Show r I A A Season of Surprises Surprises' U i r Come I 1 More And Still to ot ott ff t Government Control of Railroads and National Service Act Complete Surprise t S In Many Quarters By BAUKHAGE and Commentator 4 bews Analyst Service Union Trust Building Building- Washington Washing D. D C. C 1 S f This is the season of surprises surprises-I I S wont won't mention at this moment the big one which will cause your eyebrows eye brows to go up at an early date IfS if S they haven't already 1 Ill I'll 11 mention two others others others-on on the la labor labor la- la bor front since front since they represent two of the neatest problems with which congress still has to deal and which are particularly full lull of dynamite because because because be be- cause of the coming elections And AndS S elections arc bound to color the acts of every public man from now until the ides of November We are used to it now because it happened some time age and the effects were not visible to the naked eye eye but but one big surprise that shook Washington as the year ended was the sudden announcement on a aS S balmy Monday evening in December December December Decem Decem- ber which ordered the army to take takeover takeover takeover over the railroads All over Washington the day before before be be- fore tore that da day too toot as a matter of fact you could have collected fine odds against such a thing happen happen- ing trig Not that people were betting I 9 on that subject itself itsell what they were betting on on those who ought to have been and I still believe were In the know was that there would be no railroad strike 1 The second big surprise is Ls still S having its sharp repercussions al although although al al- though it happened not so much more r recently than the other event eventS S to which it was closely linked National Service Act The first I discussed in a recent column in connection with the seizure seizure seiz seize ure of the railroads Then the second seeS sec see S ond the Presidents President's demand for a aS S national service act as a part of oC his legislative program outlined in that S annual message came tumbling after aft aft- S er ere and we haven't gotten over ei either ei ci- 5 I ther yet One astute and neutral observer i 5 5 of affairs in Washington Washington-an an old old- timer tuner who sees parties come and go without loss of sleep sl over his 5 job Sob said something to me mc after the 5 5 roads had been seized that I have had bad occasion to ponder upon often since Irle He e is one of the men who was 5 ready to give odds that there would be no strike and he knows all of the people p-eople who participated in the conferences con con- employers union heads officials by their first names names names-ex- ex except the President of course whom S nobody but his mother as far as I know perhaps his wife when she is here first names One just doesn't name first Presidents S Anyhow this friend of mine aghast at the suddenness of the seizure seizure seiz seize ure of the roads remarked Do you yon realize this Overnight instead of being the object of all attacks attacks attacks at at- tacks for babying labor labor the President S dent suddenly is in hi the position now I of f defending the people against la labor labor la- la I bor I 1 S That was the quick reaction of ot a aS S technical man to whom politics is only an interesting sideline S When the Presidents President's message was droned out by the reading clerk clerkin in congress and the President came cameto cameto cameto to point five in hi his point five-point legislative legislative legisla legisla- tive jive program there was a sharp intake intake in In- 1 take of breaths You recall the first firstI I reaction Hardly anything but a frigid reception for tor the suggestion for what was immediately called S. the labor draft S Cynics Cynics' Reactions Then came the cynical observation observation S tion of the anU administration anti poll polio It sounded a little like the theS S comment of my quoted first-quoted observer observe er except that it was flavored more heavily with party tabasco Pure politics they sneered He had no labor program He knew it So now he tosses the hottest controversial controversial con con- question on em the boards board labor draft Into draft into congress He probably probe ably hopes we wont won't pass it If we dont hell he'll say See I give them a aS S labor program and they turn me down Well Vell t there ere are the two surprises which are scheduled to breed others S In their trail and md you and everybody every every- body else will interpret them In hi terms of your or their prejudices sharpened to a knife-edge knife of devoS devotion devotion devo devo- S tion or hatred in this year of ot the ballot What Is really behind these two sharp and unexpected moves It is pretty hard to b b really objective Anyone who has watched political campaigns in the making has a ahard ahard ahard hard time not to attribute a partisan motive to any act or word spoken in Washington in an election year As far as taking the railroads over goes that might have been prompted prompt prompt- ed by a real and md honest fear that transportation would have been Interfered Interfered Interfered In In- with at a moment when it was as vital to the war effort as a division of fighting men What possible possible possible pos pos- sible excuse could there be for letting letting letting let let- ting such a thing happen Again whether or not there was to be a strike there was a strike threat At the same moment there was a strike threat in another vital industry steeL industry steel That was called of oft off by putting pressure on Phillip Philip Murray Murray Mur Mur- ray head of the C C. I. I O. O But could that pressure have been applied Unless unless un Un- less Mr Murray could have been told Remember the chances of acceptance of your demands by the steel men will be a lot better if it they are afraid the government will take their industry over too The railroads are a warning And then if you want to take one highly unofficial explanation from a nobody as far as officialdom goes but from a man who has fought in hi his own little Utile sphere for things he believes In Ill I'll throw it in for good measure The comment was applied to the Presidents President's call for a national service service servIce ice act not the seizure of the roads i 1 but it applies to both This observer er observed I Politics No The guy just wants to win the war I I And come to think of it that might have hav had something to do with it too I i I Notes From a Broadcasters Broadcaster's Diary The following two viewpoints received received re reo re- re recently are interesting Here is the first I Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall shaH have been duly convicted shall exist within within with with- I in the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction from from the thc Constitution of the United States The President swore to uphold the Constitution the the Constitution the national service act or the labor draft is involuntary servitude or human slavery That's what he called it in Berlin and Tokyo and he wants it here What are we fighting for I And now for the second viewpoint General Eisenhower said we can win the war in hi 1944 but everyone must do his part Something must be wrong somewhere somewhere some some- where for him to say tha that t. t He knows it is not the armed forces So it itI must be on the home front For the armed forces operate on a functional function functIon- I al alignment alignment from from commanding officer of of- I fleer down orders are given and obeyed Servicemen cannot bargain with their commanders as to wages I hours fighting conditions or make contracts on a plus cost basis Their I j objective is to win battles But on the home front the objective objective tive is to make money see Truman Report Ships planes tanks and guns are secondary We can have a functional operation operation opera opera- tion at home by installing total conscription conscription conscription con con- of men machines material materi materi- al and money These boys were conscripted to die Then why not conscript the ones at home If U its it's good enough for the armed forces its it's goodenough good goodenough goodenough enough for the rest of us Who can say he is entitled to more |