The St. Louis Star and Times from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 14

Merry-Go-Round As Far As They Can Co 14 May 14, 1947. Published Daily Except Sunday tu-Ttmn PubllihlBf C. t. utvin Uh Ma 91 wrr vmmi. ruldcnt nd rtitlMtW.

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rt mi i Ti in i I i eMtnt 4 000. What The President Should Do After making short shrift of the last-minute Murray labor bill, the United States Senate yesterday adopted the Taft-engl-neered curb on unions by the one-sided count of 68 to 24 a margin wide enough to override a Presidential, veto. Since the House passed an even stronger measure by 308 votes to 107, it would seem that Mr. Truman has little chance of stopping the legislation unless the effort to reconcile the two i 3 bills results In a compromise unacceptable to least 32 members of the upper chamber. What Mr.

Truman will do depends, of course, first of all on the decision of the Senate House conference committee. It seems reasonable enough to assume that this trouo will not There Is, for effort to head off "strikes endangering the national health and safety" by empowering the Attorney-Oeneral to seek Injunctions which would have the effect of protracted "cooling-off" periods. Whether these would achieve their purpose may be debated, but there can be no debate about tie-ups in railroading, communications and other public utilities. Thi Senate bill also would allow the National Labor Relations Board td seek Injunctions against Jurisdictional strikes also undisputed evils. The same foes for secondary boycotts.

Further, the measure provides for ire speech but no threats for both sides. In a labor-management argument. It declares it to be an unfair labor practice for a union to refuse to bargain. It forbids coercion by unions. It separates the prosecuting and Judicial functions of the NLRB.

It would provide a ne and independent mediation agency. These would seem to be acceptable points to most people. The political aspect of this Issue is most unfortunate, but that does not relieve Mr. Truman one iota from his obligation to give the country the labor legislation it needs and demands, if the Republican majority Is playing low politics, It is not the President's cue to indulge in the same game. Instead he should resort to high statesmanship, thinking only of the country's needs and not his political fortunes.

Perhaps the simplest way to accomplish this would be an open statement that he will obey the will of the people to provide proper legislation to curb labor's abuses, but he will not be a party to the enactment of legislation intended to return us to the Hanna-McKinley era. TAFT come up with anything milder than the Senate bill. After all, the House voted overwhelmingly for the most sweeping labor measure ever put together In the Congress. It Is unfortunate that the No. 1 Issue in Washington has been forced Into the political pattern of a contest between a Republican Congressional majority nd a Democratic President.

Surely, the American people are not happy about such a pre-election battle. They want corrective labor legislation put on the books and they want this done with deliberation and fairness. They do not want a beginning of partisan recriminations more than a year before the conventional campaign starting time. But that what It looks like. This Is to be regretted because there Is much In the Senate bill that Is acceptable.

lr irw 1 "tT-ftrfJir m.l.,,.,L.'-L'.,!.i, Truman Attempting To Right Any Wrong In Booting Out Biddle BY DREW PEARSON WASHINGTON. Just two years ago thii month I told the story of how Harry Truman had fired Francis Biddle as attorney general because of his deep-seated loyalty to Kansas City's boss Tom Pendergast and his resentment against Biddle for having opposed the appointment of several Pen dergast friends. Among other things, Biddle had refused a parole to Pendergast, and had Insisted on the reappointment Of Maurice Milllgan the U. 8. district attorney who sent Pendergast to prison.

Also Biddle had held out against appointing Fred Canfleld. Truman's old sergeant in World War I. as U. S. marshal In Kansas City.

Whereupon Truman, newly-become Presl-. dent of the United States, fired Btddle without even talking to him personally. My story made Truman appear to be a very vengeful man. While it is true that Truman still has a deep loyalty to his Pendergast friends and also that he fired Biddle, I am now convinced that it is not true, as I previously reported, that the President nurses such deep grudges against those who opposed his old Missouri cohorts. At any rate, some things have happened recently which show he desires to undo any wrong he may have done to Biddle.

Last January, Mr. Truman sent to the senate the name of Francis Biddle to be U. S. representative on the United Nations Social and Economic Council. And in the senate, Biddle'S name has lain ever sine thank3 to Sen.

Arthur Vandenberg Three months have passed and the senator from Michigan has not reported Biddle's name out of committee. Many presidents of the United States, discouraged at the opposition of so powerful a senator, especially one who has co-cperated on other foreign policy matters, would have withdrawn Biddle's name. In fact. Truman has been urged to do so. Undersecretary of State Dean Acheson, who belongs to the Felix Frankfurter school (in vigorous opposition to Biddle), has advised Biddle's withdrawal.

Vandenberg also has Intimated to Truman that he will block Biddle'S appointment indefinitely. Truman, however, has not been eowed. He sent a letter to Vandenberg stating that he had no intention of withdrawing Biddle's name. It is now reported that Truman might be willing to send Biddle as ambassador to France provided Biddle is willing to make the switch. But if Biddle wants to continue the fight for the United Nations post, th President has made it clear he will back him to the limit.

Wondrous and sometimes devious are the ways of Ben Smith, widely known Wall Street speculator, who has transferred most of his time and affections to Mexico where taxes aren't 50 high and where he IS inter-ested to many profitable ventures including a race track. State Department officials still are marveling at the way Smith finally wangled his way In on the trip of President Aleman. The wangling began before Aleman left Mexico City, when Smith asked to be included as member of the official presidential party. This was refused. Later, however, he turned up in New York, where his friend Ed Flynn, delightful boss of the Bronx, put the pressure on the State Department and Mayor Bill OTOwyef to have Smith Included In the official Aleman activities.

Again the answer was no. Smith, however, is a persevering person. Mayor O'Dwyer had Invited Cardinal Spellman to attend the mayor's luncheon for President Aleman, but the cardinal sent word that he was too busy. Imagine the surprise of State Department officials, therefore, when they returned from the O'Dwyer luncheon to find Smith seated nonchalantly in the bedroom of the president of Mexico. Just how he got there no one seemed to kndw.

Presumably he had been admitted by one of Aleman's assistants. But with equal nonchalance. Smith then proceeded to escort the president of Mexico for a private conference with Cardinal Spellman. A significant drama took place In the President's private office the other day. Sens.

William Langer, Milton Young and Rep. Charles Robertson of North Dakota--, a big state with a scanty population called on President Truman to protest the cold-shouldering of their stat in the appointment of a Missourian, U. 8. District Judge John C. Collet, to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"We don't haVe anything personal against Judge Collet, Mr. President," argued Langer. "but We think someone from North Dakota should have received that appointment. North Dakota has been a state for 57 years and in all that time it never has had a man on the eighth circuit bench." "Well, I'll admit you've got a good ease," replied Truman. "I've been in congress myself and I know how you feel about this matter.

But I Just had to go through with the appointment of Judge Collet. He's an excellent choice. I don't think I could have found a better man." The President stressed the vast amount of Work (legal cases) coming from Missouri to the eighth circuit court as an added factor to Collet's favor. The three Republicans promised not to press their protest publicly and left the White House with an impression but not a promise that Truman would recognize North Dakota's claim to future court vacancies. CepjrrlrM.

Drew Pearson's radio news program, is on The Star-Times Station, KXOK LETTERS In Defense Of Labor Unions' Aims And Policies; Closed-Shop Principle Defended As Democratic heartedly for the good of the majority, and protect the rights of members in a legal and orderly manner. Let me explain the meaning of my use of the word majority. In this great, free country the democratic form of government means that the wish of the majority of people prevails. Now We come to the charges that a free man's freedom in infringed upon when he joins a labor union, because he cannot do as he pleases, in the case of a closed shop, this is no more true than it is in any phase of American c'itizehship, because our union locals are operated by the same principles as our oWrt government. So as I See it, a free man's freedom is no more infringed upon In a unjon than It is In our own democratic form of government in our own united States.

EDWARD D. FIERCE. For Consistency's Sake STAR-TiMES: In reading the reports in The Star-Times by Johri T. Stewart Covering the Southern Baptist Convention, I notice they registered great concern for trie principle of what they term "separation of state and chtlrch In In the same meeting the Southen Baptists: 1. Urged Congress to change its Immigration policy on displaced persons.

2. Disapproved universal military training. S. Took "a far-reaching step toward making the influence of Baptists felt in public affairs" by appropriating $10,000 each for their social service commission and public relations committee. Now I do not deny the Southern Baptists the legal right to take any of the above actions, but, In the interest of consistency, isn't it about time these gentlemen started to practice What they preach? JOSEPH DESLOGE.

EDITOR STAR-TIMES: Just what was the purpose Of the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis? It seems to me the para mount reason was to oust Myron C. Taylor from the Vatican. What is to be gained by this? What is he doing to harm the Bap-tists? The Vatican is a very important "listening post' in this troubled world and I think a U. S.

representative there is ft great asset. If the Baptists had a central head for their church as the Catholics do, I wonder If they Would refuse to have a presidential representative present. Personally I can see no harm In Taylor's presence in the Vatican. I WONDER. Praising The Air Fair EDITOR STARfTIMES: Congratulations to the air-minded people of St.

Louis for the Air Fair of 1947! Never before In the history of St. Louis has such a constructive show been presented for the benefit of those interested in the future of aviation. Many people who are interested in flying have never had the opportunity to eome in close contact with planes and the people who build and fly them. This Air Fair gives more than the opportunity; you come away feeling that you are a part whisked from the downtown area across heavy traffle, oblivious to Intersection stops and All other street delays. Assistant Postmaster Harry J.

Maher, after watching the helicopter, pointed out the possibilities of speeding up service between the post office and the airport and also between St. Louis and nearby towns. Use of the helicopter in the mail service, of course, Is not a brand-new idea. The Star-Times, however, is pleased that its demonstrations have stimulated new interest here in shortening the time between the mailing and delivery of a letter. The Fair And The Future The most appealing aspect of tentative plans for a 1953 world's fair is that every effort is being made to groove them into the broadest possible concept of a better and more livable St.

Louis. The fair, in other words, is seen as an Incentive for the bold planning and building of permanent adjuncts to community life. A good illustration is the proposal of Stratford Lee Morton, chairman of the advisory committee, for utilization of the east end of Forest Park and the adjoining area south of Oakland av. For 'the park he suggests permanent buildings, located without serious disturbance of the present landscaping plan, to house an aquarium, a planetarium, a museum of natural history and a museum of science. While these would be major at-' tractions of the fair they would be more important in the end as contributions to the enjoyment of St.

Louisans and their visitors for generations to come. Mr. Mortort visualizes the area south of the park, aroUnd the Arena, as the fair's amusement center, with a large sports stadium as one of several structures that could be erected as permanent additions to that relatively undeveloped and unattractive section. For the fair as well as for the post-faii era, the plan is logical. One can see as a practical ultimate goal the extension of the park to embrace the new projects and integrate them with other facilities.

While the park and its environs would be a focal point of interest during the fair, it is by no means the only part of the city in line for a face-lifting. The completed Jefferson National Expansion Memorial would be linked to the fair area by a broad boulevard extending through Memorial and Aloe Plazas. Further this axis would be beautified by opening the area between the plazas and clearance of slums east of Grand. Such projects go beyond the Usual scope of planning for a fair. But therein is St.

Louis' greatest opportunity the opportunity to present an exposition that will leave it with the satisfaction of having done something tremendously worth-while for itself as well as for Its Visitors. Green Belt For St. Louis Announcement that the University of Missouri will accept 8,000 acres of the Wel-don Spring Ordinance Works tract without charge from the government for the conducting of agricultural experiments Is a reminder that the Missouri Conservation Commission, aided by a $70,000 gift from Mrs. Alice E. Busch, has purchased another 6,944 acres Of the sitfe for a game refuge and recreation area.

Surely a bow should be made to Mrs. Busch for choosing this way of keeping alive the memory of her husband, the late August A. Busch, since it will enrich the community as no shaft Of stone ever could. Hemmed by some of the most beautiful hill country in the Middle West not to mention the Missouri and the Meramec St. Louis has the' opportunity for the creation of a series of magnificent natural parks eclipsing the forest preserves with which Cook County has drawn a great arc in back of Chicago.

The Illinois example shows how such parks can broaden the life of the city dwelleri With the hew Busch park added to existing Babler Park and with similar opportunities still abundant in the area St Louisans may look forward to woods, fields and streams which offer the city man and his family welcome ellef from summer-hot bricks and asphalt. Crisis In Italy When Alclde de Gasperi announced his resignation as Premier of Italy he did it with a Joke. He was, he said, "sorry that I shall have to ruin the President's digestion for lunch." The resignation was no however. This dissolution of the cabinet was an abrupt showing forth of the violent stresses that threaten Italy's uneasy coalition government. In the language of the parliament, this was a crisis; more truly It was a symptom of crisis.

As Communist strength has increased at election after election, climaxing in a decisive April victory in Sicily, forces of the right have maneuvered in panic to reinforce themselves politically. Goaded by his own Christian Democratic party and, very quietly, by the United States, de Gasperi as part of the maneuver tried to broaden the base of his coalition cabinet; he wanted to bring In minor parties not how. represented all of them conservatives and so weaken the Communist bloc. Still it was act. as it happened, the Communists who objected to the move.

Theirs has been a quiet, cautious line of late. But Pietro Nenni's Socialist party known now In Italy as "Nenni's Communists" hooked a paw into the fire forth Communist chestnuts. De Gasperi, said the Socialists, was -attempting to shift the political axis of the government, rendering it thereby less efficient. Confronted by even such aoft-epoken opposition, de Oasperl quit. It is entirely possible that the Communists did not even want this particular chestnut.

That makes as little difference as the fact that the Premier quit because of a Socialist rather than a Communist move. Fundamentally the issue remains constant: Communism vs. antl-Communlsm. De Gas-peri's resignation simply places an asterisk before the fact that Italy is rapidly approaching a situation where the extremes of right and left confront each other nakedly for a showdown battle. None now can plead that he did not notice it.

War's devastation and the acute want that followed In its wake made Italy a natural breeding ground for this kind of conflict. But at least once there seemed a rial hope of compromise and progress. De Gas-perl's Christian Democrats seemed to offer it. The Democrats, however, fumbled ill the economic reforms they had promised the nation, and they did not do even the fumbling with grace or evidence of purpose. Allied influence has been applied hesitantly and without clear direction, frequently in league with reaction, so these failures have not been made up.

And the Communists, as a direct result, have grown in stature. They have offered no strict Marxism to the Italians; instead they hate, shrewdly, emphasized the obvious economic injustices that persist in Italy, and they have promised a thoroughgoing reform. Their zeal and their organization, meeting no contrary zeal or organization, have paid off. Now a kind of terror Is upon the extreme conservatives, and Italy may once again become a battleground. Whether the open struggle is avoidable, whether Communism will be brought to terms by anything less than a neo-Fasclsm, no one can say now with certainty.

The drift has been as long as it has been dangerous. Still there is no profit in despair or even in resignation. So long as the Situation does not advance beyond mere shifts of premierships, hope is still within reach. But Signor de Gasperl's wryly Joking resignation is a clear warning that the reaching had better be begun quickly. Helicopter Demonstration An airmail letter travels rapidly from airport to airport.

But between airports and post offices it must slow down to the pace of regular mail. It takes 83 minutes, for example, to get from St. Louis' main post office to Lambert Field. An end of this bottleneck, however seems close at hand. It has been demonstrated in the last few days by the Star-Times, which has used a helicopter for daily delivery of newspapers to the St.

Louis Air Fair at the Arena. In a few minutes papers have been in the huge cog of the wheel of future aviation. Fiylng will soon play an Important part in the life of each and every person in the World, and air shows help show individuals just where their place in aviation is. SHIRLEY YORTY. It will be appreciated if communications are addressed to LETTERS and written on only one side of paper.

They must bear the name and address of writer. These will be withheld on request. The right to condense is reserved. Samuel GRAFTON Touch Of Whimsy COME MUTTERING has begun in the busl-" ness community to the effect that President Truman's meek little drive for lower prices may cause a recession. The idea is that consumers.

And merchants, too, may stop buying, waiting for lower prices to show Up; this may Cause a slump, and it will then ail be the President's fault. This argument is additional proof of the soundness of the OrSfton Theory, Which holds that there Is something about the debate On prices that brings Out a touch of whimsy In many of Its participants. Apparently the price issue affects so many people so much that It is almost Impossible to stick to reality in handling it. The new thought seems to be that the best thing to do is not to talk about prices: even though it may be costing a $50-a-week man $75 to live decently these days, perhaps if no one mentions it, he may not notice it. The idea that our troubles are due, not so much to high prices, as to the fact that we have a President who talks about them must take Its place as a Capricious contribution with that other popular theory of the moment that what we need Is more production; a notion which makes more than one business man today, looking over his crowded stock room, laugh like ft wild thing.

Another whimsical situation is developing in Washington where, according to the New York Journal of Commerce, conservative government economists (and there aren't any Others, these days) are privately rubbing their hands in glee Over recent wage Increases. These gentlemen are described as feeling that the current ll-to-15-cents-an-hour pattern of pay increases may help to save the situation, by putting enough buying power into the hands of the public to come near closing the "gap" between income and available production at present prices. Now, of course, hardly anybody stands up and says this publicly, because such a statement would do too much violence to the that our real trouble Is high wages. These myths have a charmed life, ahd are zealously protected, because without them one might have to say something that really bears on the subject. The Washington economists have made the astounding discovery that more money in the hands of the public Is actually a help to a touch-and-go economic situation.

But, judging by past performance, one may expect that in most of the discussion of the issue, this discovery will be treated as highly confidential. If you add together some of the conservative panaceas that are being currently proposed, you get a picture of something like this: The way out is, first of all, not to talk too much about high prices, or about the danger of recession. Second, we ought to increase production, even though the problem is hot production but prices. Third, we ought to curb labor unions and get Or keep wages down. When one looks upon this towering structure of willfulness and unreality, one Is almost forced to admire it.

It creates a kind of esthetic effect by its pure grim, unyielding perfection. AS to whether it Is the proper approach to the technical problem of selling a lot Of goods to an extremely complex, economy la, of course, something else again. 50 Years Ago 1897 Said an editorial paragraph here: "St. Louis has many problems to unravel, but the foremost one and the most important is the question of filtration of the city water. When visitors leave here, they are always asked what Impressed them while in the city.

Their invariable reply is 'The muddy Water Which you drink and in Which you It was not until the city was preparing for the 1904 World's Fair that the problem was solved. Said ft news Item: "The Delmar Avenue Electric Railway will be finished to Gottlieb Roth's place on the Olive Street rd." The Rev. Louis G. Nolan was pastor of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

EDITOR STAR-TIMES: There have been a lot of arguments pro and con about labor and about industry. I would like to express some opinions. In the first place, why were unions organised? Wages and working conditions were In such. a sad state that the laboring men had no alternative but to organise, because in union there is strength. Since it is necessary to continue this fight, it is up to the rank and file of each local union to put into office men who are above being selfish and who will work whole- Thornas L.

STOKES No Rubber Stamps REPUBLICANS are justifiably resentful over the complaint that they have been slow in putting through their program In Congress. They are on solid ground when they point out the necessary difficulty of organizing Congress at the outset and the necessary deliberation over Controversial issues. Nobody familiar With the legislative process ever expected Republicans to corn in here and pass a mess of bills overnight. As i matter of fact, the Republican pro-. gram is much further along than many experienced observers expected, if the critics are scrutinised, it-might found that noisiest among them are emotional people who voted roost ardently for a change, in sudden irritation over this of that.

Somehow they expected Republican leaders to put through at once what they wanted, and just as they wanted it. That's an understandable human reaction, but it should not be taken too seriously. There is, however, one line of Republican defense against their critics an explanation or amelioration by contrast that has no substance whatever. It Was expressed In the statement issued at Indianapolis by Republican state chairmen of 17 Central and western states, as follows: "No longer Is legislation written at the White House and approved as law in a matter of hours." This was a caustic reference to what the statement calls "14 years of New Deal misrule." it is true that, in the desperate effort to stem the tide of depression, the Roosevelt administration in 1933 sought to move speedily with emergency legislation, and did so in the first few weeks, in. what is sometimes called "The First 100 Days." Only one type of legislation Was pushed through "to a matter of hours" in New Deal days.

That was the legislation to save the nation's banks. It was written in co-operation between Democratic advisers and a Republican, Arthur A. Ballantlne, Underscore tary of Treasury in the Hoover tion, who commendably remained behind to assist. It was supported by bankers and by both parties in Congress. After the brief period of emergency legislation of the salvage type, came the period of New Deal reforms to which they now" refer when they talk of "a rubber-stamp Congress." It Just isn't true, as may be discovered by looking up the cold record, i It took hard fighting for months, in some cases, and for years in others, to put through Congress the basic reform measures that Included the public utility holding company act, the stock-market regulation act, the Wagner act, the social security act, and the wage-hour act, among others.

The last was bottled up for nine months In the House Rules Committee, after Its approval by the appropriate legislative committee, by a coalition of Southern Democrats and Republicans. That coalition became so powerful in Congress as a whole, after Republican gains in the 1938 election, that President Roosevelt never got through another major domestic reform bill thereafter. Republicans, in fact, have done much better in the slightly more than four months of their control of Congress. This is all in the interest of truth and understanding. It may help to clear the air all around about Congress and how It operates.

25 Years Ago 1922 William J. Kerngood of St. Louis WIS elected secretary of the American Federation of Musicians and Otto Ostendorff, also a St. Louisan, was named treasurer. The A.

P. in convention at Grand Rapids, Voted to hold their next annual convention in St. Louis. Circuit Attorney Howard Sidener an-vnounced he would attempt to have persons Convicted ti careless driving sentenced to the state penitentiary. Newly elected officers of the Church Service League Of St.

Michael ind All Angels' Episcopal Church were Mrs. Robert Burkham, Mrs. George Share, Mrs. Oustav Heyss, Mrs. J.

Herndon Smith. Counting The Gains ioju Kiiocycies each Sunday at 5 p. m. OPINIONS What Causes Rail Wrecks 'THIRTEEN of the most spectacular and most serious railroad wrecks in the United States this year have occurred on eleven major railroads. All have resulted in death or Injury to passengers.

Six have been due to broken rails and another to a loose rail. The other six had varying causes, according to official reports. One train ran through an open switch; one Jumped the track at a switch; one wreclr was due to excessive speed, another to low visibility during a blizsard. Steel beams protruding from a freight train raked one passenger train with fatal results, and a tractor" falling from a freight car caused fatalities on a passenger train. Some of these mishaps may properly be called unavoidable, but others apparently are due to some kind of a letdown in maintenance.

That the wrecks have occurred in all parts of the country and on so many lines Indicate the condition is not spotty. The remedy la not so easily seen; but the intensified efforts by the railroads to find It are required if the effect on the publie of the increasing number of wrecks la to be offset. Philadelphia Bulletin. Corporal's Guard WHILE 20 Republicans Join with 30 Demo-" trats in giving Senate approval to the Lilienthal appointment. Senator McKeIla manages to win only four fellow Democrats to the opposition.

If the McKellar quintet is not the smallest intra-party bloc on record, at least it serves as an Interesting yardstick for measuring the Tennessean'a dimensions as a bloc head. Nashville Tenntsstaru Mtrhlttk In TM Wtihlnte PH.