Evening star. [volume], April 16, 1947, Page A-13, Image 13

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Frank R. Kent
TheGreatGameof Politics
^ftlititoians Called Stupid for Trying
—Conciliate Bluffing CIO Bosses
If the situation were not so serious, the great political bluff of
the CIO labor bosses and the extraordinary stupidity of the
Democratic politicians who try to conciliate them would be laugh
able. As things are, the spectacle presented is certainly one of
which few detached Americans can help but feel ashamed.
Only the extreme gullibility dt so many citizens, plus the
potency of the costly publicity setup,
which is their indispensable asset,
makes possible the sort of things
that happened in Washington las!
Sunday, speak
ing before 200
CIO delegates
gathered in what
they called a
"legislative con
ference,” the
pompous Mr.
Philip Murray,
in his usual re
strained, way,
asserted that all
the pending
labor proposals
are designed for
"the destruction
of labor,’’ heat
edly denounced
their supporters for "treacherom
conduct,” spoke of their sponsors a;
"diabolical legislators” engaged in i
"drunken orgy,” charged that busi
ness was "trying to force strikes’
and declared the CIO to be th<
“greatest crusading liberal organiza
tion in the United States.”
Murray Assailed.
The vituperative violence anc
greasy self-laudation of Mr. Murraj
was followed by similar attacks from
Secretary James Carey and an "an
alysis” of the main bills by Mr. Lee
Pressman, chief propaganda director
cf the CIO, very influential in its
councils and a gentleman who often
has been charged with strongly fav
oring the Communist element, which
dominates so many of its unions,
But the real absurdity was when in
the midst of this "great crusading
liberal gathering,” whose leaders
persistently prate of their piety and
patriotism, there arose a duly ac
credited and well-known delegates—
Mr. Irving Potash, vice president of
the Pur Workers’ Union, who threw
the meeting into something of a
turmoil by declaring that "I speak to
you as a Communist.”
As a Comtnunist, he urged “unity”
in the organization and asked that
it not encourage “witch hunting.”
Mr. Pressman likewise denounced
“witch hunts,” which he declared
are part of the "reactionary pro
gram” to destroy labor.” Clearly, of
course, what Mr. Potash, the open
Communist, who, by the way, also
is a leading member of the CIO's
top political committee, and Mr.
Pressman, who is regarded as a pro
Communist, mean by "witch hunt”
is any effort to shake the CIO loose
from the Communist grip or to rid
the Government of emplpyes sus
pects i of Communist affiliation.
Embarrassed, the patriotic Mr.
Murray ruled Mr. Potash’s remarks
not “germane" to the discussion and
begged the delegates to “stick to the
business at hand,” which, naturally,
was to expose the “drunken orgies”
and “treacherous conduct” of those
who sponsor or support labor legis
lation.
Truman Efforts Cited.
Now. it is interesting to point out
that the man responsible for this
so-called "witch-hunt” is President
Truman. Just a short time ago Mr.
Truman initiated an effort to dig
out of the Government employ all
those suspected of disloyalty or of
affiliation with communism. There
is great opposition to this among
the "liberals,” who along with other
reasons assert that it will cost too
much money, which is a strange
argument, indeed, for a liberal to
make.
It is also interesting to recall that
it was the Roosevelt Attorney Gen
eral. Mr. Francis Biddle, who pub
licly declared that the Communist
Party Is a "subversive agency whose
purpose is to overthrow the Govern
ment of the United States by violent
means.” Also, it is worth repeating
that the CIO is concededly satu
rated with communism and that
some 26 of its unions are concededly
Communist controlled.
Considering these facts, there are
two things which obviously make no
sense whatever. One is for the
CIO bosses to denounce any one
for "treasonable conduct." • The
other is for Mr. Truman's political
strategists to continue their alliance
with the Communist-infected CIO
and its top political committee, of
which Mr. Potash is just one Com
munist member. That is certainly
"working both sides of the street.”
Also, it is dishonest and'dishonor
able. Also, it is stupid. It could
be attempted only on the assumption
that the American voters have very
little memory and practically no
mind.
If under the CIO pressure qow
being exerted. Mr. Truman uses his
veto to kill labor legislation designed
to protect the American people it!
will shock a great many of them
who have more intelligence than
they get credit for. It would be
very disappointing if Mr. Truman
were not clear-headed enough to
see this and allow his not-over
bright political advisers to put him
in so unsound, illogical and un
profitable a position where—to put
it on the lower plane—he has
nothing to gain politically and a
great deal to lose.
4
Frank E. Kent.
Answers to .
Questions
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Evening
?t»r Information Bureau. 31« I street
N.E., Washington 2, D. C. Please ln
elose 3 cents for return postage.
By THE HASKIN SERVICE.
Q. Is the double-ring wedding
ceremony widely used at the presenc
time?—L. R.
A. A survey made by one of the
leading fashion magazines recently
indicated that about 65 per cent of
, the women who were questioned
| preferred the double-ring ceremony.
i Q Are any American plants car
.! nivorous?—R. V. L.
A. The three Americans plants
| that catch and eat insects are the
! sundew, the pitcher plant and the
Ven is flytrap.
Q. What causes the two figures In
a weather house to appear and dis
appear in turn as the weather
changes from fair to rainy?—R. K.
A. The weather house is an inven
tion which depends for its operation
upon a piece of catgut, to which is
attached a pivoted platform. On the
platform stand a man and a woman,
j The catgut in shortening or length
! ening turns the platform on its pivot.
! Catgut lengthens or shortens with
| the amount of water in the atmos
1 phere.
i _
Q. Why does a gentleman lift his
hat when greeting a friend?—S. I. G. j
A. This act of courtesy goes back'
to the age of chivalry, when it was!
! customary for a knight in full armor
upon entering an assembly of friends
to remove his helmet, signifying that
he felt safe in their presence.
Q. Where was the first garden club
in the United States?—H. O'L.
A. The first so-called garden club
was the Ladies’ Garden Club of j
Athens, Ga., founded in 1892 by E.1
C. Newton. However, the Cambridge:
Plant Club of Cambridge, Mass., was i
founded in 1889. it carried out the
activities of today’s garden clubs
while it did not bear the actual
name.
Q. What birds do not rear their
young?—B. E. E.
A. There are two outstanding par- !
asites in the bird world, the cuckoo
of Europe and the cowbird of Amer-1
ica. Neither raises its young. Soipe I
80 species of birds serve as hosts to
the eggs of the cowbird.
Q. Is it still correct to speak of
the U. S. S. R. as Russia?—W. K. V,
A. Though often used and con
venient, the name Russia is, strictly
speaking, not correct in referring to
the country as a whole. Officially
Russia is applied to the main one of
the 16 republics grouped together as
U. S. S. R.
Q. What famous historical paint
ing is noted for about a dozen er
rors?—,!. E. Q.
A. “Washington Crossing the Del
aware," by Emanuel Leutze. The type
of boat, the Dersonnel, the dress,
time of day, weather and the flag are
a few of the items incorrectly de
picted.
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McLemore—I
More Memories 1
Of the Model T
By Henry McLemore
Yesterday I wrote about the Model
T Ford, and it brought back so many
memories I can’t seem to stop. Like
every American who ever drove one,
I have 10,000
memories of the
hours I spent in,
under and
around the
Model T.
I was one of ,
the first “scorch- !
ers” in town to
install a foot
throttle in the
Mods} T. This
enabled me tq
step on the gas
without resort
ing to the hand
ratchet, and
gave me a great
advantage over the other boys be
cause I was always able to have my
right arm free for courting purposes.
What few muscles I have came
from cranking a Model T. Cranking
a Model T was adventure at its best.
One never knew exactly what was
going to happen. Unless the spark
ratchet was adjusted just right—and
no one ever knew what ‘‘just right”
was—the crank might turn on the
cranker, do a back spin, and break
his arm or wrist.
Even with the spark ratchet
perfectly placed, there was no
guarantee that the Model T, once
it felt power flowing through
its veins, might not take off and
run over its master. No one but a
beginner was ever foolish enough
to crank a Model T in an inclosed
place. One always allowed 10 to 15
yards for it to advance. This gave
the cranker time to sprint from in
front of the car, jump behind the
wheel and put on the brakes.
Speaking of brakes, the Model T
was the only car with three com
plete sets of brakes. There was the
foot brake, there was the hand brake
and there was the reverse pedal.
When the foot and hand brakes were
not enough to hold the car back, one'
could always slam on the reverse'
pedal and stop it.
I wonder if there ever wras a really
expert Model T driver. No matter
how much a fellow knew about the
Model T, or how long he had owned
one, or how many times he had i
taken it apart and put it back to
gether, there were certain times
when he started off that the Model
T would shake and shiver as if it
had a heavy chill or was in the first!
stages of St. Vitus dance.
The entire car and its occupants1
would shake like crazy until the1
driver stopped, started all over j
again, and made some delicate ad-j
justment between the clutch pedal'
and the throttle. It never straight-1
ened itself out. It would go on shak- i
ing forever unless the driver came to
a stop and brought about a compro
mise between the motor and the
clutch.
Nowadays, cars boast about one
man tops. The Model T was much
above that. It had a family top, and
I mean a big, strong family top. I
still have blood blisters from getting
my fingers caught in those rusty
hinges. And those side curtains!
They were made two inches too
small all the way ’round. And the
snaps never matched up. And, when'
a rain came up; every one had to get
outside to put up those curtains.
Honestly, I can smell those side
curtains now. A sweet blend of stale
isinglass and moldy canvas. And the
isinglass always turned tan and got
cracked. You couldn’t see through
It, but that didn’t matter. You could
always look down through the floor
board and see the road you were
traveling over.
But the Model T Couldn’t have
been so bad at that. After all, we
walked all week but on Sunday
afternoon we backed her out of the
?arage and took a long ride. So did
all our friends, and we waved to
them happily as Model T passed ’
Model T.
(Distributed by McNaught Syndicate, Inc.)
Henry McLemore.
I WANT A NEW SPRING
MALLORY
HAT
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If your hot is not
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Ranging from the moderately priced to
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M e also have
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small pianos
Harold L, Ickes
Man to Man
‘Competitive Economy’ Seen Freedom
To Dash Over Cliff to Depression
“ ‘The time has come/ the walrus said,
‘To speak of many things.
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
Ahd whether pigs have wings.’ ”
The foregoing quotation from that rare classic, “Alice Through
the Looking Glass” came to mind as I started to write this piece on
me rising cost oi living. And II'
pigs do not have wings, in this era
of “free economy” and “individual
initiative," how in the world did
they ever make
a new record or
$30 per hun
dredweight a few
weeks ago?
Nor has the
price of pigs
been the only
one that has
been soaring.
Generally speak
ing, farm prices,
which mean food
prices, have been
doing a little
soaring of their
own. Only a
short time ago. imu-L ieke«.
wheat sold in Chicago at more than
$3 a bushel. But whether farm
prices are going to be able to get as
high as the lobbyists for the Farm
Bureau would like to put them, the
farmers do not have to worry par
ticularly because within reach of
them stands their Government
ready to pay them a handsome sub
sidy. They may get hurt, but not
so much as some others. The costs
that have been up were already
“going upper” and those that have
been dragging their feet are testing
their wings for flight.
Recalls Last Year’s Words.
It was exactly a year ago this
month that I wrote in this column:
“Inflation is no longer a threat. It
has been emerging as a reality for
some time . . . The NAM and its
well-trained senatorial supporters
demand a return to a ‘free competi
tive economy,’ insisting that this is
the only sure way to regain full
productive capacity and prosperity
in the Nation. They argue that the
law of supply and demand would
automatically control our economic
destiny. This is pure hokum out of
some antediluvian professor’s text- i
book • *
ine only thing that seems “free”
today about our “competitive econ
omy” is the freedom to dash over the
cliff into a depression at full speed.
But perhaps this is not quite a
fair statement. We really have
"free competition” in another com
modity but no one would refer to it
as an “economy,” although that is
the use to which we should restrict
it. This truly “free competition” is
a competition in warnings, explana
tions, prognostications and “I told
you sos.” Maybe it was Edmund
Burke who said, “I know of no way
of judging of the future, except by
the past.” But, whoever it was, he
made a real point. He might even
have said, “I know of no way of
making a fool of myself except by
making a fool of myself.”
Let us disinter OPA for a moment, ,
just as the New York police recently
dug the body of Langley Collyer from
out of the booby trap that he had
contrived to protect himself but
which collapsed and destroyed him.
OPA has been the booby trap of the
great free and independent people
of the United States who insist upon
a “free economy” even if that means
starvation, want and economic col
lapse.
Never Set Up Property.
Of course, OPA was never set up
properly to begin with. The freez
ing of price* wa* on an "eeny,
meeny. miney, moe” basis. Some
were frozen and some remained un
frozen, depending on administrative
prejudices and political and economic
pressures. Leon Henderson tried to
do his best with a bad law and a
poor organization. But even he
could not manage the "free enter
prises.” He was succeeded, momen
tarily, by a lame-duck Senator from
Michigan, who was only tee glad to
gat bade to the upper peninsula and
stay there.
Then came Chester Bowles. He,
too, waa an honest man who believed
in telling the truth. He, too, tried
to do a good job. But after two or
three threats to resign, he did that
very thing when Mr. Truman ap
proved a wage Increase for steel
workers and at the same time al
lowed a generous rise in steel prices
which undoubtedly kept Wall Street,
which is so heavily represented now
in administrative circles in Washing- i
ton, in good humor.
Then came the Republican Con- j
gress, elected, its members felt, to act
as pall bearers for the OP A. Rigor
mortis had set in when Mr. Paul
Porter was appointed undertaker,
with the title of “Administrator.”
President Truman tried to persuade
Congress to pass an act, prolonging
the life of OPA. Nothing doing. The
“free competitive economy” of the
National Association of Manufactur
ers became the battle cry of the Re
publicans. Take off price control,
they insisted, Ind let economic na
ture assert itself.
They did and it is (with more to
come). :
(Copyright, 1947).
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