The Catholic times. [volume], August 05, 1955, Image 4

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4—THE CATHOLIC TIMES
Friday. August 5.1955
THE
CATHOLIC TIMES
Published Every Week by
The Catholic Times, Inc.
Columbus. Ohio
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Turning I he Sunday
Shopping Vide
There ha* been considerable effort throughout
the nation tn stop the flagrant violation of the nh
senance nf Sunday as a day nf rest and prayer.
The endeavor tn do something about it ha* been
somewhat ineffectual, principally due tn lark of
interest nn the part nf people generally. It seems
tn be the old story of indifference
Possibly it is just that indifference which
should he attacked. The Blessed Virgin did it al L*
Sallette in France 1846 She told the little cml
dren tn whom she appeared that unless people
stopped working on Sunday and stopped swearing
jhe would be unable longer to hold back the wrath
of God, Our I-ady warned of an impending famine
if people did not obey God s laws But little heed
was given Ijiter, between 1854 and 1856, ihoti a
million people in Europe died of starvation
Not only is unnecessary servile work forbidden
*n Sunday, hut the growing tendency in some
places tn cooperate in this must also he condemned.
For those whn buy from merchants who keep their
Store* open nn Sundays, are just as guilty as the
owner and employees who manage the store
The professor of moral theology at the senun. ry
In Cleveland, Father William A. Bachmann, says,
“there is a definite relation between the merchant
who opens his store on Sunday and the atholic
who shops there Over the long pull it is evident
that if buyer* wouldn't buy, sellers couldn sell.
“The virtue nf prudence," he says. dictates that
ur use ordinary foresight to purchase the things
necessary for our needs over the weekend the
ideal situation is that Catholics should refrain
(mm all unnecessary buying on Sunday." And fnr
stores selling essential goods, the theologian ha* a
suggestion also. It i* not necessary that all of them
he open on Sunday, therefore he suggest* that such
store rotate with other* in the area and per
haps remain open one Sunday in four or five
Regarding Sunday observance the words of Pope
Pius XII uttered in 1947 should be recalled. Ad
dressing 250.000 members of Italian Catholic Action,
the Holy Father said “Sunday must become again
the day nf the Ixird. the day of adoration, of glori
fication and reflection, the day of happy reunion in
the intimate circle of the family
•'How will those Christian* not fear spiritual death
whose rest on# those days is not devoted to
religion and piety, but given over In the allure
ments nf the world Indeed, the result of the
struggle between faith and unbelief will depend
tn great extent on the use that each of the
opposing forces will make of Sunday Will it be
stamped clearly and unmistakably with the holy
Name nf the I-ord. or will that Name be profanely
obscured and passed over?"
Sunday is not to he returned to the old Puritan
concept of observance In addition to works of neces
Sity and of charity, recreation is certainly permit
ted The day is one of recreation, and such parish
Sundav program* a* athletic events or carnival* are
not forbidden by the Third Commandment, since
thev are obviously recreational or charitable.
The example of a store in Columbus which closes
on Saturday hut remains open on Sunday may he
cited a* an objection. It is presumably the belief
nf the owner that Saturday i* the day Io be observ
ed a* a day of prayer and recreation The answer
to this i* that only those who believe as he does
should work in his store nn Sundays, and only those
who believe a* hr does should buy there on Sun
days And we might hope that they truly observe
Saturday as a day of prayer and rest. They cannot
object if all Christian* do not work in then store
nn Sunday and if they dn not buy there on Sunday
Obedience tn the Third Commandment of God
ran turn the Sunday shopping tide.
fruitful Prayer
Since prayer i» in» of the mean* hy which we
meet our obligation to God and obtain Hi* grace,
the parable of Sunday’s Mas*, contrasting the pray
er* offered by the Pharisee and the publican, pre
gent* in important lesson for all of us. Both men
“went up In the temple to pray," a praiseworthy
undertaking, which should have brought merit to
each nf them, bringing them closer Io God and
enriching them spiritually.
Rut the Pharisee made his supposed prayer
worthless by his pride and hypocrisy, he credited
himself unth virtue* and gond deed*, without ac
knnw jedging God mercy and kindness toward
him he actually boasted that he was better than
other men, pre«uming to judge his own character.
The publican, on the other hand, offered as his
prayer only the humble petition: “O God, be merci
ful to me, the sinner!” Here was a confession of
his own weakness and unworthine**, and an avowal
nf belief in Gods almighty power and kindness.
And Christ placed the seal of His approval on
the prayer of the publican “I say to you that this
man went hack to his home justified rather than
the other."
The enure liturgy of the hurch, devoted a* it
t» tn addressing God in the name of His people,
partakes nf the humble dependence upon Him voic
ed hy the publican, for only in this spirit can we
hope tn please Him Such is the theme of the
psalmist, whose words are used in every Mass, as in
Sunday’s: "Cast thy care upon the Ixird, and He
shall sustain thee," “Keep me, I xml, a* the apple
of Thy aye, protect me under the shadow of Thy
wings.” “In Thee, O my God, 1 put my trust ."
Such i* the Church’s own prayer "0 God, Who
dost chiefly manifest Thy power in forebearance
and mercy, multiply upon u* Thy pity through
mir Ixird Jesus Christ, Thy Son .’’ And such is
the testimony of the Apostles a* in Sundays
Epistle St Paul points nut that it i* find the Holy
Ghost from Whom we receive, according to His
will, wisdom, understanding and the other divine
gifts
Ur exist only becaup we have been created by
Him, we possess nothing except through Hi* bounty
how can ve boast, then, of what we are or of what
we have’ We ourselves, and whatever talent* have
been conferred upon us, belong to God, and Hi*
service has first claim upon us His commandments
must be our unfailing guide and control, but above
all we must acknowledge nur absolute dependence
upon Him and must conduct ourselves in th* hu
mility that deme* from that dependence
fn this humble dependence upon God there lies.
all
of course, strength beyond anything man could hop*
tn attain of himself. For when we place ourselves
in the hands of God. and have Him as our protector,
whn nr what shall we fear? And when we. please
Gnd we arc at peace with our neighbors and with
nur consciences, and there is nothing that the mater
ial world offers out of all its attractions and treas
ure* that can compare with the peace of God.
No Need of Time
To those who protest that it imimpossible with
in a brief time to root up what has struck ront
for many years, 1 answer that wherever anything is
to be donp aright that is commanded by God, there
is no need of time or number of days nr space* nf
years, but only fear and religion.—St. John Chrys
ostom (344 467), “To the People of Antioch on
Statues."
For all you can hold in your cold dead hand is
what ynu have given away.
—Joaquin Miller (1841-14i3), "Peter Cooper"
Just Among Ourselves
Patting Comment Contidered or Incontiderete
Perhaps one of the most harmless of the fads
and fancies that successively intrigue the human
race i* the current craze of weather-science. Rut. it
is a craze, harmless oi not, and it is as rampant
as Davy Crockett or Disneyism. Unless ynu know
the jargon of thp modern weatherman, you are dis
tinctly out of date.
Do you know all about highs and lows and
squall-lines and frontogenesis? Can you spot an
occluded front with your eyes shut? Are you aware
of the approach (and maybe not) of a great mass
of polar-Canadian air? Can you. in the midst of a
heat wave, put scientific lines all over the map to
show that no relief is in sight? If you cannot answer
these questions affirmatively, you are out of step
with the time*.
It is the day of the scientist, genuine and ersatz.
No longer is there place fnr the rustic weather,
man like Whittier’s uncle:
In moons and tides and weather wise.
He read the clouds as prophecies,
And foul or fair could well divine
Ry many an occult hint and sign,
Gone also is thp day of the prognosticator whose
educated corns and rheumatic joints gave his com
munity notice of the quality of weather to come.
Now the house is poor indeed which has no barom
eter, and the town is impoverished which publishes
no daily bulletin of cloud-formations, air currents,
and fronts.
When Mark Twain had learned hi* trade as a
Mixsissippi pilot, hp had. as he say*, “made a val
liable acquisition." Then he goes on. “Rut 1 had
lost something too I had lost something that could
never be restored In ,,ie while I lived All the grace,
the beauty, the poetry, had gone out of the majes
tic river!"
When he was new to the river, Mark Twain
beheld a glorious sunset. “A broad expanse of the
river was turned to blood in the middip distance
the red hue brightened into gold, through which
a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous
in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling
upon the water in another the surface wa* broken
hy boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many
tinted as an opal where the ruddy flush was faint
est, was a smooth spot that was covered with grace
ful circle* and radiating lines, ever so delicately
traced the shore on our left was densely wooded,
and the somber shadow that fell from this forest
wa* broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail
that shone like silver and high above the forest
wall a clean stemmed dead tree waved a single
leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the un
obstructed splendor that was flowing from the
sun. There were graceful curves, reflected images,
woody heights, soft distances and over the whole
scene, far and near, thp dissolving lights drifted
steadily, enriching it every passing moment with
new marvels of coloring
pi he had
say* that if he were to see that sunset
learned the river, he would have be­
held it without rapture. “This sun means we are
going to have wind tomorrow that floating log
mean* that the river is rising, small thanks to it.
that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff
reef which is going to kill somebody's steamboat
one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out
like that those tumbling ’boils’ show a dissolving
bar and a channel changing there the lines and
circles in the slick waler over yonder are a warn
mg that that troublesome place is shoaling up
dangerously that silver streak in the shadow of
the forest i* the break’ from a new snag, and he
ha* located himself in the very best place he could
have found to fish for steamboats, that tall dead
tree with a single living branch is not going to
last long, and then how is a body ever going to
get through this blind place at night without the
friendly old landmark'.’”
As the pilot loses the romance of the waters, su
the instructed weather man must lose the romance
o| sun and htce/.e ami cloi.it and azure sky. All the
high elements of nature poetry will disappear like
Twain* dissolving bar. Wordsworth lived before
the aneroid barometer was part of the equipment of
every household. When he saw the wind in the
daffodil* tor, to be scientific, when he saw the
effect of the wind there) he just enjoyed the view,
and let himself he gay in such a jocund company.
Afterwards he went home and did his poem.
'the modern Wordsworth would not find poetry
in the dancing daffodils. He would carefully note,
before leaving home, how the barometer stood, and
perhaps he would set the cunning little red hand to
have a check on it* conduct during his absence.
When he saw the flower* fluttering in the breeze,
he would think “A gusty wind like that, close to
the ground, means, in conjunction with a falling
barometer, that we are likely to have a sudden and
violent storm I'd belter hurry hack home and make
sure the window* nf the car are closed." And no
poem
Thu* it appears likely that, a* we become scien
tific weather experts, we shall lose a* well as gain.
Nothing in this life is won without payment of
some sort. For exact knowledge of high*, lows,
front* and the rest of it. you must give up the
pleasing uncertainty which fosters hope that to
rorrow will be a better day. For a pilot's knowledge,
you must sacrifice the esthetic delight of a layman's
view of the river. For school wit, you must pay a
sadly large amount of mother wit. For a Ph D., you
must abandon at least half of your ordinary com
mnn sense
Somehow, the oppressive heat of July and Au
gust used to be more tolerable w'hen we look each
day as it came, without knowing that our distress
was caused by a mean mass of tropical-gulf air
moving up the valleys, and lots more of it to come.
And a cool day came with a special delight when we
did not have it explained to us in term* of polar
Pacific currents, likely to be turned off at any
moment.
Sometime* the vile thought occur* that it might
be a more pleasant life if we were not an all-fired
scientific.
ASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON—Did the Rig
Four meeting just held at Ge
neva, Switzerland, mark the be
ginning of a new era in inter
national relations, or was it
merely the introduction of a new'
tactic by the Russians?
That is a question being asked
here, but it is pretty well under
stood that only time will tel].
Not too much detail is known
about the conversations of the
“summit” leaders at Geneva.
The meeting, as a whole, had
almost the atmosphere of a
Hollywood premiere, but the
talks of the top figures were held
in secret Rut. from whal
wp
There are those who believe
that the Russians scored a vic
tory by the mere fact that the
meeting was held. They hold
that Moscow was desperately in
need nf a “gimmick" to bolster
it* propaganda campaign, and
looked to the Geneva conference
to provide it. This, of course,
does not square 100 per cent
with the contention that Winston
Churchill first proposed the
“summit" meeting, and as a stim
ulus tn insure a Tory victory in
the recent British election*.
Whatever the prime origin,
the meeting wa* held, and it
LOUIS F. RUIJENZ
'the Geneva conference ha*
proved again that hitter experi
ence has pointed out: The Unit
ed States cannot negotiate with
Soviet Rus i a
except to our
detriment
We can best
measure this
e e ing “at
e summit”
by what e
common ists
told them
selves they
meant to
achieve. It was
all set down
Geneva in the
on the eve of
July issue of
Political Affairs, official then
retical organ of the conspiracy
in this country. The title of this
important directive article is “A
New Stage in the Fight for
Peace," and its author is a veter
an communist leader, Martha
Stone, recently indicted for viola
tion of the Smith Act.
We learn, in the very first
words, that "the convening of
this meeting (at Geneva) is a
most significant victory for the
world peace forces who have
been pressing for such talks and
negotiations." A leading stimu
lus to these forces has been "the
striking peace initiative of the
Soviet Union and the Chinese
People’s Republic.” This is pre
cisely the same thought present
ed by William Z. Foster in his
article on “the Geneva Confer
ence” in the Daily Worker
July 14
Redr Gain by Geneva Meet
The very holding of such an
assemblage was. therefore,
great gain for Soviet plan*. It
gave prestige to the phony Sovi
et propaganda for/ peaceful co
existence"—the first condition nf
which was, let us remember,
"Rig Power negotiations.”
This idea will now be expand
ed by Soviet propagandists and
that section of our press which
adheres to the communist line.
The cue is given to them in the
Slone article when it declares.
“The meeting at the summit wa*
imposed on the Eisenhower .ad
ministration
It Won't Go Away
What Took Place at Geneva?
do
know, it is evident that the pf
fects of the talks will be long
continuing.
provided for other talks to take
place after it* close Seemingly,
too, it laid the groundwork for
an exenange of visit* between
tnp Russian communists on the
one hand and top American and
British political figure* on the
other.
The more pessimistic here be
lieve that, if the ensuing talk*
keep up long enough, we will be
out of Formosa, Chiang Kai
Shek will be left to his fate, and
Red China will be in the United
Nations.
The more optimistic feel that
President Eisenhower brought off
something big with his peace
proposals. They say he not only
took the propaganda initiative
away from Moscow, hut also con
vinced a lol of people in the
Western countries, in Iron Cur
tain countries, and even in Rus
sia itself that the United
States really wants peace.
To the average American this
may not seem like much of an
achievement. He know* that this
country wants peace and ha*
always wanted it. And. he can
not understand how any one in
the world could ever have
doubted it.
Rut the fact remain*, some ob
servers here are quick to point
nut. there are and have been
considerable area* in the world
where the United State* i* held
in suspicion. That ha* been due,
They Got What They Wanted
It direct* it* fire at the Pre*
ident, a* one who “cannot he re
lied upon to ease the problems
that stand in the way nf world
peace.” It presents him as pre
pared to yield to “the McCarthy
ite*." into “merely going through
the motions of negotiations while
sabotaging them in fact."
Moscow's agents count upon
their ability to whip up such
anti-American sentiment in “the
prolonged period of negotia
tion*" which Miss Slone confi
dently predicted would come out
of Geneva and which has been
one of the sole concrete results
of that conference
On July 24 The New York
Tunes predicted that these pro
longed negotiation* will lead to
American abandonment of Que
moy, Matsu and Formosa and
recognition of Red China.
Rota of Neutralism
During that period of “pro
longed negotiations” the com
munists will advance "the role
of neutralism,” to which we have
given a great impetus on our own
part by merely being at Geneva.
The pro-peace, pro-democratic
role played by India and other
neutral countries is a new con
fribution in the fight for peace,”
the Stone article states. It does
not hesitate to add that this de
velopment has greatly facilitat
ed “improved relations” by Sovi
et Russia and Red China with
these “neutral nations."
The spread of "neutralism" is
counted upon to affect all Asia
and to bring about in the long
run the disarmament of West
Germany. By going to Geneva,
we have certainly not strength
ened the forces among the West
German people who understand
that Germany must be armed if
that country and the West are to
be saved.
Encouraged by their success
with Tito—and the Soviet-Yugo
slav arrangement is highly com
mended in the Stone article—the
communists mean to take advan
tage nf the "peace" atmosphere
at Geneva to pres* on to West
German disarmament.
The word “Forbidden" is plac
ed by the Stone article on any
partly to Soviet Russian propa
ganda victories in the past, and
partly to our own mistakes.
Now, thanks to the widespread
publication of President Eisen
hower’s words (even Moscow
Radio broadcast the president
tele i Jon speech, and Pravda
commented upon his proposals,
many more people in Europe,
and even in Russia, know that
we stand for peace. Some news
agencies have reported state
n\ents by Americans in Soviet
Rfissia that they find themsel
ves being greeted more cor
dially.
Could all this mean that Mos
cow has at least abandoned its
blustering, bullying method of
dealing with people? Is that why
the “summit" leaders from Mos
cow were such jolly fellows at
Geneva?
Or, was the show of good fel
lowship merely a new device?
Was it to keep the Geneva
meeting from collapsing alto
gether—while promising noth
ing and to provide for a sub
sequent meeting to keep us
talking? We are noted for los
ing conferences Maybe the Rus
sions feel that if they can keep
us talking long enough, we’ll talk
ourselves into precisely the po
sition they want.
Certainly, Geneva will go down
in history as a most unusual
conference.
“interference" in the internal
affair* of the People’* democra
cies" and on any discussion of
“international Communism.” That
was whal the Kremlin also order
ed in advance, and it was what
actnally developed at Geneva.
The enslaved peoples of the sat
ellite regimes were in fact left
helpless and hopeless, without a
genuine spokesman against the
tyranny which oppresses them.
The few words on "East-West
relations" did not go to the heart
of the matter, did not give hope
to these oppressed peoples, but
quite the contrary in that "trade”
and "interchange of ideas” be
came the subject of the discus
sion. This approach has merely
opened up the way for greater
ease of Communist infiltration
into every avenue of American
life.
Visiting Soviet Farmers
Already. under the false
"peace" atmosphere of Geneva,
we have welcomed Soviet “farm
ers" into the Middle West, when
anyone with a scintilla of knowl
edge about the Soviet dictator
ship would know' that only trust
ed agents in the guise of “farm
ers” are permitted to leave the
“Iron Curtain" countries. Our
own farmers, going over there,
will never be allowed to witness
the slave labor camps or to see
anything but whal Moscow wants
them to see.
The United States is being op
ened up for Red infiltration as
never before, except in the years
of folly of World War 11. This
i* confidently predicted by the
Stone article, which states that
the "international peace develop
ments" out nf Geneva will have
“far-reaching consequence.*’’ in
our own country. They will "de
liver a major blow to the Mc
Carthy’s and other Fascist forces
who plot the destruction of dem
ocratic rights.” They will open
up the way "for a people's vic
tory." which, of course, is a Com
munist victory.
It is high time that the cam
paign for breaking off relations
w’ith Soviet Russia, already de
veloping strength, be pushed
to full momentum.
Inquiry Corner
Q. W hat are the signs hy
which we can recognize the anti
Christ?
A. It is not at all certain that
we will be able to recognize him.
While most authorities agree
that the anti-Christ will be a
definite person there are not
enough definite signs to identi
fy him. The title has been ap
plied to various leaders who op
posed the Church or Christian
ity in general, from Nero to Hit
ler and Stalin. From all the
referenrt it would seem that
w-e can say only that he will
be an enemy of Christ who will
embody the powers of evil at the
time of the second coming of
Christ at the end of the
world.
Q. What is Catholic Action?
When was it started?
A. Catholic Action as defin
ed by Pope Pius XI (called "|he
Pope of Catholic Action") as
“the participation of the laity in
the apostolate of the Hier
archy." The modern form which
has been defined and described
so well in the writings of Pope
Pius XI might be said to have
been originated by St. Pius
who coined the motto* (adapted
from St. Paul): “To Restore All
Things in Christ.” From the be
ginning of the Church, however,
there has been an equivalent ac
tivity on the part of the laity
(Philippian* 4:2-3).
Q. What is Indifferentism? Is
»1 the same ax tolerance?
A. Indifferentism is the error
*f those who hold that,
religion is as good as another.
While true tolerance accepts the
sincerity of those who have false
ideas in religion or in any
other field it does not mean
indifference to error or evil. ,We
do not allow a child to play with
razor blades or fire, no matter
how sincere or serene he may
appear to he. The teaching of
God. the commands of God are
ignored by the promoters of In
differentism, for they talk about
“the Church of your choice" as
though our choice need not heed
the teaching or authority of God.
/. Who is the patron saint of
engineers? Of bankers?
And meanwhile this Washing­one
tonian is going to use the weather
as a temporary excuse for a new
kind of column a series of dis
connected hot-weather comments
on several unrelated problems in
place of a connected, cold-weath
er essay on a single issue.
Name for Labor Merger
No. 1. Our first comment ap
propriately comes under the
heading of a Midsummer s Night.
Dream. A top level AFL-CIO com
mittee recently met in Washing­
ton of a hot humid evening to
choose a suitable name for the
unified labor movement which
is expected to come into exist
ence dn December. The AFL natu
rally insisted on calling the baby
AFL the CIO naturally wanted
something new and different. As
we have already said, it was a
very hot night (one of the worst
of the year, in case our charming
friend from Sweden is still listen
ing) and the conferees were anx
ioius to get home and take their
shoes off. So they dreamed up
a compromise. They decided to
call the baby AFL and CIO.
A. The patron saint of engin
eers is St. Ferdinand, whose
feast is May 30th. He was ruler
of Leon and Castile in Spain
and in 1248 completed a mili
tary campaign w’hich removed
the power of Mohammedanism
in Spain. St. Matthew, the
Apostle, is named as patron ef
bankers. Known as Levi he was
4 publican or tax-collector be­
Father Healey-............—
Meanwhile it is rather encour
aging to learn that the AFlz
C1O merger is definitely sched
uled for December. In our opin
ion, the merger will be good for
labor and good for the
country.<p></p>Weather
MONSIGNOR HIGGINS
fore Christ called him
Apostle. His feast day ic Sept
ember 21st.
Q. Is there any set antaimi
that one should contribute te
the Church? How can anyone
know if he stns by failing
contribute to the support of the
parish? Shouldn't the Church
make this law more specifte
e g. tithes?
A. There is no set amount re
quired for fulfilling this precept
of the Church. The Catechism
states that each is “obliged
bear his fair share of the finan
cial burden of the Holy See. of
the diocese and of the parish.”
Canon hw (No. 1496) state* that
the Church has a right to expert
the "necessary means for con
ducting divine worship, for the
decent maintenance of the clergy
and other ministers, and for her
other proper purpose*. A
man could sin by neglert
in attending a parish oth«
er than his own (without
permission or consultation) and
contributing to that one to th*
neglect of his own. There arg
certain obvious means of irwp
porting the parish (and oHier
above-mentioned causes) and a
man who does not give accord
ing to his means and the need
should be able to know or should
ask in confession. Tithes (usual
ly one-tenth) are too rigid to be
applied as part of any Church
law, but of course they repre
sent an ideal for the individual
to keep in mind.
Q. When a person is up far
canonization and the Church
questions his worthiness may the
confessor of that person rerent
any past confessions? I thought
that the seal of confession can
be broken after a person's death.
A. The seal of confession can
not be broken after a person’*
death or at any time. Canon No.
2027 in speaking of witnesses to
the heroic virtue (or lack of it)
in the candidate for beatification
lists those who CANNOT be wit
nesses. The first category men
tioned is that of confessor. Can
on No. 1757 also states that
"p.-iests in reference to all thing*
of which they gained knowledge
from saciamental confession" are
disqualified from acting as wit
nesses. It may be that a priest
who acted as spiritual director
to a holy person could certify to
the holiness of that person, but
he certainly may not discuss or
reveal anything revealed in con
fession.
Send question* to Father Ed
ward F. Healey, Inquiry Corner,
The Catholic Time*. Rox 636, Co
lumbus 16, Ohig.
Hot Comment
For one thing, it will make it
easier for the labor movement
to organize the unorganized
workers in the services and
in the trades. Anybody who
thinks that this isn’tthat
necessary
ought to look into the labor prob
lem in the hotel industry in Mi
ami Beach, Florida Which brings
us, rather logically, to our sec
ond hot-weather comment.
A visiting Swedish actress re
marked in a recent interview
(which was probably held in an
air-conditioned room) Amer
icans talk about the weather too
am u and
thereby lea v e
the impression
that they are
less intelligent
than they real
ly ate. Well,
i n elligent or
not, those of us
who live in
Hotel Strike in Miami
No. 2. Since April 13 a hotel
strike has been underway in Mi
ami Beach. Twenty-two hotel*
are now engaged, with three
thousand hotel worker* involv
ed. The strike legitimate and
W a s i ngton
(which is sev
er a 1 hundred
miles south of
e Swedish
fiords) are going to go right on
talking about the weather until
somebody does something about
it.
long overdue, but the union i«
running into all kinds nf ob
stacles, including a lack of erw
operation from the press, not on
ly in Miami Reach but in other
parts of the United State* at
well.
According to the union s Wash
ington news bureau, a group of
Miami Beach hotels wired news
papers in 75 cities threatening
libel suits if they published th«
union’s advertisements implying
that a strike was in progress. Ac
cording to the same source, it is
a fact that between June 8 and
July 8 no newspaper in the Unit
ed States would accept the un
ion’s ads. A new piece of copy
was finally prepared, and is
known to have been accepted by
two of the principal paper* in
Cincinnati. It is reported, how
ever, that some papers are still
rejecting the unions’ copy.
If this report is accurate, it
raises some embarrassing ques
tions about freedom of the pres*.
Ditto for another report which
says that many of the principal
papers in New York City failed
to report a recent speech hy
Frank Hogan, District Attorney
of New York County, accumng
dishonest business interests of
being responsible to a large ex
tent for gangster control of the
New York waterfront.
Steel Wages and Prices
No. 3. Speaking of newspapers
also reminds u$ of the price of
steel. Newspapers, right and left
(geographically speaking) arg
talking about the recent increasg
in the price of steel, but they
are disagreeing with one another
right and left (ideologically
speaking) as to the eausp of this
increase. The papers on the so
called right are saying that it
was all the union’s fault. In other
words, they are blamihg it on
the wage increase which was
granted recently to the members
of the United Steel Workers of
America.
Contrariwise, the papers art
pointing out, among other things,
that the annual cost of the 15
cent wage increase will be ap
proximately $200 million, where
as the price increase of $7.40 a
ton will yield approximately
$600-$700 million a year addition
al income to the steel industry.
If these figures are reasonably
accurate, the steel industry has a
little explaining to do. Perhaps
it is too hot to talk about arith
metic just now, but, come the
Ides of September, many Amer
icans would, be interested in
knowing why the steel industry
raised prices 3 cents for every
cent in wage increase and why
so many newspaper* automatical
ly put the blame nn the Steel
workers union.