Evening star. [volume], August 12, 1947, Page A-11, Image 11

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
First Labor Law Test
Appears Recorded by
Connecticut F. of L.
By David Lawrence
The first clear-cut violation of the
Federal law which prohibits “ex
penditures” by labor unions and cor
porations in connection with con
gressional and
presidential
elections appears
to have been
recorded by the
• Connecticut
Federation
of Labor, which
Is reported to
have inserted
paid advertise
ments in Con
necticut news
papers advocat
ing the defeat of
certain members
of Congress.
The theory B»»id Lawrence,
under which some of the labor-union
leaders are proceeding is that Con
gress has no constitutional right to
regulate how expenditures shall be
ipade in connection with Federal
nlA/tf 1 am r
If the theory is upheld, it means,
of course, that corporations as well
as labor unions hereafter may spend
millions of dollars to influence the
outcome of a Federal election and
that Congress Is powerless to pass
any remedial legislation.
Test Seen Welcomed.
The labor-union effort to test the
law probably will be welcomed by
many corporations, which for years
have felt they were unduly dis
criminated against in. being pro
hibited from using paid advertis
ing space or from distributing
printed literature urging the elec
tion or defeat of particular candi
dates in Federal elections.
For, if the Supreme Court of the
United States says that the pro
vision of the Taft-Hartley Law regu
lating campaign expenditures is un
constitutional, then it means cor
porations, too, would be at liberty
to spend unlimited sums in connec
tion with elections.
Past decisions of the Supreme
Court in a number of cases have
affirmed the constitutional power of
Congress to regulate expenditures in
connection with an election. The
power has not been as clear writh
respect to primary elections as it
has been with final elections. It
may well be that the courts would
draw a distinction, in which case
expenditures on primaries might go
unregulated.
But Congress has been up against
this before and in connection with
huge expenditures in primaries in
Michigan and Wisconsin. While
there was no legislation on the
statute books, Congress assumed the
right to bar from seats those who
had spent excessive amounts.
If an excessive amount were spent
by a labor union to elect members
of Congress, it would not be neces
sary for a specific provision of the
statute to cover that contingency
so long as both houses of Congress |
retain the constitutional power to
make their own rules of admission.
It could well happen that mem
bers of Congress elected through
labor-union support, in defiance of
the provisions governing expendi
tures, would not have their court
tests completed by the time it
would be necessary for each house
to act on the eligibility of newly
elected members. Thus, well-mean
ing supporters who defy the Taft
Hartley Law's provisions on cam
paign .expenditures might be doing
a disservice to their friends by
engaging in apparent law violations.
Rights Qualified by Courts.
But there is no certainty, of
course, that the Taft-Hartley Law s
sections on campaign expenditures
will be ruled unconstitutional by the
courts. Many laymen, however, not
familiar with the reasoning used by
the Supreme Court in upholding
laws regulating campaign contribu
tions have jumped to the conclusion
that the Taft-Hartley Law's provi
sions interfere with the rights of
free •speech and freedom of assem
As a matter of fact, constitutional
rights have always been qualified
by the courts. The power to regu
late elections could be in certain
respects a limitation on the right
to freedom of speech and the press.
So also is the law of libel. So also
is the law prohibiting newspapers
from printing lottery numbers. So
also is the law against printing
obscene matter.
The theory behind the constitu
tional power to regulate elections
is that the right of Congress to
protect the people against undue
restraints and undue influence,
particularly through the use of
excessive amounts of money, is
within the regulatory power of Con
gress because freedom of elections
is^nore important than an unlim
ited right of expenditure.
It would seem incredible that
Congress would be held to be with
out any means of protecting the
people against the use of slush
funds concentrated on a particular
Congress member who votes his
convictions and who is himself lim
ited as to the amounts he can spend.
The labor-union lawyers probably
know better but are using the court
test idea on campaign expenditures
as a means of propaganda and
publicity in fighting the Taft
• Hartley Law itself.
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E
This Changing World
Talk of Naming Seversky to Defense
Post Emphasizes U. S. Lag in Air Power
By Constantink Brown
Alexander de Seversky, Russian
born plane designer and strong ad
vocate, since Pearl Harbor, of a
powerful air force, is being men
tioned in mili
tary and politi
cal quarters
a possible As
sistant Secretary
for Air in the
nejv national de
fense set-up.
The realiza
tion is growing
—as the inter
national s&ies
daily become
more clouded—
that in spite of
the Air Forces’
new autonomy
the United ConiUntln* Brown.
States is far behind Russia in mili
tary aviation. Dynamic personal
ities are needed in our military
aviation not only to stimulate pro
duction And training, but also to
devise entirely new types of air
craft.
Hitler’s estimate of the Soviet
Union in 1938 still holds good today.
According to papers found after the
collapse of Nazism, the Nazi leader
wrote, referring to Russia's war
potential: “Manpower inexhausti
ble; territory enormous; distances
dangerous to ■ invader; blockade
proof; industry only partially vul
nerable; masses opiated by commu
nism; army and air rorce largest in
the world.” m
Distance Has Shrunk.
At the time when this appraisal
of Russia was ipade by the world’s
No. 1 war criminal, aviation was
still in relative infancy. Distance
has been shrunk almost to nothing
by the advent of large, fast planes,
many of the Jet variety.
It is recognized in all military
quarters that aviation will play a
fundamental role, at least in the
early stages of another war. The
Russians fully understand this fact,
and the Communist Agitator's Note
book, an official Moscow publica
tion, stated on August 18, 1946:
"The aviation of the Soviet Union
cannot lag behind that of any other
country. Soviet planes must fly
higher, farther and faster than those
of other countries. We must have
th#» mnsfr nntrprfiil nviafinn in tho
world."
These thoughts were translated
into deeds within & year. Accord
ing to official figures published by
Moscow, the 1948 Soviet defense
fund is $4,000,000,000 greater than
ours. But while the United States
defense budget allots nearly 40 per
cent for the support of the Navy,
which is our first line of defense,
Russia spends little money on her
limited sea power. Moreover, Rus
sian military expenditures do not
include items such as manufacture
of weapons and military construc
tion, which are taken care of by
the Ministry of Heavy Industry and
Interior. According to the latest
available reports, the Soviet Union
will spend about $9,000,000,000 on
aviation in the forthcoming year.
Industry Permitted to Lag.
Comparative tables of present war
strength show that while the United
States has a ready striking force of
only about 1,500 planes, Russia has
14,000 planes in its tactical organi
zation and 20,000 in stored reserve,
with a total air personnel of 450,000
men. The latter constitute her first
lina racartra
In the summer of 1945 our air
force was the strongest in the world.
Since then we have permitted our
aircraft industry to run down. In
1944 we built 96,000 military aircraft.
In 1946 we built less than 2,000. We
are lagging in vital research and
have demobilized our regular avia
tion personnel so rapidly that our
•Air Forces are depleted.
We have lulled ourselves into a
false sense of security because the
Russians lack industrial "know-how.”
It is true that they are short on
technique, and if our productivity
were rated 100, Russia's rating would,
be little more than 25. But Russia
is improving in mechanical skill,
principally because it has been able
to lure tens of thousands of German
engineers, technicians and scientists
into her factories.
By promises of a good living and
by threats of reprisals these men
have been persuaded to work for the
U. S. S. R. and have been moved
into the eastern part of the Soviet
empire, together with the latest
German equipment. Thanks to their
skill, large supplies and vast man
power, the Russians will build 100,
000 aircraft of all kinds during 1947,
American military observers believe.
Aid Has Cut Defense.
This feeling of strength and the
knowledge that America is lagging
badly in air power—which will be
the most important factor in case of
another war—is believed to be re
sponsible for the Kremlin’s adamant
attitude in the United Nations and
her offensive activity in every part
of the world where we seek to re
establish peace in accordance with
the Atlantic and United Nations
VUUi l/Vt o<
We are approaching the problem
by granting financial assistance
abroad and by carrying the torch
of disarmament when the Soviet
Union is armed to the teeth. Al
though we have appropriated $20,
000,000,000 for foreign assistance pro
grams since 1945, and are talking
about a similar amount to help
Western Europe in the next five
years, we have cut deeply into our
national defense program, and es
pecially aviation.
So long as this particular arm of
national defense remains as weak
as it is today the Moscow leaders
will find encouragement to strike for
establishment of their supremacy In
the world.
'On the Other Hand’
Hopes Investigators Will Not
Discredit Needed Investigations
By Lowell Mellett
After the first of the world wars
there were investigations, even as
now. Doubtless there will be in
vestigations following the third
world war, un
less that one,
which so many
people seem bent
on bringing to
pass, should in
deed prove to be
the end of the
world.
X ULOV iU'VOli
gations are un
pleasant affairs
while they last.
They remind us
of qualities
witTlin ourselves
that we would
prefer to over- Lowell Meiiett.
look and have others overlook. They
bring to light the greed that afflicts
us and it isn’t a pretty thing to gaze
upon. Presently, when the first
excitement has died down, even
those with extra capacity for en
joying suffering of others will grow
weary of the revelations of what
some men were willing to do for
profit while their fellows fought for
their country. The shame of it
will cease to stir the peoples’ anger.
The anger will turn instead on those
engaged in probing the mess left
by the war.
"Hell and Maria!” a little man
exploded in the face of a House in
vestigating committee, a year or so
after the first world war. We were
at war, weren’t we, he demanded
to know; we won the war, didn’t we,
he shouted. Ugly things happen
in war. Let's forget them. That
isn’t precisely what he said, but
that was the purport of his out
burst. It met with enthusiastic and
fairly universal approval. The little
man understood the national
temper. The investigations did not
cease, but they no longer received
the Nation's whole-hearted atten
tion.
The little man was Charles G.
Dawes. He was a Chicago banker
and wartime brigadier general,
the Army's top procurement officer
overseas. Heard in the committee
room, his explosion was not nearly
as dramatic as it sounded In the
newspapers. Mr. Dawes, with his
underslung bulldog pipe, went in
heavily for he-man stuff, but his
performances usually were more
convincing in print than they were
in plain view. However, he did
understand his fellow countrymen
and he sensed correctly that the
shock of profiteering revelations had
quickly become dulled.
it wad, du auuii aitci tiic mot/
world war. It may soon be again.
Which will be unfortunate. Inves
tigations into the conduct of war
and the conduct of men during war.
serve a useful purpose. Modern war
engages the efforts of all the people,
but not all the people engage in
efforts that are honest and decent.
Their activities follow a pattern
made familiar by history. If we are
to continue to have wars, that pat
tern should become better and bet
ter understood. ■ It is not a thing
to be excused. If feelings are hurt
and reputations are ruined, that is
as it should be, provided the feel
mgs ana reputations oi men wno De
haved well are protected.
This puts a heavy, but not too
heavy, burden on the investigators.
Their own conduct must be above
suspicion and their purpose pure.
And if their purpose is political
in the narrow meaning of the word
—it cannot be pure. If, for example.
Senators Ferguson and Brewster,
who have taken up where the Tru
man Committee left off, have their
minds fixed on partisan political
capital to be made for the coming
campaign, the people of the United
States will obtain little or no bene
fit from their prying into war con
tracts.
XHVJI I V- CUUOVllUttU UlUliOClfPO
a court and even the judges must
come into court with clean hands.
Some aspects of the present in
quiry (now adjourned until No
vember) raise a question concern
ing the purity of the investigators'
motives. The preliminary hullaba
loo over Hollywood girls did not
suggest so much a serious effort
to uncover vital facts as an intent
to discredit somebody in advance.
And the whole approach, to the
part allegedly played by Elliott
Roosevelt suggested the same. For
instance, days spent seeking to
prove nothing more than a remark
able shortage of good taste in that
young man’s make-up. It may be
worth something — politically — to
make that point, but it does not
serve any real interest of the Ameri
can people.
It will be unfortunate if the Sen
ators succeed in discrediting their
own investigation. Too much re
mains to be known concerning the
conduct of war.
(Copyright, 1947, by Globe Syndicate.)
Oriental C:
TV cream to use before
tV evening dance. No
rubbing off-no touching
up. A trial will convince.
--
LOOKS OUT ON FRONT
STOOP FOR MORNING
PAPER, WHICH ISN’T
THERE
l
CARRIES IT, oOCWIWr
SOG6V, INTO HOUSE
‘ __________________
By Doris tleeson
After a grand finale of pure farce
the $64 question still is: Who ad
vised Senator Ferguson to cut his
losses and drop the Hughes hear
ings?
Because Sen
ator Vanden
berg sat poker
faced in a cor
ner throughout
Saturday's ses
sion, he fell un
der suspicion
i m m e d i a tely.
Vandenberg is
lone of the
'Senate Big
| Three; he is also
!the senior Sen
j ator from Mr.
j Ferguson's own Dori» rueson.
State, Michigan.
But other Republican leaders had
almost an equal chance to judge
for themselves the unfortunate
course of the hearings due to the
elaborate radio presentations made
possible for the first time in history
by Senator Ferguson’s own decision
to allow recordings. Throughout the
hot lights blazed and sound tracks
whirred as Senator quizzed witness
and vice versa.
Mr. Hughes at first protested dui
yielded and his sweat apparently
paid dividends, giving even the soap
box competition. According to one
pained pan-American official, the
net result In nls home was that
at night when he returned tired and
careworn from the hearings, the
little woman greeted him with:
"Isn’t it terrible the way Senator
Ferguson treats that poor Howard
Hughes?’’
Must Work Fast.
Senator Fergusbn promises to re
sume November 17; Senator Brew
ster has promised bigger and fiercer
hearings. They will have to work
fast. Their special committee dies
December 31 and it barely got by the
Senate last Januai7 when Senator
Brewster sought its renewal for
another year.
The Democrats fought it on the
high and holy ground that the re
organization act forbade special
committees. Senator Brewster cried
that much work.remained, it w'as es
sential to keep the trained staff
continuously at work, the hearings
must not be delayed.
He won—jusc. me Hearings ac
tually drifted for six months and
until now have been scarcely re
markable. The staff has been re
shuffled and new counsel employed.
There have been other vicissitudes
With much fanfare the committee
hired the ace inquisitor, former
Senator Wheeler, to conduct their
Arabian Oil inquiry and passed a
special bill enabling him to do it.
Suddenly Mr. Wheeler, after listen
ing to some preliminary hearings,
dropped out. He said he was busy.
Senator Pepper, a happy man, has
some turpentine to rulj into the Re
publican wounds. He said the
Hughes radio epics had completely
vindicated his proposal that all im
portant proceedings of Congress
should be broadcast, including daily
sessions and interesting committee
nearings.
To Reintroduce Bill.
At the "appropriate time,.” he said,
he would reintroduce his bill to set
up two short wave sending stations,
one on the Pacific and one on the
Atlantic, to “let the people hear.”
The principal defense of Senator
Ferguson comes from Hugh Fulton,
counsel to the committee for four
years while President Truman
headed it. Mr. Fulton is not dis
interested; he was later Mr. Hughes’
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THE MORNING NEWS —By Gluyas Williams
tit,
SEES MAN NEXT COOS
TAKING HIS PAPER IN,
SO KNOWS THE BOV
HAS BEEN AROUND.
TOURS GROUNDS,
SEARCHING
•V3-CZH-ZS?
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TK3HTLV POL LED, U^
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RARVOE SHRU&BERV
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PUXXLED BECAUSE
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FINDS ITS LASr WEEKS
PAPER HE COULDN'T Fl'NP
leaves for train in
VEJSV BAP HUMOR
Who Advised a Halt?
Vandenberg Suspected, but Others Could
Have Urged Hughes Hearing Recess
counsel ana as suen was auacaea dv
Senator Brewster and he fought
back
,But he has been on the inside of
both sides and he contends Senator
Brewster put Senator Ferguson in an
impossible position. His argument:
Though committee chairman,
Senator Brewster dealt privately
with a witness, Mr. Hughes, who
had already testified before a closed
session of the committee. Bad in
itself, it was worse because Senator
Brewster was pressing legislation
which Mr. Hughes opposed but
which was favored by Mr. Hughes’
principal competitor. This was ask
ing for trouble, especially with a
bold man like Mr. Hughes, and that
trouble was slipped over to Senator
Ferguson.
Nobody, according to the former
committee counsel, who is at least
experienced, thereafter could have
kept the hearings within bounds.
McLemore—
Two Sad Sacks
Cross Equator
By Henry McLemore
BELEM, Brazil. — Coming down
here from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad,
I and my fellow passengers on Pan
American’s Clipper Flight 201 were
given a magnifi
cent view of
Devils Island.
The flight chart
called for us to
fly over land
when we passed
that black mark
agamsi civiliza
tion, but there
was nasty weath
er in the inte
rior, so Capt.
Ralph Chapman
took the DC-4
out to sea to
miss it.
It was bright Henry McLemore.
and sunny over the water, and when
we came to Devils Island the cap
tain graciously lowered the plane
to some 2,000 feet in order to give
us a clear view of the site of what
was for years the world’s most
vicious penal colony. Devils Island,
some 30 miles north of Cayenne,
capital of French Guiana, but only
a few miles from the jungle that
makes up the interior, really is three
islands. They are close together,
but are separated by savage cur
rents, whose chief occupants are
hunerv sharks. '
Circle Three Islands.
Capt. Chapman, handling the DC
4 as if it were & Piper Cub, twice
circled the three islands. Looking
down from the air it was hard to
believe that the islands were the
cause of such suffering. They were
as pretty as Palm Beach or Cata
lina. On one island were what looked
like lovely homes of pink stucco.
These, the captain explained, were
where the wardens or superintend
ents or whatever they were called,
lived in near luxury while the poor
devils from Prance rotted and
starved only a few hundred yards
away.
So clear was the view from the
air, that we could see the horrible
pits of confinement; no more than
holes in the ground, with little or
no covering, so that the prisoners
were subjected to the violent heat of
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the sun and innumerable insects.
To our right was the mainland, the
place so many of the prisoners tried
to reach. One look at the jungle
and one could appreciate the price
they must have paid for freedom.
It is so dense that the sun never
penetrates it, and litCTally crawls
with savage animals, reptiles and
natives. The natives knew that
they could collect a substantial
bounty for each prisoner returned,
so they hunted them without mercy.
There is a report going around
that France, now that Devils Is
land has been abolished as a penal
colcny, will attempt to capitalize
iw gi utouujc ic(jutauuu uy man.
ing it a resort for tourists. It is
to be hoped that Prance won’t do
such a thing. To use the suffering
of untold thousands of men as
lure for travelers would be a dis
grace. Cayenne is filled with liberes
—men who have served their term
on Devils Island. They are the
real lost souls of the world. Sick,
ragged and unable to find work,
they live like animals. They are
free to return home, but few, if any,
ever manage to save enough money
fo/ the trip.
Cross the Equator.
Just before reaching Belem, we
crossed the equator. It was Jean’s
first time across that celebrated
line and I felt that some ceremony
was in order. I told the stewards,
Jerry Bennett and Peter Tripolino,
and the co-pilot, Jim Parrott, to
see if they could arrange something.
They asked if my wife would get
mad if they initiated her. I said
no, to let her have it.
So, as we neared the equator,
they asked her to look down from
her window; that there was a mag
nificent lake they wanted her to
see. Jean liked to have broken her
neck looking down for the lake.
Just as the plane reached the equa
tor. they poured what must havo
been a gallon of water on her head.
She reached Belem soaking wet.
It wasn't my first time across
the equator, but the crew let me
have it, too. The Belem airport
.hasn’t seen such a pair of sad sacks,
as we were when we landed, in
many a day.
(Distributed by McNaugbt Syndicate, Inc.)
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