Housekeeper's Week

Last week was a busy one for Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt. For seven years the First Lady has left citizens bemused by her energy, her speeches, her candor, her clubs, her charities, her children, the range of her interests, the breadth of her sympathy, and the way she got around. She has been less like the traditional First Lady than like the busy mistress of some great estate, with the whole U. S. as the household. Upstairs, downstairs, morning to night, seven days a week, with never a cross word, she has noted spots of dust on the chandelier, the need for paint on the outlying houses, that dust accumulating in Oklahoma, those new curtains for San Francisco.

The U. S., at first astonished, then annoyed, then amused at her flying trips to coal mines and reclamation projects, has gradually settled back like some impressed but comfort-loving onlooker, to wonder how she found time to do it all.

Busy as every week has been, last week was busier:

To Washington Junior Leaguers she suggested that women who work and do not need their pay should use their money to increase jobs.

To 500 women attending the Household Employment Symposium at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hotel, she urged that domestic work be put on a professional basis. Most fluttered guest at the lunch was one Mildred Stewart, a maid, who sat between Mrs. Roosevelt and feminist Author Fannie Hurst. Mrs. Roosevelt listened to Miss Stewart's speech: "As trained workers we don't feel we have anything to gain from a union ... we have discussed the advantages of social security but we haven't fallen for the arguments of either C. I. O. or A. F. of L. organizers."

Guest of honor at a dinner at the Astor Hotel given by The Churchman, Protestant

Episcopal magazine, which gave her its annual award for "Promotion of Good Will and Understanding Among All Peoples," she heard herself praised for her "genius of goodness," heard even more hearty praise from The Churchman's Dr. Shipler.

Back to Washington she hurried, to see what was happening to youth and the Dies Committee. Trouble began long ago. If the whole U. S. is considered the great house of democracy, then Martin Dies has been like a newcomer who believes he has uncovered a terrific scandal in the family. Said he rudely: Why, the place is full of Communists. Liberals hush-hushed, feared a Red-hunt, kept saying Martin Dies had made a mistake--he should be after Fascists, not Communists. But when the Dies Committee began to talk about U. S. youth, found youth organizations mixed up with evil companions, hinted that youth had been out all night with the Reds, could no longer tell right from Red, Mrs. Roosevelt rushed to youth's defense like an outraged mother hen defending her chick's good name.

Summons. It was five o'clock in the afternoon, and Mrs. Roosevelt was having tea in Manhattan with Frances Williams, 25, administrative secretary of the American Youth Congress, when a telegram arrived. It called for an ex-head of the Youth Congress, who had requested an opportunity to testify before the Dies Committee, to appear at ten the next morning. American Youth Congress has had Mrs. Roosevelt's support from the start, and she has denied that its leaders are Communists.*

But this looked like the biggest attack so far.

On the same train with Mrs. Roosevelt were seven Youth Congress leaders. Until 2 a.m., while the Pennsylvania's 12:50 roared south, the First Lady talked to the agitated youths. She went to her berth; Youth sat in the day coach and talked all night. Next morning the Dies Committee got its biggest surprise: At 11:15 Mrs. Roosevelt strolled in, wearing a dark green costume, with matching woolen coat and silk dress, looked around for a seat. Up jumped gallant Representative Joe Starnes of Alabama, asked her to sit with the Committee. "Oh, no thank you," said Mrs. Roosevelt, "I just came to listen," sat down among the waiting youth leaders. Youth Jack McMichael fell sound asleep, worn out by talk the night before.

Session. Whatever youth was up to politically, it was certainly braced for an awful blow from the Dies Committee. With spirit but without much tact youth leaders hit first, smacked the Dies Committee right on its ideological nose, offered a petition damning the Committee for: 1) misuse of power; 2) intimidation; 3) seizing records improperly; 4) serving faulty subpoenas; 5) un-American conduct; 6) listening to hearsay; 7) provoking hysteria; 8) witch-hunting. Youth Congress leaders asked that the Dies Committee be discontinued, the LaFollette Committee supported.

Said Representative Starnes, no longer so polite, "What you think about this Committee I do not care. . . . But you have made some statements in your resolution that are absolutely untrue, a slander on the committee. . . . We are only seeking to find out whether there are forces in this country trying to subvert and destroy our democratic institutions and form of government."

What they found out was that twelve

Youth Congress delegates had bolted the Congress after a resolution condemning Communism was rejected, that the credentials of all twelve were declared improper, that the Congress had then denounced all dictatorships, Communist or Fascist. Next morning youth and Mrs. Roosevelt were back again. This time youth was uproarious, spectators, including Mrs. Roosevelt, amused, Committee members affable. Young Joseph Lash, ex-Socialist, called a Communist by previous Dies Witnesses, breezily talked of his swing away from the Socialists, described the Youth Congress' beginning and suddenly began to sing:

If you see an un-American

Lurking far or near

Just alkalize with Martin Dies

And he will disappear.

Reporters noted that the laughter of the Congressmen was a little forced. It disappeared entirely when the Committee's Investigator J. B. Matthews said that testimony given the day before was false. Up jumped a youth leader at the word "false," shouted "I deny that!"

"You be seated," said Chairman Starnes, "I don't want to hear another word out of you," adjourned the session quickly with police pushing everyone outside.

Significance. To the New York Sun's Phelps Adams, Mrs. Roosevelt's action looked like a bold move to discredit and abolish the Dies Committee. To American Youth Congress leaders, it was a cause for rejoicing. But for Mrs. Roosevelt, it was all in the week's work. She praised Committee members for their courtesy, went off to Philadelphia to receive the annual award of the Humanitarians for the most Humanitarian work of 1939.

*Whatever it is, the Youth Congress might have been especially designed to torment Martin Dies. It is a conglomeration of 63 national organizations; claims 4,600,000 members, has an organizational structure as complicated as an Insull holding company. Some affiliated organizations: Esperanto Association of North America, American League for Peace and Democracy, Association of Lithuanian Workers, etc.

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