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Show News Review of Current Events the World Over Johnson Averts Textile Strike and Tackles Steel Workers' Threat Steps for Drouth Relief Fletcher Made Republican Ghairman. By EDWARD W. PICKARD by Western Newspaper Union. Gi::.!:i!AL JOHNSON, administrator administra-tor of the MIA, evidently must be (riven credit for a skillful piece of work la negotiating the agreement 1 1 which forestalled the threatened strike of some 400,000 workers In the cotton textile Industry. The Immediate Imme-diate peril was to the workers themselves, for the cotton mill owners, emharrassed by over - production, would be willing to shut down their plants for a consider-Tighe consider-Tighe able time. Of course, the New Deal would have suffered a lihn-k eye, so General Johnson tackled the problem energetically and per-Eiiadid per-Eiiadid Thomas F. McMahon, president of the United Textile Workers of America, and George Sloan, head of the Colion Textile Institute, to accept . a compromise, and the call for the strike was revoked. The employers are permitted to go ahead with their program of curtailing production 25 per cent, and the laborers labor-ers have the promise of an XRA Investigation Inves-tigation Into the matter of higher wages and other points of difference. The union also is assured of increased representation on the Industrial relations rela-tions board of the cotton textile code authority and on the NRA advisory board. The next great labor trouble, the dispute dis-pute between the steel masters and the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, promised to be more difficult for General Johnson to handle, and it seemed that prompt action by President Roosevelt would be necessary to avert the threatened strike. The men demand the right of collective bargaining through the union agents. Michael F. Tiglie, president pres-ident of the Amalgamated, declared It was up to Mr. Roosevelt to provide "prompt and unqualified enforcement of the law" on this point. lie said the government had failed the steel workers work-ers and "their patience is exhausted." General Johnson offered a compromise compro-mise in the form of a special labor relations board for the steel industry, similar to that which was created for the automotive Industry in March. But the proposition was rejected by both the steel masters and the spokesmen spokes-men for the union. According to the American Iron and Steel Institute, the strike threats are due to the activities of union leaders who seek government intervention "to maneuver themselves Into positions of power and domination over the steel workers of the nation." In a formal statement, the institute asserted relations re-lations of steel companies and a great mass of their employees are "peaceful," "peace-ful," and that the whole difficulty lies with the Amalgamated association. The "closed shop" is the one point at issue, the statement says, and for the employers to "accede to such a request would be rank treachery." T OUSED to action by the drouth, which is the worst the country has ever experienced, President Roosevelt Roose-velt telephoned from Groton, Conn., to the federal relief administration, ad-ministration, directing that a special relief work program be put into operation immediately im-mediately In the middle mid-dle western states. On his return to Washington he called a council of war to expand ex-pand his plans and hear proposals from i h various government , . . '", officials. It was stat- H" L HPk'ns ed by Mr. Roosevelt that farmers should be given cash income from work and also employment on projects proj-ects so that their immediate distress might be alleviated. Harry L. Hopkins, federal emergency emer-gency relief administrator, at once allocated al-located $C,r00,000 to 13 states so that the work could start. The states receiving re-ceiving allotments are: Wisconsin, $'2,-100,000; $'2,-100,000; Minnesota, $1,000,000; South Dakota, $1,030,000; Idaho, $250,000; Kansas. $200,000 ; Montana, $350,000; Nebraska, $270,000; New Mexico, S100,-000; S100,-000; North Dakota, $500,000; Utah, $000,000; Wyoming, $150,000. Work projects. Mr. Hopkins said, will be put speedily under way to employ em-ploy the heads of farm families In need. The projects will Include the development of additional water supply sup-ply through digging wells and through impounding or diverting water from rivers and lakes. Projects employing men and women in the canning of meat, fruits and vegetables also will be used to conserve con-serve food resources a the area and furnish cash income for the families. Road work, as well, will provide considerable con-siderable emergency employment. The picture presented to the conference confer-ence was one of live stock emaciated for want of water and food, grasshoppers grass-hoppers and chinch bugs doing untold un-told damage In the wake of the heat and dryness, thousands of acres of planted grain lying ungerminated or blighted and hundreds of farm communities com-munities praying for rain. Plans of live stock owners In the most seriously affected states to drive their cattle into Minnesota, North Dakota Da-kota and Wisconsin for feeding and grazing were forestalled by the action of the governors of those three states forbidding the carrying out of the scheme. In Minnesota Governor Olson mobilized the National Guard to patrol the borders and enforce the embargo. O KXRY P. I'T.KTCHER of Pennsyl- vania has been handed the rather difficult job of managing the Republican Repub-lican party. The national committee at Its session in Chicago Chi-cago elected him chairman to succeed Everett Sanders. This would seem to be a wise choice, for Mr. Fletcher is an able and energetic man, notable for his diplomacy diplo-macy and tact and also al-so for ready wit. In 18 0 8 he abandoned law practice to become be-come one of Theodore H- P- Fletcher Roosevelt's Rough Riders, and after the campaign in Cuba he transferred to the infautry and served through the Philippine insurrection. He entered the diplomatic service in 1002 and after aft-er valuable service in Cuba, China, Portugal and again In China, he was successively ambassador to Chile, Mexico, Belgium and Italy. For a time during the Harding administration administra-tion he was undersecretary of state, and after his retirement from the embassy em-bassy In Rome he was chairman of the federal tariff commission. The national committee adopted a statement of principles for the party in the fall campaign which in temperate temper-ate but firm language condemned the doings of the Democratic administration, administra-tion, without any personalities, and more specifically set forth what the Republican party thinks should be done to restore the nation to prosperity. prosper-ity. Opening with the statement that "American institutions and American civilization are in greater danger today to-day than at any time since the foundation foun-dation of the Republic," the statement plunged immediately into discussion of the need for social legislation. There was assurance of liberal treatment treat-ment of these problems in this paragraph para-graph : "Our nation is beset with problems of infinite complexity the problems of recovery ; of unemployment, with its unending tale of human suffering; of agriculture, with its lost markets and relatively low prices ; of forever checking check-ing abuses and excesses that have become be-come all too apparent, and thereafter the problems of a wider spread of prosperity, of relieving the hardships of unemployment and old age, and of avoiding these tragic depressions. These problems must be approached in a broad, liberal and progressive spirit, unhampered by dead formulas or too obstinately clinging to the past." Solution of the problems, however, said the statement, should be "within the framework of American institutions institu-tions in accordance with the spirit and principles of the founders of the Republic." Re-public." Further on the platform said : "We are opposed to revolutionary change without popular mandate and all 'change by usurpation,' the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed. "We believe that the present emergency emer-gency laws vesting dictatorial powers in the President must never be permitted permit-ted to become a permanent part of our governmental system." During its session the committee raised more than enough money to pay all its debts. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR HAROLD ICKES journeyed to Chicago and testified in the disbarment disbar-ment proceedings brought by him against two Chicago lawyers, C. W. Larsen and J. M. Malmin, the latter once a federal judge of the Virgin Islands. Is-lands. Mr. Ickes asserted the defendants defend-ants had tried to blackmail him in order or-der to obtain for Malmin the position of governor of the Virgin islands and a federal post for Larsen. lie said their "conspiracy" was based on "trumped-up charges" growing out of a Probate court case lie handled as an attorney some years ago. The secretary's charges were later flatly denied by the defendants. The case was being heard by the grievance committee of the Chicago liar association. asso-ciation. "VVKUYIXG forward the program of ' arbitrary federal acreage control which began with passage of the P.ankhead cotton bill, the house voted, 20G to 144, for passage of the so-called Kerr tobacco bill vesting the AAA with statutory power to force compliance com-pliance with Its adjustment program. The measure was sent to the senate over protests of Republicans who denounced de-nounced the plan as just another step toward regimentation of farming. The house also completed legislative legisla-tive action on the reciprocal tariff bill and It was sent to the President for his signature. " REAT BRITAIN formally notified J the United States that It would not pay anything on the war debt installment in-stallment due June 15; that It would make no more payments until the United States consents to a downward revision of the debt, and that any dis- I cussion of revision at this time would j be useless. Ail of which means plain default. The British note was sent In response to a blunt notification from President Roosevelt as to the sums due. It was evident, from foreign dispatches, dis-patches, that the other debtor nations, except Finland, would follow the course adopted by the British. In his war debt message to congress the President said this country expected ex-pected the debtor nations to pay unless un-less satisfactory excuses could be offered, of-fered, and he called attention to the vast sums those nations are expending expend-ing on armaments. His plain language was not at all pleasing to the nations that owe us nearly twelve and one-half one-half billion dollars. j THERE was rejoicing In Belgium when it was announced that a son bad been born to the new king and queen, Leopold and Astrid. Mother and child were reported to be doing well. The monarchs, who were married mar-ried in 1920, have two other children, Josephine Charlotte, six, and Baudoln, three, heir apparent to the throne. MUCH interesting, information was given the special house committee commit-tee that is investigating "un-American" activities in the United States, these being especially the activities of the Nazis. Facts and figures were presented showing show-ing officials of the German government had spent money for the dissemination of ' pro-German information informa-tion in this country, the German ambassador, ambassa-dor, Dr. Hans Luther, and the German consul con-sul general in New Dr- Hans York, Dr. Otto Kiep, Luther both figuring in the testimony. Doctor Kiep was said to have paid $4,000 to a New York city . publicity and business promotion firm to "obtain publicity in this country" of anti-Semitic anti-Semitic statements. He was said, also, to have contributed, unofficially and in behalf of a third person, $300 in $50 bills for the publication of a pro-German pamphlet. Doctor Luther was described de-scribed as the financial backer and sponsor of the pamphlet. Under examination, Carl Dickey, partner in the New York firm of Carl Byoir and Associates, said his firm has a contract with the German tourist information in-formation office, receiving $0,000 a month "giving advice, counsel, and getting together material for travel information." About twice a month, too, he testified, testi-fied, a sheet titled "German-American Economic Bulletin" Is prepared and mailed to a "list of about 3,000 newspapers news-papers and some few business Institutions." Institu-tions." One witness, Rev. Francis Gross of rerth Amboy, N. J., linked Ambassador Ambassa-dor Luther with alleged pro-German propaganda in a letter which he read to the committee. Father Gross, a retired re-tired Catholic priest, told how he had published a pamphlet entitled, "Justice to Hungary, Germany and Austria." Later the committee heard a story of the nation-wide distribution of Nazi "propaganda" some of it allegedly brought into the United States without with-out customs Inspection. Evidence was presented to show that German consuls con-suls had encouraged organization of pro-German clubs to which the "propaganda" "prop-aganda" was sent. Representatives of the State, Post Office Of-fice and Labor departments were Interested In-terested listeners to the testimony produced, pro-duced, and there were hints of later deportation proceedings. LOUIS BARTHOU, foreign minister of France, appears as the dominating domi-nating figure in the negotiations that may dispel the war clouds hanging over Europe. Thfi most Important thin he already has accomplished ac-complished is the engineering en-gineering of an accord ac-cord between France and Germany on conditions con-ditions for the Saar plebiscite and setting the date for that vote on January 13, 1935. The agreement gives assurance that France, Louis Barthou llmler tne pretext of preserving order, will not use force to prevent the return of the Saar basin to Germany. It also means that the Germans now have everything to lose and nothing to gain from a putsch in the Saar, so the possibility of a clash in the near future is virtually eliminated. elimi-nated. Of special importance is a clause that amounts to recognition of the rights of Jewish and anti-Nazi minorities mi-norities in the Saar. In the disarmament conference in Geneva M. Barthou has been equally forceful though not so peaceful in his doings. He has stood out firmly against the German demands for arms equality and has greatly angered Sir John Simon, British foreign secretary. In connection with Counsellor Rosenberg Rosen-berg of the Soviet embassy in Paris, Barthou has boon forming what is called an eastern Locarno pact to be signed by Russia, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Czecho-slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Es-tonia, with France as its moral guarantor. guar-antor. This would be rather a shock to Germany and Toland, and the Franco-Russian bloc thus formed would force Great Britain into the background back-ground in matters concerning continental conti-nental Europe. To block this scheme the British would be glad to have the arms conference agree on a minimum program and then adjourn. |