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Show Merry-Co-Round By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. ALLEN WASHINGTON Inner circle associates of Reserve Board Chairman Marriner S. Eccles are jittery for fear that he will break out with a speech and proclaim publicly what he is saying privately. If so, Eccles' remarks will make highly sensational sen-sational reading. For the economic tailspin has given a pronounced fascist slant to the views of the No. 2 White House financial adviser. He hasn't actually come out for a totalitarian state as yet, but he isn't far from it. Here are the views Eccles is advancing privately pri-vately that are giving his New Deal colleagues the jitters: If conditions do not eventually right themselves, them-selves, we will have to choose between communism commu-nism or fascism and of the two Eccles prefers fascism. Chief responsibility for the slump rests on the shoulders of labor. It is Eccles' hope that the recession will bring labor to its knees and teach it a lasting lesson. (Note: A big contractor and employer of labor, Eccles is heatedly antiunion, anti-union, literally sees red on the issue.) The budget can't be balanced and talk about doing so is silly. Likewise, economizing in government expenditures. The administration should embark immediately imme-diately on another large-scale spending program. pro-gram. It is the one sure-fire solution of the slump and every dollar spent now will be worth ten six months from now. The $1,237,000,000 in sterilized gold lying idle in the treasury's coffers should be used to finance the new spending splurge. Note One of the wealthiest men in Utah, Eccles was brought to Washington in the early days of the new deal by Rex Tugwell, who had met him in 1932. Until recently Eccles was one of the brightest diadems in the inner circle and a great favorite with Roosevelt. Now there is a lot of head-shaking over him. Next Commander The American Legion convention of 193S is a long way off, but insiders say the little group of brass-hats, known as the "king makers," already al-ready has picked Stephen Chadwick of Seattle as next national commander. He was a candidate this year, but in the final lap pooled forces with Daniel J. Doherty against Ray Kelly of Detroit, a third rival. This alliance al-liance elected Doherty and in return Chadwick has been slated by the "king makers" for the top job next year when the Legion meets in Los Angeles. To make sure there is no slip-up, the "king makers" are quietly housecleaning national headquarters and installing their own trusted lieutenants. Frank Pinola of Pennsylvania, who swung the state's delegation to Doherty, has been given the key post of chairman of the national na-tional legislative committee. Pinola harbors national commander ambitions of his own and inside word is that the "king makers" are grooming him for 1939. Note The inner coterie known as the "king makers" consists of Mark McKee, Detroit lawyer; law-yer; William Doyle, Boston politician; and Phil Collins, Chicago lawyer. In 1934 the band was thrown for a loss by National Commander Frank N. Belgrano Jr., of ban rrancisco, a rank-and-file champion, but since his incumbency they have regained their previous potency. Dead Dodo Only one thing is keeping the A. F. of L.-C. L.-C. I. O. negotiations alive-neither camp wants the onus of breaking them off. As far as the rival leaders are concerned, their peace parleys are dead as a dodo. Privately, they admit this frankly. But the last thing they desire is to be smeared with the blame for torpedoing the dove. So the original delegations will meet again December 21 and go through the motions of dickering. But they will get nowhere. To avoid open confession of failure they will either appoint ap-point subcommittees or adjourn to another date for "further discussions." The last rapprochement hope was sunk at the Green-Lewis talks. Lewis proposed that the C. I. C, with its full voting strength, reenter the federation fold and that a convention be held to: (1) thresh out agreements on conflicting unions; (2) decide the question of the power of the A. F. of L. executive council. Green was inclined to be friendly to the plan, but the craft-union craft-union .rulers of the executive council hit the ceiling. "Before I make peace with Lewis on such terms," rosred William Hutcheaon, burly head of the carpenters. "I'll take my organization out of the federation!" "That goes for me, too," snapped Arthur Wharton, boss of the machinists and the ablest of federation command. Between them, Hutcheson and Wharton control con-trol about half the membership of the A. F. of L. For them to walk out would be a death-blow to the federation. So there was nothing left for Green to do but to inform Lewis the deal was off. That ended their discussions. , (Copyright, 1937, for The Telegram.) |
