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Show NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS Written lor Tha Telegram By Ray Tudtor Emotional President Rooae- ' vell'a closest frienda concede that appointment of Hugo Black to the supreme court waa a political blunder, but their new veralon deplete de-plete the chief executive aa erring on the human aide. The elimination conteat la aup-posed aup-posed to have siuled, down to three men- Mr. Black. Judge Sam Bratton of New Mexico and Solicitor So-licitor General Stanley Reed- and Mr. Roosevelt found It hard to choose from three whom he considered con-sidered equally eligible and qualified. quali-fied. Mr. Black, however, haa a aon who is aufferiruj from progressive pro-gressive paralysis and the boy'a plight touched the man In the White house. The Alabama senator sena-tor also feared that he might not be reelected to his aenate aeat and might have to return to private pri-vate law under the handicap of a long absence. While struggling for Roosevelt causes in the last weeks of the session the court and wagea and hours bills-Mr. Black aeemed moody and depressed. His heroic battle for White Houaa objectivea in the face of hie personal sorrows sor-rows appealed to the preaident. It may not have been the predominant predomi-nant influence, which waa the desire de-sire for an untamed new dealer on the high court, but it turned the eceJea in Black'a favor. "Joe" Kennedy haa discovered that the shortage of manpower for the new deal'a machine ia more aerioue than most people Imagine. He regards It aa the grealeat problem confronting the country and government today. The maritime chairman recently recent-ly aaked a New York shipping magnate friendly to F. D. R. to aupply him with half a dozen financial fi-nancial experts. "I want men who can make 150000 outside the government." gov-ernment." aaid Mr. Kennedy, "although "al-though I can pay them only 19000. But I have half a billion dollars to spend and it'a up to you to help me. You buaineaa men crab in your clubs about what the government govern-ment does, but you won't pitch in and give ua a hand." Hia friend, who once headed the Roper buaineaa buai-neaa advisory committee, agreed that If waa an excellent Idea and promised to round up aeveral top-notch top-notch executivea. t In a few days he reported ruefully rue-fully that be had scraped New York without any success. Able buaineaa men will no longer enlist en-list under T. D. R. as they did in early 1933. For one thing, they dislike dis-like Mr. Roosevelt and hia policies. poli-cies. Moat important of all, they have noted trjat unleaa high offl- ' clals kowtow to politicoa and po- ' litlcal considerations they are fired in disgrace. The bitter experiences ex-periences of Johnson. Douglas. Acheaon, Richberg and Peek have atruck a fatal blow at the Roosevelt Roose-velt theory of drafting outsiders aa the nucleua of a corpa of career ca-reer men in public aervice. Theoriata on the national labor relatione board have discovered that they cannot apply the law's provisions too rigidly without creating cre-ating confusion in ths labor market. mar-ket. Hewing strictly to the law, tha board has frequently ordered a corporation to reemploy men alleged al-leged to have been discharged because be-cause pf their union activities. They also have required the plant to pay back wagea for the full period of the employes' diacharge. But then It develops that the principals prin-cipals involved have obtained work elsewhere, perhaps better Jobs, and have no desire to return to their former shop. To go back would mean the loaa of aure positions posi-tions and reemployment at a factory fac-tory where they would probably meet suspicion and prejudice from the boaaea. It also would displace the workera who had been engaged en-gaged In their place. Nevertheless, the board atill grinds out decisions deci-sions that appease its legalistic appetite. A recent ruling reveals the group's apparent excess of zeal for legal phraseology and why employers em-ployers don't know what to expect ex-pect next. It seems that several employes stole a few "Inexpensive lamps" at a party given In honor of a foreman. Subsequently they algned up with a union and were fired on the ground of their pilfering. pil-fering. But the board ruled that atealing an "inexpenaive lamp" was not aufficlent reason for losing los-ing a job and held that their union activity was the real cause. Fellow new dealers take no stock In Undersecretary Charles West'a denial that he will aeek the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio next year. They auapect that he'a atalling for time until he discovers whether he will have the backing of two key men President Roosevelt and Senator Vio Donahey. The White houae and John L Lewis hanker for Governor Da-vay's Da-vay's scalp, but F. D. R. can't afford af-ford to lift hia tomahawk unless he's sure the blow will do more ' than muss .the tree doctor's hair. It would seriously damage the presldent'a prestige at a critical moment If he failed at political ' massacre In such a pivotal state aa Ohio, where other chief executivea execu-tivea have stubbed their toes. So he will look over the field before committing himself to the White Houae boy scout Mr. West. The latter's hidden ambition Is not tha Ohio governorship. That'a simply a atepplng atone to hia real prize the vice presidential nomination In 1940. Almost alone of the Roosevelt satellites Farley. Far-ley. Wallace, Ickes, Cumminga, Jackson and Hopkina the Buckeye Buck-eye boy will be content with second sec-ond place. Hia frienda remark humorously hu-morously that he muat be deficient in political thyroid! Preaident Roosevelt la undertaking under-taking a Wilaonian awing around the circle againat the advice of almoat all hia personal and political politi-cal counaelora. Two courses confronted the president as a direct aftermath of the supreme court defeat and the Black appointment. He could acknowledge his mistakes, as he promised to do In hia firat inaugural, inau-gural, burying the court plan and demanding Mr. Black'a resignation. resigna-tion. Or he could aasume an even more aggreaaiva attitude, appealing appeal-ing to the country againat opposition oppo-sition aenatora and avoiding the Black issue for the time being. Almoat every hard-boiled politico begged him to grin and bear adversity ad-versity quietly. Instead, he gritted grit-ted hia teeth and decided to fight. The politicoa are not chiefly concerned with hia supposed lose of prestige and popularity. They now believe that the Black atorm will blow over, and that the president presi-dent will maintain hia hold on the masara that their economic betterment bet-terment will outweigh their emotional emo-tional excitement. What they dread is that further turmoil will diaturb buaineaa and Industry, and precipitate a downward awing which will aour the home folks on the sdministration. But F. D. R. laughs at their fears. Revamping of wagea-and-hours bill is under way new bill probably prob-ably will amalgamate "deceptive practice" bill lost in the adjournment adjourn-ment shuffle. . . . Congress may ask Maryland and Virginia to cooperate co-operate In creating a greater Waahington through an interstate compact. . . . Farm heads now fully expect extra aeaaion In November. No-vember. . . . Important government govern-ment officials are combining to offset stock market alarms by reassuring re-assuring public statements. . . . Conference of federal housing ad-viaera ad-viaera reported local obstacles will slow down program. |
