University of South Carolina Libraries
*r#i 1 t Th« Baniwtll Ptople-SentlifL BrawtlL 8. C. Thmday, March 18, 1987 News Review of Cunent Events the World Over lewis and C. I. 0. Cain Recognition From Steel Industry and Plan to Tackle Textiles—Neutrality Meas ure Adopted by Senate. V By EDWARD W. PICKARD C W«*tern N nr • pa per Unloa. V’OU’VE got to hand it to John L. * Lewis. The beetle-browed lead er of the C. ll O. is going places and doing things! despite several set backs in his plans to unionize all i n • dustry. The steel magnates are yield ing to a great ex tent, and the threat of a general strike in that industry is fading out..With the Carnegie-111 i n o i s corporation, largest subsidiary of United .... , States Steel, leading JohnL.Lewis ^ wa y^ t ^ e biggest concerns in that industry are grant ing increases in wages and the 40 hour week, and agreeing to deal with the unions affiliated with the C. I. O. This is the first time in forty-five years that “Big Steel” has recognized union labor as a bargaining agency for its em ployees. Lewis and Philip Murray, chair man of the steel workers' organiz ing committee, were jubilant, but the Camegie-IUinois corporation is sued an official statement that toned them down a bit. “The company will recognize any individual, group, or organization as the spokesmen for those employees it represents,” the statement said, “but it will not recognize any single organization or group as the exclu sive bargaining agency for all em ployees. “Under this policy the status of the employee representation plan is likewise unchanged. It will continue as the spokesman for those of the employees who prefer that method of collective bargaining, which has proved so mutually satisfactory throughout its existence.” The General Electric company de clared its willingness to discuss a national collective bargaining agreement with the United Electric al Workers, a C. I. O. affiliate; and the indications were that Lewis and the Appalachian coal operators would be able to negotiate a new wage and hour agreement in time to avert a coal miners' strike. The C. I. O. announced the forma tion of the United Shoe Workers of America with a nucleus of 20,000 members and went after New Eng land’s shoe industry. Still more im portant, Lewis and his aids let it be known that the next target of the C. I. O. drive would be the textile industry. Secretary of Commerce Roper and Secretary of Labor Perkins ex pressed much gratification over re cent developments. That the public, as usual, will have to pay for what the worker gains in all these negotiations was evidenced by the action of the steel companies which announced price Increases of |3 to $8 a ton for semi finished and finished steel products. The sit-down strike policy was tried at Sarnia, Ont., and promptly was glean a black eye. Fifty em ployees of the Holmes foundry there took possession of the plant, but 100 nonstriking workers battled vhem for two hours, threw them all out and sent nine to the hospital. The police did not interfere with the fight. Shortly after negotiations opened between the Chrysler motor corporation and the United Auto mobile Workers of America, the union presented resignations of 103 of the 120 employee representatives on work councils in Chrysler plants in the Detroit area. The resignations all said “the great majority of our constituents are heartily in favor of the U. A. W. A. as the sole bargain ing agency to represent them.” Sit-down strikers in the plant of the Fansteel Metallurgical corpora tion at North Chicago, 111., who de fied court eviction orders, were routed by a fo**ce of deputies and police armed with tear gas guns, and were arrested for . ontempt of court. Also taken into custody was the strike leader, Max Adelman, who had fled to Wisconsin. The strikers and their friends insisted they would prevent the reopening of the plant by strong picket lines and the cor poration obtained an injunction against such procedure. The sheriff said he was prepared to deal with any act of violence. This is another C. I. O. strike, and Governor Horner of Illinois gained no glory in his efforts to settle it. Among the many strikes in the Detroit district was one of 150 em ployees, mostly girls, of the largest Woolworth store in Detroit. They planned to extend the strike to all other units of the company there, meanwhile keeping the big store closed by the sit-down method. D USINESS men and economists u again were talking about the prospects ef inflation after the de cision of the Supreme court uphold ing ttie New Deal's gold clause abro gation act for the second time. The ruling was made in the case of the Holyoke Wattr company, which, moved by • desire to protect it self against loss in the event that the dollar should be debased, had ses to the American Writing Paper company clauses giv ing it the privilege at demanding from the latter payment in gold coin or bar gold. Now the Holyoke com pany must be content to accept pay ment in present depreciated dollars. The court’s decision was regarded as removing the last barrier to the free exercise of authority over mone tary matters by the administra tion. UESTS at “victory dinners” all ^ over the country heard Presi dent Roosevelt deliver at the feast in Washington a preliminary appeal to his party and the nation to sup port his plan to pack the Supreme court. He said that a crisis exists demanding immediate social and economic legislation to improve the lot of the common man and that there is no time to lose, lest a great calamity, such as a revolution or the advent of a dictatorship, be vis ited upon the country in the two or three years that might be necessary to remove the obstruction of the New Deal in the manner prescribed by existing law. Incidentally, Mr. Roosevelt let his hearers understand that he has no intention of seeking a third term in the White House. UR War department has finally decided that the autogyro is s good thing—long after European na tions reached the same conclusion. Secretary Woodring announced that six autogyros had been purchased for military purposes at a cost of $238,482. They are the Kellett KDL wingless planes, which have a top speed of 125 miles, a minimum of 16 miles, a cruising speed of 103 mile^f and a cruising range of 3% hours, or 361 miles. The plane is powered with a Jacobs 1-4 engine, which develops 225 b. h. p. at 2,000 r. p. m. The army air command for years resisted suggestions for tests of the autogyro but for the last year it has been tried out by all branches of the army and the report was that it was essential to the modernization of the army. Sea. Pittman ** C' REEDOM of the seas” as an * American policy was aban doned by the senate when it passed, by a vote of 62 to 6, the resolution submitted by Sena tor Key Pittman on behalf of the foreign affairs committee continuing the Pres ident’s present pow er to declare an em bargo upon the ship ments of arms, am munition and imple ments of war to bel- igerent nations. The measure also provides that the President may declare it unlawful for any American vessel or air craft to carry to warring nations any articles whatsoever he may enumerate. However, foreign na tions may purchase such articles, arms and munitions not included, and transport them to their own countries at their own risk. And the act will not apply to an Ameri can republic, such as a South Amer ican country, engaged in war against a non-American country provided that the American republic is not co-operating with a non-Amer ican state in such a war. Senators Borah and Johnson fought valiantly against adoption of the resolution but when it came to a vote only four others supported them. These were Austin, Bridges, Gerry and Lodge. TP HERE is war on between Mayor ^ Fiorella H. La Guardia of New York and Reichsfuehrer Hitler of Germany. The mayor, addressing a gathering of Jewish women, pro posed that a “Hall of Horrors” be erected for the city’s 1939 world fair which would include a figure of “that brown-shirted fanatic who is menacing the peace of the world.” Hitler himself made no retort but Ambassador Luther was directed to protest to the State department. The Berlin press raged against La Guar dia, one of the mildest names ap plied to him being “scoundrel super- Jew.” A FTER a lively debate the house * * of commons indorsed Great Britain’s, huge rearmament pro gram by axvote of 243 to 134. For eign Secretatv Anthony Eden, who outlined the pYlpciples of the Brit ish foreign policy, repudiated the policy of universal military com mitments for Europe as “unwork able” with Germamy and other powers absent from the League of Nations. Next day the navy announced that its share of the rearmament pro gram would cost $525,325,000. this including the construction of 80 war ships. Sir Samuel Hoars, first lord of the admiralty, said only $135,- 000,000 of the cost will be borne by Britain’s new $2,000,000,000 defense loan, forcing the nation’s tax payers to dip into their pockets for the ad ditional $300425,000. thinks about: Irvin S. Cobb Privacy for tbs Whidsr*s. S ANTA MONICA, CALIF.— “In order to live quietly and escape as much public attention as possible—“ I’m quoting the dispatch—“the duke of Windsor and Mrs. Simpson, following their marriage, will seek a se cluded residence in the United States.” _______ The idea is not new. Hoping to kill Stanford White in some very remote secret nook, Harry Thaw picked out a N e w York roof garden on the first night of a big musical comedy. And only lately "one of our movie queens, striving to get away from, it all, put on all her portable jew elry and went to the Broadway preview of one of those colos sal, titanic, gigantic, mastodonic supersfcreen epics, only to come forth comjplaining that one could never flee to the most private of hiding places without being an noyed by crowds. So America is certainly the right place for the . newlyweds’ honey moon—where nobody will stare at them, or follow them, or yell at them or ask for autographs or pho tographs or interviews or try to tear their clothes off for souvenirs. Why, just off-hand, I can think of fully three spots where famous folks may enjoy such immunity— Mount McKinley in the winter. Death Valley in the summer and Alcatraz island all the year round. • • • Giving Up Earl Browder. Ip OR years it has been my regular 1 custom to give up something during Lent. Last year I gave up boiled turnips—I never eat boiled turnips, anyhow—and jokes about Mae West. The year before, I gave up “An thony Adverse” (at page 2,749) and nearly all Little Theater move ments. The year before I gave up Upton Sinclair as my spiritual guide in matters political. For this year I decided to give up Mr. Earl Browder. I don’t quarrel with his sincerity. He happens, though, to be the outstanding expo nent in America of the communist movement, which has done so much for human happiness and human progress in the countries that tried it, such as Russia. • • • Victory Dinners. \X7HO says New Dealers aren’t smart business men? That $100 victory dinner means a clear profit of $94.70, figuring the food at $5 a head and the combined speeches at 30 cents, which, even if they average up to most after-din ner speeches, is indeed a high valu ation. Back in Andy Jackson’s day you you could pay off a campaign deficit with hoop poles and coon pelts. And in Thomas Jefferson’s time the strongest pack mule in Virginia couldn’t tote $100 worth of vittles. So, naturally Jeffersonian simplic ity and Jacksonian thrift will be extolled. Presumably the Republicans will follow suit with a nonvictory din ner or donation shower for John Hamilton’s hope chest. Needy guests will wear Liberty Leaguers’ old clothes, while the idea of hav ing Canada annex Maine and Ver mont will be strongly opposed. Congressman Ham Fish will speak—such being his habit—un less, for economy’s sake, they switch his name around hind part before and serve him as two courses. • • • Signs of Spring. UT here the first sign of spring ^ is not the birds coming back. Mainly, our birds don’t flit away. They go mute awhile, being practi cally the only residents that even temporarily refrain from bragging about the climate, or, in case of a cold snap, explaining that this is very unusual. With us the herald of spring is the surf-bather—that hardy adven turer who plunges in and comes forth as blue as an Easter egg and as deflated-looking as a toy balloon on the morning after circus day. Be cause the Pacific is never what you’d call a real cozy ocean and especially it isn’t following a chill- some winter. We make fun of the bathing suits our mothers wore. But middle-aged persons of both sexes disporting on the beach in the modem skimpies present a morbid, not to say grue some, spectacle, except to students of the adult human leg, including the slabby-shanked, the full-calfed, the bowed, the double-jointed, the buckled, the knock-kneed, the spav ined, the ankle-sprung, the heavy- hocked, the varicose-veined, the fur-bearing, etc., etc. Sometimes a fellow gets to think ing that right young babies and raw oysters are almost the only things that should ever be exhibited on the half-eh ell IRVIN S. COM *» Washington Digest j Usgest National Topics internrpU’d By WILLIAM BRUCKART Spending Youth Youth is- not like a new garment, which we can keep fresh and fair by wearing sparingly. Youth, while we have it, we must wear daily, and it will fast wear away.—J. Foster. a Washington.—Many times in these columns, I have called attention to the confusion that Afore Confunon has come to he ao ministration policy any more than much a part of the federal gov ernment’s general administration. I have talked about the bluster and the ballyhoo and the cross purposes at which so many pieces of the New Deal program have operated, and another outstanding example of this condition now appears. Two governmental agencies, one a strictly New Deal agency, the other with a beginning in the Hoover administration, find themselves working directly in opposition to each other—and in the end taxpay ers will pay. It is not the fault of the Home Owners Loan corporation that it finds itself in a position where it is going to be landlord to something like 160,000 pieces of real , estate— largely homes. When the government went into the business of loaning money on private residence it had experience upon which to base its program. Many years ago the farm loan sys tem was organized with none too happy results. In the late days of the Hoover administration, howev er, three or four politicians were able to drive through the legislation creating a system of government loans on residences as distinguished from farms. I predicted in these columns some three years ago that the govern ment, through the HOLC, was going to be the proud possessor of a lot of real estate. My statements at that time were based upon what I had seen happen in the case of the loans on farms. The article brought me direct criticism from two or three places in the government—but at this time I can report that the HOLC, before another year passes, will own something like 160,000 homes. It is always difficult for a mort gage or bank institution, privately owned, to dispose of property which it has been forced to repossess through default of the borrowers. It is much more difficult for the fed eral government to dispose of that type of property, try as it may to get rid of the parcels. So, we find one governmental agency serving as a landlord on a wholesale scale and with signs por tending moves by politicians that will in the end cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. These politicians are proposing leg islation in congress to cut the in terest rate on the loans now in default and other loans as well; the principal of the loans on the defaulted mortgages and they are seeking means by which those in default may have unlimited time in which to make the payments in a way that, superficially at least, makes the proposals appear actu ally as an outright gift to those who have bought homes under the government loan plan. There is no way to tell now what will happen to these various pro posals. Undoubtedly, most of them will fill by the wayside and re ceive no consideration in congress. Yet, on the basis of observation of many such movements, it does not seem far wrong to guess that the politicians in congress will accom plish something in the way of re duction of these debts where the defaulters bring pressure to bear on the home town political ma chines. • • • CrotM Purpotet ministration. Now, concerning the other govern mental agency involved in the game of cross purposes that I mentioned. I refer to the fed eral housing ad- Like the Home Own ers Loan corporation, it is not the fault of the housing administration that it finds itself in a tough spot. It is commanded by the President and by congress to proceed with a gigantic housing program, to loan money on new homes wherever it can persuade contractors to build and individuals to buy. ,Jt is to be remembered also that loans on these properties are guaranteed— the legislation calls them insured loaps—and that makes the federal housing administration liable in case the new home buyers fail to meet their commitments. The housing administration an nounced its program to encourage wholesale.home building throughout the nation only recently and it was by coincidence, I am sure, that the housing program was announced al most simultaneously with the deter mination by the HOLC to start fore closure proceedings ir< order to maintain its own .solvency. Thus, to bring the picture to a focus, we find one governmental agency that has loaned hundreds of millions of dollars oa residences be ing forced to foreclose in order to protect the money it has spent, at least in part, and a second govern mental agency entering the field si multaneously with a gigantic pro gram io which more hundreds of mi 11 ions will bo expoodod and more people encouraged to place them selves in debt. I cannot criticize the housing ad- I can criticize the program of the HOLC. The point is that there is simply no co-ordination in govern ment policies as they concern these two agencies, and consequently, one group is building new homes and an other is taking over old homes for which the buyers have been unable to pay. In my humble opinion, it does not make good sense. I have heard considerable talk among influential New Dealers to the effect that new homes will sell more easily than the old ones and therefore the housing administration plans are held to be justified. Yet, it does seem to be a perfectly nat ural and logical thing that new homes become old homes as time elapses and there are many who believe that the government, be cause it has guaranteed the loans on new homes, will have to take over a large percentage of them as well. That is, it will have to take over at least a normal percentage because whether the loans are made by private financing companies or by the government, a considerable number of buyers are unable to ful fill their obligations. It is not al ways the fault of the buyers. Sick ness, loss of jobs or a thousand and one other circumstances may de velop that prevents the buyer of a home from carrying through his cherished dream of own the roof over his head. It is the way of life that a certain percentage will, and of necessity must, fall by the way- side. • • • I never have been able to agree that the federal government has any business in the Wrong ^ financing Principle homes or extend ing credit to indi viduals. I have always criticized the Hoover administration for cre ating the Reconstruction Finance corporation and the Roosevelt ad ministration for expanding its oper ations. The principle is wrong be cause it uses money either borrowed by the government or paid into tha Treasury by the taxpayers to fi nance, to build up, personal funds of individuals or corporations. It seems quite clear to me that the HOLC, following the experiences of the form loan system, justifies the conclusion that the federal-gov ernment cannot successfully engage in that field. In the first instance, I think it is bad business for gov ernment to go beyond the protection of life, liberty and property, with all the implications carried in those three words as a governmental pol icy. Further, and with much more emphasis, 1 am sure that any time government engages in that field it opens the way for politicians to be tempted, to be forced, to do things in a legislative way that cannot be justified as economically sound. Earlier in this article, I suggested the difficulty always surrounding the sale of property that has been taken back from the original pur chasers. Officials of private mort gage companies and other financial institutions have grown many a gray hair in their efforts to recover money loaned in cases where the borrowers have met with unfortu nate circumstances. The govern ment, finding itself in the position of the private lender insofar as re possession of property is concerned, has about one-half the chance of liquidation that the private lender would have. And beyond that, there is too much chance for favoritism, scheming and even crookedness When the government attempts to do a job like the HOLC now is fac ing. I say that regardless of the honest purpose that I know char acterizes the present HOLC man agement. - • • * . It may not have occurred to soms but the fact that the federal govern ment through the U. S. a HOLC will own all Taxpayer of these houses which had to be taken back, means that the federal government becomes a taxpayer in every city, county and state where it owns these homes. At the rate things are going and assuming that the ratio of delinquencies and de faults continue as they do for pri vate lending agencies, another four years will see the HOLC in posses sion of a minimum of 250,000 par cels of real estate. Of course, I imagine, the local tax collectors will be glad to see the federal govern ment taking over the property be cause they will then collect their taxes. But where does that money come from? Sooner or later, di rectly or indirectly, it comes from the taxpayers of the nation. It is not a pleasant outlook. And who knows but what there may be more decisions like that of the Florida judge who refused tp grant the foreclosure plea of tha HOLC attorneys on a twelve hun dred dollar mortgage on the boms at a car-enter. # WMt*rm ltawoiio*f UtMfe How Mony Pennies Your Child’s Life* Don't Try to “Save” on Home Remedies—Ask Your Doctor There is one point, on which prac tically all doctors agree. That is: Don't give uour child unknown remedies without asking your doctor first. All mothers know this. But some times the instinct to save a few pennies by buying “something just as good” overcomes caution. When it comes to the widely used children’s remedy — “milk of mag nesia” — many doctors for over half a century have said “PHILLIPS.” For Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia is the standard of the world. Safe for chil dren. Keep this in mind, and say “PHIL LIPS’ MILK OF MAGNESIA” when you buy. Comes now, also in tablet form. Get the form you prefer. But see that what you get is labeled “Genuine Phillips’ Milk of Mag nesia.” 25/ for a big box of the tablets at drug stores. ALSO IN TAKfT POftMi Each tiny tabtat iatteaquivatat Net M of , FklUlpa’ Milk, Phillips’ Culture Needed The enjoyment of art demands a certain degree of culture. bad Sqrain dosage in each tablet st.Josepti cenuin'e pure aspirin Refinement Bent Decency arises from a natural predilection for refinement. CARDUI la this modern time aomethlag wonderfully worth while can be done for practically every woman wbe Buffera from functional pains of menstruation. Certain caeca can be relieved by taking Cardnl. Others may need a physician's treatment Cardul has two widely demon strated neea: (1) Te ease tha Im mediate pain and nervousness of the monthly period; and (2) to aid In building up tha whol# system by helping women to get more strength from their food. YOU Miserable, Nervous? mrj appetite **» •oar. I wad Dr. fierce'* favorite Prwcrtptian w - * look and it wrrty did » to build iw up. My appetite Impewvcd. I B*ined lu weight and atrenglh Bay of your drnfjj;m today! New aiae, tablet* 30c. Li-,aid $1.00 t $l.iS. w~ MOTHIXS ATTOmOM • Plate twwnr id vou temteM —wbr Dsmna kx Outeran • ploy and draa* up ««a -ilk 1 krj ID DIOKk kx Date 1 ID i rDCDD SkOWVte teD mrf HD.'— n ■nan Sun Sutt «id Cdddhd One mol idDoi kx (ora and Cute Noait bolara karn rou hod ttw appenuniiy ■ diaat roof Children m mcair a* m Imia Cjuifa til jMraad a SI 21 -Mi aid SI CJ —uhoa hoi Sand Ire UluaMiad cucula loin ex ana Vila aiik m. surely you -til wore ■ laas. • A. ( I. NTS. oa imWakteftonAsa. HLaWMa WNU—7 11—37 Sentinels v of vHealth Don’t Neglect Them 1 Nttura designed the kidney* to do a marveloue job. Their task ie to keep tho flowing Mood stream free of an exeerj of toxic Irapurltice. The act of living—Uf* constantly producing waate natter the kidneys must remove from the blood U good health te to endura. When tha kidneya fail to (unction as Natura intandsd, there te retention of waste that may cause body-wide dte. trees. One may suffer nagging backache, persistent headache, attacks of dfssfoce^ getting up nights, awaiting. pnAnew under the ayes—fact Ured, nervous, all The . badWte tSaPMa*' 1 UMip J. Doan spills