E AlICHI .7A IATLY Threat Of Dictatorship Is Cause, Not Result, Of Strikes In France it Seems To Me By HEYWOOD BROIJN T l Ju lU V rcayiC @4RRP w ThM pV$IySEhT NSLca7 ,/ tninA 7 NIMAI$ 'w yc8OT ir~t Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Published every morning except Monday during the University year and Summer Session. Member of the Associated Pressy The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to It or not otherwise credited in this niewspaper. 'All rights of republication of all other matters herein also reserved. - Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second class mail matter. Subrptions during regular school year by carrier, $4.00; by mail, $4.50. REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING SY National Advertising Service, Inc. College Publishers Representative 420 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK, N. Y. CHICAGO BOSTON * LOS ANGELES - SAN FRANCISCO Member, Associated Collegiate Press, 1938-39 Managing Edito Editorial Direc City Editor Associate Edito Associate Edito Associate E ito Associate Eito Associate Edito Associate Editoi Hook Editor. Women's Editor Spdrts Editor . Board of Editors r .Robe tor . . .A Horac r Rober r . r . . . r . r . . Jos r .Dor Business Department rt D. Mitchell. Albert P. Mayio ze W. Gilmore rt I Fitzhenry S. R. Kleiman Robert Perlian Earl Gilman. William Elvin seph Freedman .Joseph Gies othea Staebler Bud Benjamin lip W. Buchen SP. Sliegelman iam L.' Newnan len Jean Dean rian A. Baxter Business Manager Credt Manager, , Advertising Manager Women's Business Manager Women's Service Manager tPh Leonard Willi . He] . Ma NIGHT EDITOR: ELLIOTT MARANISs The editorials published in The Michigan Daily are written by members of the Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. Lupescu Vs. Cristea In Rumania. WHEN CRIES of "Tunisia! Tunisia!" rang through the richly-decorated halls of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the shouting delegates, led by Secretary General Achille Starace fulfilled a prediction we made two weeks ago that the next move to be made by the Rome-Berlin axis would be for African territory. Daladier, troubled by internal strife, has taken a firm stand against Mussolini's demands. It is likely, however, that the Italians will win port rights in Djibuti, and railway rights on the French-owned Addis Ababa line. But whatever concessions the dictators wring from France, the fact. that they win something will be another feather in their cap. It is interesting to note here that in his "Mein Kampf" Herr Hitler says that when a country makes a concession to another power, she loses part of her ability to resist fur- ther demands. After the Tuiisia affair is settled, it will be Hitler's turn again. And his ambitions run on a much higher plane than those of his Italian col- league. The real showdown will come in the ever- turbulent Balkans. Hitler's ultimate goal is Soviet Russia, and his means to that end is physical power by absorbing the wealth of Rumania, Yugoslovia and Hungary. But once Germany reaches Rumania, the open road to the Ukraine and Russia, the Soviets will start the fireworks, no matter what position England and France may take. Rumania is the key state in Hitler's drive to the east, and the inter- nal affairs of that country are worthy of serious consideration. Never a strong monarch, King Carol was probably forced by the anti-fascist business in- terests to oust Octavian Goga, strong pro-Ger- man premier, last February, and set up his own dictatorship to prevent a Nazi Anschluss. How- ever, he named as his premier the 69 year old Patriarch of the Rumanian Orthodox Church,, Miron Cristea, whose fascist and anti-Semitic inclinations are well known. In addition to a strong argument that capitulation to Germany, Rumania's best customer, would be very benefi- cial, the white-bearded Patriarch has the full advantage of the Nazi propaganda machine be- hind him. Dramatically another force, that has fre- quently decided the fate of nations is work- ing behind the scenes. Madame Lupescu, Carol's half-Jewish mistress is known to be the saviour of the 800,000 Rumanian Jews, and a strong op- ponent of the recently decapitated Iron Guard. It is significant that reports from Paris and London at the time of Carol's fruitless visit to obtain aid from Daladier and Chamberlain against the Nazi drive, mention in the lead paragraph that Madame Lupescu accompanied him. It is difficult to say what exactly is going on in the palace at Bucharest, but it is safe to ven- ture that the reactionary Cristea and Madame Lupescu constitute a balance controlling Carol's course. Just what the Rumanian monarch does in his precarious situation, that in turn may re-mak the map of Europe, will depend a great deal on the influence these two people have on him. --Morton Jampel Labor Installs Rightist Rule As Issues Go To Chamber By S. U. KLEIMAN To the casual reader of last week's Paris dis- patches, two things would appear to be true: first, that the general strike dealt a crippling blow to individual liberty in France, and that a dictatorship now threatens; second, that the strike was a refusal of labor to relinquish for the common good the gains it made under the Popu- lar Front. But a more careful delving into the background of the present situation revels that the first "fact" is at least dubious, while the second is a vicious distorition. An understanding of recent developments i" France demands that a clear picture be drawn of the conditions that precipitated the desperate protest of labor against the policies of the Dala- dier government. The general strike did not rise out of thin air; nor was it the result, pure and simple, of the abolition of the 40-hour week. The attitude expressed by the general strike can be traced back at least as far as April, 1938, when the Senate forced the resignation of the Blum Ministry, and Daladier, the "wild bull of La Camargue," came to power. The recent decrees, which embody the "three-year plan" for econ- omic recovery proposed by Finance Minister Paul Reynaud, merely delivered the final shock that forced the undercurrents of discontent to burst through in a geyser of violent protest. alum Presents Program Last April, the Blum Ministry faced a per- plexing financial and economic crisis. Factory production, never quite recovered since the be- ginning of the depression, was declining rapidly. Rearmament, accelerated by Germany's absorp- tion of Austria, was draining the treasury. Strikes, stimulated by the 40 per cent rise in the cost of living since 1936, were tying up the metal and the motor industries. But the greatest problem bP far was presented by the flight abroad of French capital. Recovery, dependent upon theereinvest- ment of capital to produce an expansion of French industry, followed out of the country with capital. To meet this problem, Blum presented a finan- cial program to Parliament, requesting decree powers for 90 days to set his plan in operation. HI proposed a centralization of exchange opera- tions that would act to dam the torrent of capital rushing abroad. Business "confidence," he felt, could be restored and industrial expansion en- couraged by slashing the budget deficit. This he proposed to accomplish largely by a small capital levy on landed property, falling mainly upon the peasants, who have always paid a dispropor- tionately small share of the national revenue. The Chamber of Deputies adopted the resolu- tion embodying Blum's plan by a vote of 311 to 250. But the conservative Senators, elected for nine years and unresponsive to the popular will, killed the resolution by a vote of 223 to 49. It is significant to note that one of the factors be- hind the Senate action was the sudden wave of strikes in the engineering industry, which, ac- cording to the London Times, gathered fresh impetus from the intransigence of certain em- ployers who wanted to embarrass Blum. Banks Support Daladier Thus Daladier came to power. Forming a gov- ernment whose memibers were all to the right of the Socialists, and promising that there would be no imposition of exchange control or of a capi- tal levy, he received shortly the decree powers which had been refused to Blum. According to the New York Times: "What was exceptional and important was that M. Mann in the after- noon and Pierre-Etienne Flandin in the evening left the Right and Right-Center to vote for it (the Daladier government) and promised that the 15;000,000,000 franc national defense loan, which former Premier Leon Blum had declared could not be raised, would be forthcoming. France has again a government that can borrow, and its strength lies in that fact almost above all others." Thus, French labor saw the government of the Popular Front, representing a large majority of the electorate, broken by what it felt was a combination sit-down and walk-out strike by capital. Labor saw a concerted effort by the in- dustrialists and bankers to bring the Blum cabi- net to its knees by (a) refusing to lend money to the government on acceptable terms; (b) turn- ing the flight of capital abroad into a rout, thereby not only depressing the value of the franc and raising the cost of living, bit prevent- ing an increase in factory production by remov- ing the funds necessary for the expansion of French industry. In the mind of the French workingman there was the fear that the "two hundred families," symbols of big business and high finance, had deliberately sabotaged the national economy to crush the Popular Front and install, by financial coercion, a government that would scrap the advantages gained by labor in the past two years-scrap the 40-hour week, the annual vacation with pay, the program of public works and social security; reverse the labor policy of the Popular Front government, which refused to break strikes by use of force. Capital Trickles hack Now Daladier was in power. Daladier, the "strong man"-the man who was forced to re- sign from the premiership the last time he held it by the popular outcry over the bloody day of Feb. 6. 1934, when troops fired on demonstrators in the Place de la Concorde. And so, last Spring, capital slowly began to trickle back into the country. .clearance, and a few concessions to industry in minor adjustments to the 40-hour week. Recovery, however, was still hiding behin some far-off corner. Capital. though returning, was merely leaking back in dribbles. The "con- fidence" of the investor, it seems, had not yet been fully restored. So, on August 21, Daladier made a speech Masking his meaning behind a 'mass of vague promises predicting better times, he delivered a wily attack upon the 40-hour week. Immediately, the two Independent Socialists in the cabinet, the Ministers of Labor and of Public Works, who had not been consulted about the speech, resigned in protest. The rift between Daladier and the left-wingers, however, was closed soon afterward when, evidently fearing to .alienate the Social- ists (the largest single party in the Chamber), lest he become wholly dependent upon the re- actionary Right, Daladier repudiated any inten- tion of a frontal attack on labor standards. But labor, nevertheless. indicated its willing- ness to make concessions in the national inter- est. And representatives of the Popular Front parties, meeting on August 26, ironed out a compromise decree authorizing the extension of overtime without limit in the national defense in- dustries and with a limit of 100 hours per year elsewhere. They were unable, however, to arrive at an agreement in regard to overtime rates: labor asked that the existing rates, varying from "time and a quarter" to "time and a half" be maintained. Daladier suggested that the rates be reduced to one and one-tenth times the nor- mal wage. As a result they agreed to shelve the question of pay until the Chamber should meet. In September events moved rapidly. The inter- national situation seized attention at the centei of the stage. Behind the wings, hidden from the' audience, Daladier and Chamberlain agreed to surrender Czechoslovakia. In France, after a few days of feverish preparation for war, the Frenclf people were ready to accept almost any settle- ment. Parliament was called before the nation could recover from its trance and without de- bate the Chamber approved the Munich agree- ment, then adjourned, granting new plenary powers to the Daladier government, See Price Of Munich But gradually, as the results of the Munich settlement were weighed, disillusionment cast a gloomy shadow over France. Slowly, greater and greater numbers of Frenchmen came to feel that a strong Anglo-French stand in the early days of the negotiations would have kept Czecho- slovakia whole, that if Daladier and Chamber- lain had not actually conspired with Hitler, then they had at least betrayed France by their stupidity. A strong suspicion grew in the popular, mind that the French mobilization before Munich was a carefully prepared palliative designed to lessen the pain of a severe diplomatic defeat. In the meanwhile, the hope of economic recov- ery was lost in some bomb-proof cellar. On Nov. 5, Finance Minister Marchandeau threw up his hands in dismay. He had become convinced that it would be impossible to stimulate prosperit without a capital levy and at least a partial form of exchange control. But the cabinet vetoed his proposals under pressure from the "two hundred" (according to Alexander Werth, the Paris cor- respondent of the New Statesman and Nation and of the Manchester Guardian). Instead of resigning, Marchandeau swapped posts with Paul Reynaud, the minister of justice. The famous Reynaud decrees were drawn up. They included the liquidation of the entire public works program, the discharging of 40,000 railway workers, tax increases falling heavily upon the low income groups and the virtual abolition of the 40-hour week with an accompanying cut in the rate of overtime pay. Strike Follows Decrees The general strike was called. But the strike was a protest against the aboli- tion of the 40-hour week and the other Reynaud decrees only-insofar asthe decrees were the sym- bol of all that had happened since April. The decrees merely provided the spark to touch off a heap of explosive grievances that had been accum- ulating since the fall of the Blum Ministry. The picture, as it appeared to Labor, had the Munich "betrayal" in the foreground along with the Reynaud decrees. In the background, labor saw capital, with its flight abroad, its use of loans as a political weapon and its influence in the Sen- ate, strangling the Popular Front; it saw the "two hundred," by pressure on the Daladier Min- istry, blasting two years of social reform and rid- ing the government hard in the pursuit of profit. For labor, the fog had lifted. The jig-saw puzzle finally fitted together. In April there was only a fear. Now there was hard reality. What then, remains of the argument that the strike was a refusal of labor to relinquish for the common good the gains it made under the Popular Front? The insidious words are '"for the common good." In his speech of Nov. 16, M. Jouhaux, head of the General Confederation of Labor-the C.G.T., pointed out that "Trade- union labor is ready to take a large share in a program of sacrifices, but it does not accept sacri- fices that are contrary to the general interest. A sound economy cannot be built on the basis of Get rich, you capitalists, and may the working class sink lower than ever!' Labor Conciliatory The facts bear out the contention that labor maintained a conciliatory attitude throughout, while the same can hardly be said of the oth4 side. The incident following Daladier's speech of Aug. 21, to which we referred above, is a case in point. Labor made certain concessions then, btft it was decided that the question of overtime rates would be submitted to Parliament; now, with It is interesting and decidedly dis- turbing to find that the verdict of the Hitler press in regard to Daladier's "victory" parallels very closely the opinion expressed in a number of American editor- ials. Both in Ber- lin and New York the Bonnet-Dal- adier attempt at a military coup } is hailed as "a triumph of law and order. The peace of Munich begins to flourish and grow crimson berries. It was said when the pact was made that, after all, even a harsh compromise would be better than to have the youth of France blown to bits by the Nazi aviators. But now French workers find that they have escaped the threat of possible bombs from across the border only to face the reality of bayonets commandeered by a dictatorial group in their own land. And they may very well find that French Fascism can be just as fatal to their interests and their lives as that of the Nazis. Bullets made at home can scarify as much as any moulded in a foreign land. The Object Lesson It has been and it will be said over and over again that what goes on in France is not the business of any American, and that it is arrogant and impertinent for any local commenta- tor to attempt to interpret the course of events which are happening far away. But this admonition is uttered by many articulate editors who are themselves using the French crisis as what they call "an object lesson to organized labor in America.' I quite agree that it should be an object lesson, but I would make one slight change in the moral which I find drawn in many pieces written hereabouts. All these approving articles about Daladier and Bonnet say that the French leaders have saved, democracy from Communism. There is sometimes a grudging admis- sion that possibly the Premier has violated legal and constitutional pre- cedent in order to have his way. But 'his is excused on the ground that when there is a threat of Red rebel- lion constitutional government can oreserve traditional liberties only by taking on many of the aspects of Fascist dictatorship. Familiar But Not True Fascism never comes to any demo- And the familiar line runs that cratic country save as the answer to Communism. That's a poor answer, and, besides, it would be much more precise to say that the first step to- ward any Fascist coup is to raise the fake cry of "Communism!" If there were not a single Commun- ist in the United Statesthe Red men- ace orators would still be with us. They would see the threat in the New Deal. And in a pinch they might even pretend to fear that Norman Thomas and his eighteen thousand Socialist followers in New Yorkwere about to seize the arsenals. The lesson which French labor is learning very late American labor should learn in advance. When any- body begins to shout "Red!" at trade unionists they should be forewarned that he is about to make a try to re- strict or destroy the canstitutional rights and liberties of the common man. Dictat'orship as a preservative for democracyranks with prussic 'acid as a headache cure. By WILLIAM J. LICHTENWANGER gram has been increasingly in evi- dence. It is the program comprising Some Musical Modes two symphonies separated by a non- Fashions in concert programs, like symphonic work, and its current Fasion inconertproram, lkechampion' in this country is Serge those in women's clothes, are always Koussevitzky. Last year Koussevitz- changing. About the only difference ky treated Ann Arbor to the Haydn between the two is that whereas the G major Symphony No. 88 and the Paris modes obviously follow the well- Sibelius Second, with Prokofieff's known vicious circle, some definite new and delightful suite from his music to the film Lieutenant Kije as improvement in program making can interlude. Tonight it is to be another be seen over the course of many years.,Hyd .smponyt N s o. 102noBft Eighty years ago, when Theodore Haydn symphony, No. 102 in B flat, Thomas began his crusading to estab- andkyFoith Dnbussy'srvosTi - lish the symphony orchestra as an sionistic Sea between. American institution, the popular , orchestral program consisted of an Haydn And Koussvitzky array of polkas and marches, varied The impelling features of such a with heart songs and the most operat- combination are many. Haydn and ic of operatic arias. In 1879 Thomas Koussevitzky, for instance, make an took his barnstorming orchestra for unbeatable team. More than any oth- the first time to Chicago, then just er modern conductor, Koussevitzky rebuilt from the fire, and "wowed" has revived the good "Paa o. ul the young Swifts and Armours with bloodediand vigood Papa to full- his aetherial string transcription of blooded and vigorous estece out of Schumann's Trauierei, and the WiI- the dull and pedantic tomb to which liam Tell Overture. Fifteen years theo ast century consigned him. later he had established his orchestra To offset the unfamiliarity of the permanently in Chicago, and had HaydTschaikowskythopulart andf raised his public's standards of en- balance Haydn's more chaste, classic joyment to the level of the Beethoven lines there is Tshaikowsky's melodi- Fifth and the Tannhaeuser Overture. ous, dynamic "good theater." If the The Boom Period Haydn Symphony be called, in terms of the drama, a series of well-grouped Then in the early part of this cen- one-act plays, then the Fourth Sym- tury came the boom period in Ameri- phony is a rip-snorting four-act melo- can music, bringing to life the major- drama. with its conflicts, love scenes, ity of the many younger orchestras of ballet, and ultimately triumphant today, and thus establishing sym- hero. In the same way, Debussy's phonic music on a permanent and La Mer, subtly suggesting the moods democratic basis in the country. The and impressions of one contemplat- modern varied yet entirely whole- ing the sea, its restlessness and phan- sonime symphonic program came into tasmagory and eternal mystery, would being; built around a symphony, to be a piece of musical Gertrude Stein, which was added an overture, con- using tones as compartively unrelated. certo, or suite, and some "lighter" stimulants to emotion rather than as music of the dance type or perhaps related ideas--a sort of orchestral an operatic excerpt, its mainstays "stream of consciousness." And in were quite often Tschaikowsky and this way tones are far more success- Wagner, with Beethoven always near ful than words could be, since they the top, and such youngsters as appeal directly to the emotions with- Strauss, Sibelius, and Stravinsky com- out the necessity of translation by the ing in for their share. imagination, and since, paradoxically, But recently another, what might they are less particularized and there- be called a "de luxe," type of pro- fore less confusing and misleading. an indication of a similar frame economic "laws" one cannot fail to of mind on the part of the gov- recognize that with the fall of the ernment. But Daladier, on the Blum Ministry, the course of French other hand, maintained a lofty atti- government was set in the direction tude, refusing to negotiate br even to that the interess of capital demand- provide a basis for negotiation until ed. In other words, it does not mat- the strike was called off. Ironically ter whether one agrees with labor enough, the strike probably would that the "two hundred" had seized never have been called if Daladier control of government. It is only im- had kept his promise to convoke portant to realize that after the events Parliament for Nov. 15. Thus we see of April there was a growing tendency labor offering concessions in the in- (culminating in the Reynaud de- terest of a recovery program and the trees for government to rule in the government, working in, the interest interests of the industrialists. of capital, adamant, demanding all Thus, although the general strike or nothing. appears at first glance to have failed What, then, of the statement that sadly, in reality, it accomplished individual liberty was dealt a heavy much. The premier was informed by blow by the general strike and that a certain military chiefs that the dictatorship threatens? French regular army could not be Notices Student Tea: President and Mrs. Ruthven will be at home to students, Wednesday fiom 4 to 6 p.m. Social Directors, Sorority Chapr- ons, Househeads and Undergradate Women: The closing hour for those girls who are attending the Sopho- more Prom, Friday, Dec. 9, wil be 2:30 a.m. To The Members of the University Council: There will be a meeting of the University Council on Monday, Dec. 12, at 4:15 p.m. in Room 1009 A.H. Louis A. Hopkins, Secretary, Choral Union Members: Pass tick- ets for the Boston Symphony Or- chestra concert will -e given out to Choral Union members in good standing who call in person at the Recorder's Office, School of Music building, Wednesday, Dec. 7, between the hours of 10 and 12, and 1 and 4. After 4 o'clock no tickets will be given out. Congress Cooperative Housing: Ap- plication blanks for the new co6pera- tive house are now available in the Dean of Students office, Room 2, University Hall, and in Room 306 Union. It is imperative for all men planning to apply for membership in the house to be present at the 'next general meeting, Sun., Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. in Room 306 Union, at wiich time application blanks will be col- lected and a schedule of interviews with the membership committee will be made. Men seeking positions of house manager, steward, purchasing agent, treasurer, or accountant are reminded that they are expected to spend some time this week with the corresponding officers inkthe other houses. Pictures of the International Din- ner: Anyone wishing pictures .of'the International Dinner. may see the proofs and leave their orders in the office of the International Center. Bowling: Women students interest- ed in bowling instruction are asked to sign up at the Women's Athletic Building, or Barbour Gymnasium. Notice to Public Health Nurses: Miss Anna L. Tittman, Director of the Nurse's Placement Service will talk to the public health nursing group at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, in the West Amphitheatre, West Medical .Build- ing. Miss Tittman will be available for a limited number of consultations on Dec. 8 with students desirous of securing positions. Appointments may be made through the office of the Division of Hygiene and Public Health. Academic Notices Psychology 115: Instead of the us- ual hour this class will meet 'Wed- nesday from 4 to 6 in Room 2116 Natural Science. Exhibitions Exhibition, College of Architecture: A collection of etchings and litho- graphs by prominent American ar- tists, shown through the courtesy of Professor Walter J. Gores. Corridor cases, ground floor, Architecture Building. Open daily except Sunday through Jan. 2. The public is invit- ed. Ann Arbor Artists' Mart: Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Art Association, al- so an Exhibition of Prints from the Chicago Artists Group. Alumni Mem- orial Hall, North and South Galleries; afternoons from 2 to 5; evenings '1to 10; Sundays, 2 to 5. Through Dec. 15. Lectures American Chemical Socety Lecture. Dr. E. J. Miller will speak on "dhemi-. al Research in the Michigan Agri- ultural Experiment Station" in Room 303, Chemistry Building, at 4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7. The annual busi- ess meeting will be held immediately after the lecture. Choral Union Concert. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Kousse- vitzky, Conductor, will give a con- cert in the Choral Union Series Wed- (Continued on Page 6) I ment" along fascist lines; it suc- cessfully challenged the power of the government to rule in the interest of large-scale capital alone. With the convening of Parliament, the ultimate' decision will be removed to the hands of the Chamber. Stories are rife in Paris concerning the pro- tests of the premier's cabinet col- leagues against his firm intent to "govern." Added to the cries of "Tun- isia" from Italy, revealing as they do the fundamental fallacy of "appeas- ing" the dictators, this discontent may It should be clear by now that it was a dictatorship against which French labor was protesting. The dictatorship it fought was a tyranny by the "two hundred." It saw large- scale capital, deliberately motivated by tenuf' P ai hr ntremsts:torina used against the French people, if a showdown came (Edgar Ansel Mow- rer in the Chicago Daily News). In private enterprise as a whole more than 30 per cent of the employes walked out. In many key industries fully 85 per cent of the workers joined