up. So the archery practice begins. | Te ~ And finally, in disgust;-resignations occur. - The big boys go back to the good old desks. Dollar-a-year, or perhaps up to $8000 are replaced by the good old $100,000plus salaries. And when you push a button you don’t draw a bucket of slop. And lifesseems comparatively so sweet, and service in Washington just a bad-dream. The bow and arrow brigade wins, “but then doesn’t know just exactly what to do with the victory after it is achieved. And 86 on. : But, generally speaking, the loss of this talent is very bad for the war, and for the country.

ANOTHER GRAB- BAG? VWWHEN the war is over the government w billions of dollars worth of surplus property. at this stage the government has on hand Several billions worth that will not be needed. In disposing of surpluses, the government’s first purpose should be to get the best price possible and apply the ~ proceeds. to reduction en the national debt. Here jis a chance for the taxpayers to get some of their bait back. But what shall we say of legislation, such as the sen- | : ats has just approved, which directs that surplus property which is “appropriate for school, classroom or other edu- | cational use” or is “suitable for use in the protection of _public health, including research,” should be turned over the federal security administration for “donation” to es and municipalities and educational and medical ‘inThere is no limit on how much i2 to be donated

ill own many

‘Even -

-air Enough By Westbrook Pegler

library to look up one subject and get lost in another.

I wanted, digging into old debates on Negro slavery. These wrangles were only a * hundred years ago, which is only i twice your age when you are 50, & and not such a formidable stretch of time as it seems when you are younger, and’ yet, in England, there was great agitation for the abolition of the slave trade from Africa ad of slavery in the United States by men who were, in a political manner of speaking, §lave-holders, themselves, in their own country. This point was ‘brought out in one document by a man who was interested in the preservation of slavery and though I tried to chase it down I never found the reply, much less a refutation. N

"Holding English Workers in Bondage’

HE SAID a certain noble Jord who was agitating himself with humane tremors over a problem which many Americans held to be strictly our own affair, was actually holding white English Workers in bondage in his coal mines, while living on the fat. of sd land himself. » - The mines then, at least, Were not equipped, for ventilation and fire-prevention and the occu nal risk of the miners was great, what with asphyxiation, explosions and fires. Moreover, the men worked a 12hour day, which meant that for about eigh hy months of the year they never did see daylight, ex pt’on Sunday, and were becoming purblind: like the ponies they worked with, or a deep-water fish. Their wages were

iw NEW YORK, Sept. 2-You| a know how it is when you go to the |

1 never did get what I went | M for and almost forgot what it was |

although there might be some margin in the | ea)

"———

io that, even down to 1914, a shot of Scotch jn an “ordinary London bar cost only four cents, and other | necessaries of life were proportionately cheap; and it seems that they couldn't lay” up a cent for depression periods which came unexpéctedly.

‘Sometimes Suspecfed Uncle George'-

MY UNCLE GEORGE, who seems to have been a Methodist clergyman and abolitionist of some importance in this country along toward the '60s, related in his Life ard Times, published by, the Wesleyan Methodist publishing house, of Syracuse, in 1879, that his old man had two wives (consecutively, of course) and 25 ‘children; of whom Uncle George never saw more than 15 at a time, and that he went to work helpirig his mother spin hemp in hif dad’s rope-walk in London when he was only 4 years old. Then he ran away to sea at the age of 8 and he tells of some prodigious swimming around Bermuda when a small boat broke loose and he had to go after it; so I have sometimes suspected that Uncle George was a bit of a liar around the edges because you: don’t learn swimming in a rope-walk or working as a ship's boy. I don’t mean he actually was my unele, but, with that name, he couldn't have been very far removed. This Englishman in the slavery debate insisted that the slaves in Jamaica, where his interests were, were better off than the white men in this noble lord's mines because they were fed enough to keep them in fair shape as property, whereas the miner had to feed himself and, when he went on relief in slack times, got only four cents a day. I gather that this four cents was for ‘the whole family, not per head, and moreover, this mineowner didn’t pay it, nor the government, but the parish or church,

"Strictly Counter-Punching’

THEN, HE SAID, this lord had the gall to propose | that during depressions the husbands should be sent elsewhere, away from their wives so that they wouldn't beget more children to grow up and complicate the problems of unemployment and over-population; and even to try to impose a rule forbidding men to marry before the age of 35, for the same reason. If a man did marry prematurely, he was blackballed from the mines, Of course, this was strictly counter-punching, which is not the way to win a fight, and England continued to agitate against slavery in our country, a precedent for some of our later intrusion in certain affairs of European nations, while white Englishmen in their own country actually were much worse off than many of the Negro slaves. Here we are again, for example, running a terrible force over Ghettos in —Europe—as—though—we—had-ne-Ghettos- of -our-own. And- for another thing, like the noble English lord, here. we are holléring down faséism, with our professional unioneers leading the chorus, while many of the -loudest and angriest crusaders against the foul philosophy, notably Mr. Roosevelt and -Sidney Hillman, are imposing on our country regulations and re=strictions straight out of the book of Benito II Bum.

We The People

By Ruth Millett

WALLIE SIMPSON told a reporter, “If there is one thing I. hate it is that ‘best-dressed’ title. I am not and don’t ever want to be a clothes horse.” .. Well, there is only one way a woman ever gets in the best ‘dressed ranks, - or gets herself dubbed a clothes horse. And that is by making clothes paramount : ; in: her scheme of life. 2 4 You don't blunder into the ranks of the “best-dressed” while you are busy bringing up kids, working as a nurse's aid, or carving out a career that takes hard work and concentration. :

Full Time Career in Itself

WOMEN DOING those things couldn't be clothes horses if they tried. Because being a best-dressed woman is a full time career in itself. And it is a career the Duchess of Windsor has consciously chosen. Her clothes and jewels—even in wartime—are worth a fortune. When she first—went to Nassau.

to be sure to have her hair done exactly as she wanted it, So it is a litfle bit late and a little bit silly for the duchess to “object to the best-dressed title, It

{is-about ‘as silly as it would be for a- prize-fighter to

spend -his life training and fighting every ‘challenger and then say when he had finally become world’s champion, called ‘Champ.’” You don’t get.in any of the “best” tists—not even the best-dressed ones—without trying.

To The Point—

WE READ “elastic defense” is being employed by

last slingshot.

ONE-OF our bombers sank a Jap cruiser the othef

pai Rp ee Kir

one 'of those things nowadays. -

-ed an.army ‘without any Sunday drivers. ‘. »

wrth MORE women in” politics ‘than ever you'd be surprised at some of the hats tossed into the ring.

ing that quartet ean reduce world harmony.

| how phone operators ever succeed at their calling.

to live she imported a hairdresser from New York;*

“If there's anything I hate it is being

the Germans. Don't tell us they're down to their |.

‘day. A fellow has to be pretty Jucky to run across

GEN. PATTON certainly got a break, being hang.

AMERICA, ENGLAND, Russia, Chisia—we're-hop- | =

GETTING WRONG numbers makes you wonder |

The ‘Hoosier Forum -

“I wholly disagree with what you ‘say, but will defend tothe death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

“HOW SAD TO COPY UNION TACTICS” By James R. Meitzler, Attica,

Walter Frisbie, secretary of the c. I. O,, in the Aug. 18 Times goes into a .13-point trance and dreams how the Philadelphia Transportation Co., as an axis sympathizer trying “to split us with their rottea racial and religious propagands” with malice aforethought, caused the trazisportation strike. : The C. I. O. union had just won

monster put Negro workers on practice runs. The wicked anti-C. I, O. one-third intimidated the innocent and sheep-like C. I. O. 66 per cent and ran them off their jobs—that is, compeiled them to strike. In fact, Frisbie says the company acted just like a striking C. I. O. union. Oh, Walter! How sad that an employer should copy union tactics! ” s Ps “WE MUST HAVE FULL EMPLOYMENT”

By Walter ‘Frisbie,

Secretary-Treasurer, Indiana State Industrial Union Coun

In order to object tq all the inaccuracies and innuendoes regularly a part of The Times“regarding C. 1. O. and the Political Action Committee, we would probably have to publish a supplemental paper. In the issue of Monday, Aug. 28, there is an article by Lee Miller on the editorial page headed, “The Veteran's Job.” Mr. Miller. first misinterprets, as the press generally misinterprets, the remarks of Phillip Murray at a recent convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. After distorting Mr. Murray's remarks,

terpretation of the law protecting veterans in their job rights. Miller concludes with the following comment: “We see nothing in the -above to encourage Phil Murray in a belief that workers who have stayed at work; accumulating seniority, should be given job preference over former employees who have been fighting the war.” Neither Mr. Murray ‘nor any other member of C. I. O. has ever expressed or implied the above belief. As. a plain matter of fact, the law does not require an employer to take back-a worker who has gone into the armed forces, inasmuch as there is an escape clause providing that if changes in an employer's circumstances make it impossible or unreasonable to do so. the employer is cleared of any responsibility. A further escape is contained in the statute requirement that a returning serviceman must be still qualified to perform the duties, but the question of qualification is left largely to the employer. ‘Unions generally and the C. I. O. particularly immediately recognized

an election 2-to-1 when this devilish |

FVEFMitier—quotes—the—official—in=}

(Times readers are invited ‘fo express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Because of the volume received, letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters must be signed. Opinions set forth here are those of the writers, and publication in no way implies agreement with those opinions by The Times. The Times assumes no responsi ‘bility for the return of manuscripts and canriot enter correspondence regarding them.)

that under the law. there would be many servicemen who would not be able to return to their former jobs. The result is that, without ‘éxception, anions have attempted to negotiate into their contracts provi-

cil, | sions protecting men who go into

the armed forces, protecting them not only in the seniority they left, but ‘by insisting that they accumulate’ seniority while they are gone just as though they were working; protecting them in retirement, group insurance and benefit plans; |Resea protecting them in their union memberships by waiving payment of dues, reinstatement fees, assessments or initiation fees, ’ Servicemen’s protection clauses are standard equipment in the ew union contracts, The unions have recognized and fought for the rights of all servicemen and women,

bers of the armed forces: belong to unions but primarily because we recognize that nothing that any organization can do for service people, except see to it that .there is full employment and prosperity and ‘peace, will be adequate. Mr. Murray in his talk before the V. FP. W. was not, and we state chis categorically, objecting to servicemen and women accumulating seniority while they are gone; he was objecting to many of the plain and fancy schemes that have recently been given wide newspaper publicity for double, triple, preferential or some other variation of seniority for servicemen. We oppose this cn the grounds that; carried to its logical conclusion, it would set veterans of the first war against veterans of the second war, create hopeless administration problems, pit vital war workers who were 4-F or deferred for their ksy value despite their own personal feelings, against returning servicemen and would tend to create general dissension between the homecoming veterans and the men and women who stayed “at-home. All this at a time when our country

Side Glances—By Galbraith.

not only because three million mem- |*

~|and the loyal, patriotic war workers

_| Philadelphians quite rightly withcomment co!

requires for waging the peace the highest degree of unity.

country or the servicemen a jot if the eleven million returning veterans are given jobs and eleven million civilians arg, thrown in the streets, just as it would not help the

reversed. To avoid catastrophe following the war, we must have full employment, full production. This country cannot adequately reward its fighting men. The G. I. Bill and other measures : to help veterans, give them additional educational op-

a splendid gesture, The future bonus movements may be helpful in individual cases. But the greatest gift to our fighting men is lasting peace, a prosperous economy for jobs at decent incomes for all who want to work and a chance to make good homes for themselves and their families with security and hope that

tinually give better opportunities to their children and their children’s children. : ” ” “C. 1. 0. SHOULD DO LIKEWISE” BLA. A.D, n. Bettman, aati bla

The teri C. 1, O. version of the late Philadelphia strike—the C. 1. O. Transport Workers Union, bargaining group for the Phila delphia Traction company, is con-

ment of alleged facts has not been proved. :

for the purpose of investigating all phases of background and matters which brought the strike issue to a head in a disgraceful fashion -are

sistance of the and other groups which would very much like to know who is responsitile ‘for the calling of the illegal strike and who should be punished. Just why Walter Prisbie, secre-tary-treasurer of the Indiana State Industrial Union Council, C, I. O. should wash its dirty linen in midwestern newspapers before the grand jury has delivered the facts is obvious. “There is no disagreement with the story that Negro workers were placed for practice runs with a view to promoting them to motormen, since it is a matter of record the P. T. C. and the union were ordered by what appears to be presidential fiat throughout the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People so to do. No fair and sensible person in the city of Philadelphia would have the temerity to pass judgment upon the strike, its reasons, causes or effects, largely because this material has not become public property. Until it does issue as such, such individuals are withholding judgment. Since this disgraceful affair occurred during wartime, {t is true that thousands upon thousands of Philadelphians harbored personal resentment because of the open violation of the C. I. O. “no strike” pledge and also because war production was dangerously curtailed

and other citizens were put to unnecessary expense at a time when unity is second only to the prosecution of the war. Until the grand jury publicizes its

action 1s taken with respect to guilty persons, if any, responsible

hold

_|sure. But I do believe that in In- | |dianapolis’ they leave it up to God

bility. It is suggesied that the O I. O. should do likewise,

B. Pe Vitor W. MeGlaais, Army of “ihe U. 8.

- Crime ‘doesti’t” pay—ot. that I'm lo pass penaliy ufen the criminal

DAILY" THOUGHTS. Neither have I suffered my

In the long run it will not aid ur} ¢o

‘portunities and business chances is}

this great country of ours will con-|-

siderably premature and the state-|

findings and appropriate judicial}

By Peter Edson

for mountain country fighting. in Ttaly today and the open

Similarly, big field guns—eight-inch rifles, 240 mm, howitzers—have been called into ter use than the generals had at first calculated, It long-range artillery—not aircraft—to b mans loose from heavily fortified positions. moved last January’ to step up big gun output,” new facilities are just coming into production n -More-big guns, fired faster, have stepped up

the Gere » my

the production of small arms ammunition in a nume

ber of arsenals. The plants themselves were kept in I a stand-by condition but they were not converted to -

making the big stuff as soon as they might have been, Doubling the rate of fire to break deadlocks at Anzio

“and in Normandy illustrates the need, country a jot if the situation weve]

As to bombs, there were supposed to be bombs running out of everybody's ears. But plane is a bomber now, and shortening the missions by establishing bases behind the France with consequent increase in bomb load number of sorties flown has stepped up demand,

Radar Pay Fails to. Attract Workers :

AIRCRAFT RADAR production is a new industry and many of its difficulties and shortagés are common to the needs of any new boom business, ‘Technical improvements have slowed up assembly lines, The industry is concentrated largely in the Chicago area, where the manpower situation Has not been of the best. Many women have been employed, pay scales are comparatively low and new workers haven't been attracted. So good is the war news that the old patriotic ape

peals to do something about all these tight situations «

fall on deaf ears. Speed-up production teams of engie neers, personnel and labor relations men are free quently stymied—as in the San Francisco machine shops where labor refused to work overtime, or in the Akron tirs Javioues, where labor has refused to move ter. Wage rates can't be raised for fear of toppling the whole wage stabilization structure. Blaming or production officials for lack of foresight on some of the planning does no good at this stage of the game, The need is for an incentive—a new jncentive—to push the war tc a quick, not a dragged-out-ending.

Peace Factor

NEW YORK. Sept. 2-0. W. Vaughan, president of Curtisse Wright, hits the nail on the head

flying, and (3) by preserving a strong aircraft manus facturing industry.

That makes sense. It will appeal to the average

American wHo learned the lesson of Pear] Harbor wants no more of it. “We got away with it this time, but it war differs from the present struggle as much war differs from world war I, another Pearl could be a final national defeat, with no chance second -wind.,

Natural Corollary to Warning

MR. VAUGHAN'S insistence on the acquisition and maintenance of air bases essential to: our national security is only a natural corollary to his first warne ing—that we must have adequate air forces. It is no assurance that a friendly nation operates air bases within easy bombing range of the continental U. 8, Nobody can or will defend us as ‘effectively as we can do the job. The post-war world won't be a bit different than. the world as we have known it for centuries, It will ‘be brave all right, brave. enough to grab anything . it thinks it.can grab and hold. That is one of nature's , immutable: laws. avs: we can pitserve. this sounltsy 1% 'd ¥ the job ourselves with a mighty air force—which means pl ing our present aircraft industry and Seveluping our domestic and international flying.

So They Say—

SPREAD THE ‘NEWS. that France did nui lay down her arms in 1940. She has always fought. And

tell the Americans that we like them, admire them

GPEN SPACE is not itself economic opporsinity, There is not likely to be a shortage of farm !and during the first two decades after the war. What we foresee is a “farm problem” instead of 4 “food probe lem” and instead of hungry mouths begging for food, agricultural surpluses will go begging for a market.—T. Ww. Schultz, U. of Chicago, of m3 economist.

= 2 Foul -. * *

I DON'T believe the Japs will fold up at any time, Their religious feeling will prevent that. We'll have "to go in and educate them and I believe we will have" to go in and blast Japan -Omet, Ernest M. Snowden, back from the e Pacifie.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2.— |

taken heavy, 1

for big shells, Over a year ago the army cut ets

w at home for ® I'm sorry <u» Jeft.. For alt ~ value the sen; in private h -® here to real , ‘culinary geni

Make An;

THEY SI} thing taste ° knack for m The other *: itu women

Jacobs Adver terday after | Dilley, who h got acquainte Jim says he’ Dilley, so wh book for the The man tur invited Jim tc ~ nice visit. The Wate CPL. DIC] the Balcony ¥ was carried ir to relate som Inside. He w little time, | another. We | pull out and that they for been sweepin last stop was were swimmir been toting 1 half of Franc “hole in the bo =) get out of it. ; here is how got hold of a

Dan WASHING -& puts into wor — the danger u

drive to take That mov

} J

J ; a

managed nati the great ma feel as I do. “such a belief

Faults W

“UNDER 8 =the muddli