Evening star. [volume], April 23, 1938, Page A-4, Image 4

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Chamber Meeting May 2-f
9 to Make Appraisal of
Wagner Act.
By the Associated Press.
The United States Chamber ol
Commerce suggested today that re
vision of the Labor Relations Acl
should be included in a legislative
program to combat the receasion.
The chamber announced that its
meeting here May 2-5 would make a
“searching appraisal" of the Wagner
Act “and of the possibilities of
changing that satute so as to prevent
It from producing further obstacles to
recovery.”
Senator Burke, Democrat, of Ne
braska, who has urged a congessional
investigation of the Labor Relations
Board, will address the chamber, the
announcement said.
The chamber made public a com
mittee's analysis of the act which
said that It had “created a direct in
ducement for competing unions to
seek to win away members from rival
organizations through strikes, threats
of strikes ar.d other coercive acts.”
If the act is to “operate in the
public interest,” the committee said,
It should adhere to these principles:
"To the extent that it is feasible
for the Federal Government to pro
tect employes against interference in
the exercise of the right of self-organ
ization, such protection should extend
to practices engaged in not only by
employers but by employes and others,
“Legislative restrictions affecting
employer-employe relations should tx
60 clearly and definitely set forth lr
the statute as to enable all partiei
concerned to understand their right!
and obligations.
“These restrictions should apply onlj
to practices that are properly subject
to Federal regulation.
“All provisions of the act should tx
so formulated as to assure Impartially
of administration as between employer!
and employes and as between partic
ular kinds of labor organizations.”
STEEL EMPLOYES
VOTE ON WAGE CUT
Unique Labor Election Held in
Pittsburgh—Reduction Needed,
Says Firm's Head.
ST the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, April 23.—The 700
employes of the Apollo Steel Co. en
gage in an unique labor election
today—to decide whether they will
accept a wage cut as a means of
re-employment. Voting by secret ballot
begins at 2 p.m.
The workers heard an equally unique
debate last night in which their em
ployer, A. M. Oppenheimer, company
president, explained his side of the
situation, and Harold J. Ruttenberg of
the C. I. O. Steel Workers’ Organizing
Committee talked against accepting
a reduction.
Mr. Oppenheimer said the Apollo
plant, closed since April 1, could have
operated at about 35 per cent ca
pacity had wage cuts ranging from
5 cents an hour to a straight 5 per
cent been accepted by the men.
“We have been losing money under
the existing scale of pay and it ap
pears unlikely we will be able to reopen
unless you men agree to take less
pay,’’ Mr. Oppenheimer asserted.
The union spokesman said the only
way to halt the depression “within a
period of months" was by maintaining
wage scales.
EUGENE LEGGETT’S WIFE
SUES FOR RENO DIVORCE
Cruelty Is Charged to Director of
Emergency Council—Custody
of Child Is Asked.
Suit for divorce wm filed in Reno
yesterday by Mrs. Dagmar Carlson
Leggett, wife of Eugene S. Leggett,
director of the National Emergency
Council and former newspaper man.
Mrs. Leggett charged cruelty and
asked the custody of their one child.
The Leggetts were married in Detroit
February 23, 1924, and formerly lived
at 3024 Macomb street N W.
Before becoming affiliated with the
council Mr. Leggett was head of the
Washington Bureau of the Detroit
Free Press and president of the Na
tional Press Club.
PANAMA CANAL SOCIETY
Col. Thatcher and Dr. Clark to
Be Among Guests.
The third annual dinner of the
Panama Canal Society of Washington
will be held at 8 o’clock tonight at the
Mayflower Hotel. Among the guests
will be Col. L. M. Thatcher, only living
member of the Panama Canal Com
mission, and Dr. C. L. Clark of the
Canal Zone, head of the Col. Gorgas
Memorial Institute.
One of the features of the enter
tainment program will be a showing
of a picture series of the,canal from
Its construction to the present time.
For ‘100 Per Cent D. C. Suffrage’
Ip.C.VOTE
l llzc~cfl(urman of the Citizens’ Committee on District Suffrage and vice
president of the District Suffrage Association, and Wilbur S. Finch, chairman of the Suffrage
,3r?'y£lttef'4Wl\° l?*sJ nifA* addressed a suffrage mass meeting at Central High School. “We
will be content with, nothing short of 100 per cent District suffrage,’’ Mr. Stull declared.
__—Star Staff Photos.
Suffrage
(Continued From First Page )
National Representation for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
"The conference hereby Indorses
_the principle of a republican form of
government for the District of Colum
bia as proposed in Section 1 of the
Lewis-Randolph Joint Resolution as
the ultimate objective in local self
government, and pledges its own
efforts and bespeaks the assistance of
all other citizens and organizations in
the District towards securing the
eventual ratification of an amend
ment to the United States Constitu
tion embodying such a provision.
Reorganization Asked.
“In orde>- to effect that well-knit or
ganization of District citizens primar
ily essential for the conduct of the
necessary activities in the several
States to secure their ratification of
the amendments to the United States
Constitution required to make effective
the principles indorsed in the two pre
ceding paragraphs, and in order that
definite progress may in the meantime
be made in the suffrage movement, the
conference shall immediately take
steps to secure through appropriate
congressional action the reorganiza
tion of the District of Columbia gov
ernment into a modern, efficient and
economical municipal government, with
adequate provision for the effective
I participation by District citizens in
| the election and control of such gov
j emment consistent with the present
congressional power of exclusive legis
lation over the seat of government."
It was this third point to which ob
jection was raised by Sylvester L. Mc
Laurin. colored, of the Central North
west Citizens’ Association. He com
plained it was not comprehensive
enough, and intimated that the Dis
trict might be satisfied with munici
pal suffrage if it failed to get na
tional representation.
Chairman Stull of the Resolutions
Committee stirred applause when he
declared flatly in reply: “We will not
be content with anything short of 100
per cent suffrage. Our resolution
means municipal suffrage pending
adoption of a constitutional amend
ment granting full suffrage."
Further Study Rejected.
Efforts of several delegates to refer
the resolution to the constituent bodies
of the conference for study and action
at the next meeting were defeated.
Strongest advocate of such delay was
John Paul Jones, of the Federation of
Business Men’s Associations, who said
his delegates were ’’instructed,” and
the resolution as it stood was "not in
conformity * with our instructions.”
Another delegate from this federation
declared he could not vote at all on
the resolution as a whole, because he
was instructed in favor of part of It,
but not for some of the rest of it.
In its preamble, the resolution de
clared that according to the "political
philosophy of the Declaration of In
dependence of the United States and
the universal practice of all demo
cratic nations, governments are re
garded as created by the people, de
riving their powers from the consent of
the governed, and are instituted
among men to promote their safety
and happiness and to secure to the
people the enjoyment of their funda
mental rights.
“One of the fundamental rights of
American citizenship,” it was pointed
out,” is a participation by the citizens
in the malting of the laws to which
they are subject ahd in the choice of1
the officers selected for the adminis
tration of those laws.
Sees Constitution Defeated.
“By a technical interpretation of,
the Constitution of the United 8tates,” I
it continued, "an interpretation con
trary In spirit at least to the real in
tent of the framers of that instrument,
the residents at the seat of Government
of the United States, the heart of the
world's democracy, are deprived of
this fundamental right.
"Notwithstanding the denial of this
fundamental right to the citizens resi
dent at the seat of government, they
nevertheless must pay national and lo
cal taxes, obey national and local
laws, go to war in the Nation's defense,
and in the Republic are equal in in
telligence, in public spirit, in patrio
tic devotion, and in every other dis
tinctive American characteristic.
"The denial to them of this funda
mental right places them in the po
litical status of the convict and tne
lunatic.
"It is becoming more and more evi
dent." it was pointed out, "from ex
pressions of opinion by members of
our national legislature and by respon
sible private citizens that congres
sional consideration of the govern
mental affairs of the seat of govern
ment is too cumbersome and slow to
be effective that they are an undue
burden upon Congress, and that Con
gress should be relieved of these rela
tively minor, but nevertheless impor
tant and numerous questions.
Political Equality Goal.
“Many citizens of th« District, both
individually and collectively, have
consistently sought to lift themselves
from their present state of complete
political helplessness to one of politi
cal equality with their fellow citizens
resident in the several States.”
The Executive Committee of the
Campaign Council and the Resolutions
Committee of the conference were
Jointly charged with the “responsibil
ity of deciding upon and taking such
steps as may be necessary to effect in
the name of this conference the ob
jects mentioned.”
Representative Norton in her tele
gram said:
“As a former chairman of the Dis
trict Committee, realizing the disad
vantages to the District under present
law, may I urge every resident to
vote on April 30, so that Congress may
know definitely whether or not you
want representation in'Congress and a
voice in your own Government. This
should be very important to every
citizen.”
William H. Mondell, vice chairman
of the Campaign Council and chair
man of the Elections Committee, later
called a meeting of precinct chairmen
present to outline plans for the refer
endum, April 30,
Polls Open 1 to 9 P.M.
The polls, in 63 schoolhouses, he an
nounced, will be open from 1 p.m. to
9 p.m., except In those precincts where
the local organisations may raise suf
ficient funds to pay for keeping the
buildings open longer hours.
Mr. Mondell expressed the opinion,
in answer to a question from the floor,
that if Congress authorises a muni
cipal vote, such for instance as is
planned by the Celler bill, it would
not interfere with the legal voting
rights of people living here, but who
maintain legal voting residences in
the States.
Arthur Clarendon Smith, a vice
chairman of the Campaign Council,
discussed financial plans of the organ
isation, and urged purchase of the
campaign buttons, at 10 cents each.
A big vote is needed, he declared, to
Impress Congress with the extent of
the real demand for suffrage here. "We
must have 100,000 votes," he said.
Days of Revolution Recalled.
Chairman Pinch harked back to the
days of the American Revolution for
inspiration to call his workers to the
polls April 30.
"Let us go back,” he said, "to the
events of the latter part of the 18th
century when our forebears, old and
young, rich and poor, pledged, and
sacrificed their lives, their fortunes
and their sacred honor to secure to
themselves and their posterity that
social, economic, religious and politi
cal freedom, which today makes our
beloved country a bea/con light to the
distressed and afflicted in foreign lands.
"Read the Declaration of Independ
ence,” he admonished, "and as you
read, note the similarity of present
conditions in the District today with
the fundamental causes set out in that
instrument as a justification for the
bloody struggle between our forebears
and their cousins across the sea. Bee
if you cannot perceive in our present
movement a repetition, though upon a
smaller scale of the American Revo
lutionary War, but with ballots being
used instead of bullets. And when you
have convinced yourselves of this fact,
I am sure the spirit of ’78 will be re
born in your hearts."
Seated on the platform with the
speakers were other leaders on the
conference, including Mrs. Marguerite
L. Krenek, secretary; Harry s. Wen
der, Mrs. Clara Wright Smith, Mrs.
Ruth Lester Buchanan, Arthur Bern
stein, Qeorge Warren, Kenneth P.
Armstrong and Oeorge Rycraw.
Ceiler Bill Explained.
In hi* statement. Mr. Ceiler said:
"In preparation for the referendum. I
wish to make It perfectly clear that the
bill which I have Introduced in the
House to provide municipal self-gov
ernment for the District of Columbia,
in no way conflicts with the Joint
resolution introduced by Mr. Ran
dolph (Representative Randolph of
West Virginia) proposing an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States to provide a republican form of
government and representation in the
Congress for the District of Colum
bia.”
Mr. Ceiler said that while a con
stitutional amendment is necessary to
provide full representation for the
District in Congress, he added that
"this would not be the first time that
our great Constitution was amended
to extend the democratic rights of the
people.” As an example he cited the
fact that members of the Senate are
now elected by direct vote of the peo
ple "instead of by the original less
democratic method."
Amplifying his views in the Con
gressional Record, Mr Ceiler explained
that the bill he has introduced would
replace the District Commissioners
with a mayor and city council elected
by the people. He said this "is the
minimum to which the people are al
ready legally entitled and fulfills the
minimum obligation of the Congress
to the people of Washington."
Game Waits 17 Years.
Polish and Lithuanian teams have
Just played a football game over 17
years behind schedule. The contest
was arranged for October, 1920, but
when on October 9 of that year Polish
troops entered Vilna, then in Lith
uanian territory, the match could not
be played. Some members of the or
iginal teams took part in the 1938
game and others were represented by
their children.
Coast Guard Goes to Aid of Grounded Animal Ship
Loaded with a cargo of animals from India, the British
freighter City of Salisbury is shown in this air view as she
rested hard aground at the entrance to Boston Harbor. This
en r-.
photo was made as the Coast Guard cutter Chelan (upper
left) arrived to give aid,
—Copyright, A. P. Wirephoto.
DIELS HNS
• FOR OIL PARLEY
Envoy to Mexico to Confer
at State Department
~ Today on Seizure.
Josephus Daniels, Ambassador to
Mexico, who arrived here by plane
last night, was scheduled to confer
with State Department officials today
concerning Mexico's seizure of Ameri
can-owned oil properties.
Arriving at the Washington Airport
at 6 o'clock, Ambassador Daniels de
clined to discuss the oil situation, say
ing any comment along this line would
have to come from the Secretary of
State. All he would aay about Mexico
was that the people of the country
were for President Cardenas—and
then he hastened to make it plain
that this statement had no connec
tion, ao far as he waa concerned, with
the oil situation.
The 75-year-old newspaper pub
lisher and one time Secretary of the
Navy, waa perfectly willing, however,
to discuss his approaching golden
wedding anniversary. He said he
would join his wife in their Raleigh
(N. C.) home next week for a suitable
observance of the anniversary.
Mr. Daniels said he was on his way
to New York to attend the Associated
Press anniversary dinner Monday. He
is one of the founders of the news
service.
The Ambassador will return to
Washington briefly en route to
Raleigh. He expects to go back to
Mexico, he said, in a few weeks.
Washwoman Is Heroine.
Stopping her washing, Mrs. P.
Brown ran into the street in Tilbury,
England, seised a runaway horse by
the bridle and hung on until the
frensied animal stopped just before
dashing into a group of children, then
returned to her washing.
Daniels Here for Oil Parley
*
Josephus Daniels, American Ambassador to Mexico is
shown as he arrived here yesterday via American Airlines to
confer with State Department officials on recent oil develop
ments in Mexico. —Underwood & Underwood Photo.
HUMANE GROUP TO MEET
Thomas W. Pond of Baltimore
president of the International Con
ference for the Investigation of Vivi
section, will speak on "Kindness tc
Animals" at a meeting of the Humane
Education Society at 8 o'clock to
night at 1414 Sixteenth street N.W.
Plans will be discussed for joint
activities with the Animal Protective
League and other groups for observ
ance of "Be Kind to Animals Week"
which began today with "Humane
Sunday.”
CZECH ELECTIONS
10 TEST NATION
‘Easter Peace’ Nears End.
Nazis Influential in Many
Communes.
By th. AasocLtcd Pres«.
PRAHA, Czechoslovakia, April 33.—”
The political "Easter peace" neared
Its end today and Czechoslovakia
entered a period of crucial testing.
Responding to agitation among self
conscious minority groups, especially
by Konrad Henleln's Nazy party among
3.500.000 Sudeten Germans, the gov
ernment yesterday announced long
postponed communal elections would
be held.
Elections will begin May 23 in
11.000 out of 15,000 communes, in
cluding many where the population
is predominantly German.
On June 12 similar elections will
be held in Slovak and Carpathian
district*. Elections in 4.000 precinct*
with purely Czech populations do not
fall due fot some time.
Czech political circles viewed with
some apprehension the meeting of
Henlein’s party Sunday at Karlsbad.
Henlein and his sub-leaders were
expected to come out clearly with
their program and demands upon the
Czechoslovak government for a large
degree of autonomy.
It was thought probable that in or
der to secure some seats in the com
munal administration, deputies of the
various Czech parties would run on
a combined list. Practically all Ger
mans are united under Henlein.
Henlein's cause was assured more
support yesterday when the Protestant
churches in Czechoslovakia pledged
him their unswerving loyalty.
Protestantism in Czechoslovakia,
however, is confined almost entirely
to a small number of German dis
tricts.
Woodward
&
LOTHROP
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