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Show This Week hy AB HlUR BK1SHANB Much Law, Little Action It Has Got to Work More Cotton Than Ever The Elephant's Chains due trouble with tills country Is that it has too much lawmaking, not enough action. A British person named Brt'th ertou makes this observation: "Not the uumber or excellence of n conn, try's laws, but the extent to which they are obeyed Is the real test of a civilization. In the last ten years, the United States has passed over five hundred legislative enactments. In the same period Great Britain passed sev enteeu thousand. At the same time fifty murders are committed in the United States for every one commit, ted in Great Britain." The value of laws doesn't depend so much on "the extent tt which they are obeyed," as on the extent to which they are enforced. Mussolini in Italy has proved that, as Diaz did in Mexico before Mussolini. Our people, unfortunately, have little lit-tle respect for Jaws that do not please them, as shown in prohibition. And some of our officials do not enforce laws, when the law-breakers are able to pay for immunity. Mr. Medalie, United States prescu-tor, prescu-tor, tells Senator Copeland, investigating investigat-ing rackets, that he can name four important im-portant political leaders in New York that are controlled by gangsters, and work in co-operation With them. Racketeers, according to Mr. Med alie, contribute to both of the political parties. The Federal government ought to ask Mr Medalie about his "four leaders." How do you think NRA will work? To that universal question, one man old In business and commercial experience ex-perience replies: "They have got to make it work." They truly have got ,o make it work. The downfall of this gigantic, daring experiment could have consequences not pleasant to antici- . Lloyd George say, NRA will be the salvation of the world or its ruin. The French some of them say it will be the ruin of America only. ' "Makinfe it work," changing, a national na-tional system, suddenly, from free competition com-petition to government control of : wages, days and hours- calls for much wisdom, tact and caution. The "big stick" will not do it, at least it will not coerce organized labor, ia one union, 60,000 men, striking in New York, tell the NRA chairman. "The government guarantees the right of workers to. collective bargaining. That means unionism, and we do not : want to hear anything about unionism (without any union." -David Dupbinsky, speaking for 60,000 strikers, said they would not go back-to back-to work for anything or anybody until the employers officially recognized the union. The biggest industrialists in the country, those employing the largest armies of mechanical workers, includ- ! ing some that have led in paying wages higher than the union scale, will fight against being unionized as firmly, al- I though, perhaps, not as threateningly, as Mr. Dubinsky fights for union- i control. j Not an easy job is before the NRA j authorities, but they have got to make It work. The best laid plans, as men and mice know, sometimes go wrong. Government Govern-ment said to cotton farmers: "You grow too much cotton, the price is low, you -can't make a profit. Plow under one-quarter of your cotton and government will pay you, In cash, enough to make up the difference." The farmers said: "Yes, indeed. Thanks." Plowed up the cotton, and then what? Then this: The money given by a generous government has been used to buy fertilizer for the 75 per cent cotton cot-ton crop remaining. Farmers have cultivated cul-tivated the diminished crop more carefully care-fully than ever, and wise cotton men predict that the cotton crop this year will be bigger than last year, because production per acre will be more than 25 per cent greater. Government is now persuading wheat farmers to cut their crop for next year, and promises to Indemnify them in cash. Will the, find a way to get more wheat out of less land? John W. Davis, distinguished American, Amer-ican, back from Europe, says: j "No man should work less than eight hours. What are they going to do with all the extra hours? Honestly, how many men do you know who will use them for self-improvement, for reading ' a worth while book, or for studying something they need?" Some prosperous Americans are able to spend the whole of Saturday, Sun day, and sometimes other half days Playing golf. Workmen might decide to try that, or polo. In the long run they Probably could learn to use their hours of leisure, at least in a way satisfactory satisfac-tory to themselves, which is the im Portant thing. There was a vicious elephant, and bis legs were chained so that he could move only twelve iuchei in any direc tlon. When he grew old and mild they took the chains off, but it was too late He moved back and forth twelve inches to' each direction, as he had always done, and no more Maybe part of the labor world, suddenly getting rid ot what the Marxians call "its chains," W,H not be able to use the hours ol fiedora as well as it might. But the net generation will be able to use them. (,1933, by King Feature! Syndicate, Inc.) |