General Welfare Reporter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, September 13, 1946 Page: 2 of 4
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PAGE TWO
General Welfare
Reporter
(SUCCESSOR TO 'AMU'S WW1' AND
NF14- 1
64 DVOCATE)
' -
Official organ General Welfare Federation
of America Published monthly at Okla-
homa City Subscription rates: $t per
year bundles of 10 or more copies 3 cents
each singles 5 cents
14 MONO
Entered as Second Chas Matter December
6 1934 at the Postoffice at Oklahoma City
2 Oklahoma under the Act of March' 3
1879 31212 West California Street
II:41 M FINLEY Managing Editor
NATIOIAllt OFFICERS
IRA M friNftElfe Chairman Natinnal
Itnard Oklatinma City Okla
THOMAS 14 BOORDE Lxectitivc Serretary
and ffrCislative f:crirmocntative
1:OIT11E1t Prcstiti'int Vrtividanett RI
It ARTHUR L JOHNSON Hoard Mimber and
Gpneral roilnitfl San 1timo
3tIttS ItJW7i STEEN 1)YVIti Chairman Na-
tional Adviimry Itnard Chicacn
OUR MOTTO: Poverty must be
wiped out no nation can call itself
Christian or civilized that permits
babes little children and the aged to
suffer for food clothe and shelter
rnerros09
VIASHIIIGT011 ITEMS
By Thomas E Boorde
From PENSIONERS' VOICE is-
sued by the Old Age Assistance Un-
ion of Illinois:
"The REPORTER official news
organ of the General Welfare Federa-
tion of America a National Pension
'Movement with offices in Washing-
ton D C is again asking George
McLain of California an officer of
the National Committee for Pen-
sions to correct the erroneous but
boastful statement he made and
published in the 'Pension Advocate"
a news organ of the National Com-
mittee for Pensions"
Thank you Editor of Pensioners'
Voice That correction has not been
made nor have we seen any expres-
sion of regret that Msgr John
O'Grady the Secretary of the Na-
tional Conference of Catholic Chari-
ties who appeared before the Ways
and Means Committee hearing alw
with an appeal which included the
old folks was totally ignored by the
same organ and individual
We further agree with you when
you say "We agree with Mr McLain
when he says that the aged are not
fully organized to be effective" and
we gay 'They never will be organ-
ized while pension leaders engage in
demagogism and the maintaining of
little organizations around pet bills
which they know have no chance of
passage"
The Old Age Assistanee Union has
issued an open letter to Governor
Dwight IL Green of Illinois calling
his attention to a number of things
which could very well apply to na-
tional conditions We are very much
interestee this fact set out in their
letter in cli they say: "Our slate
Jaw also prolides for a food survey
every six m6hths with any increase
found in food prices to he reflected
In the determination of netd No
such food survey was made for a
period of one year and no change
vas made in the amount of food al-
lowances until August of MIS year
The ending of OPA on June 301 h re-
sulted in a sharp increase in food
prices continued willamt any
alleviation until the - same increase
vas put into effect tit!' August and
September" Wien one faces such
facts in dealing with the aged it
brings to mind Mr Finley's question
at the Convention "Do we want to
ask for merely a pension Or do we
vont to ask for n living for the old
folks?" -
hP CHINO Or Old Age Pen i01141
The cause of establishing a Fed-
eral old age pension is growing
rapidly in importance From more
and more angles it is being pressed
am an inescapable necessity More
and more it is being realized that
the opinion of the United States
Supreme Court regarding Federal
support is absolutely correct We al
rn IF GENERAL WELFARE REPORTER
most grow weary of quoting that
opinion yet it is of so great import-
ance that we are going to repeat part
of it
The Supreme Court of the United
States said "Congress did not im-
provise a judgment Oen it found
that the award of old age benefits
(let us say pensions) would be con-
ducive to the general welfare
Approximately three out of every
four persons 65 years of age or over
were probably dependent wholly or
partially on others for support 11
THE PROBLEM IS PLALNLY NA-
TIONAL IN AREA AND DDIEN-
SION& Moreover the laws of the
several States CANNOT deal with it
effectively etc etc"
We maintain that conditions have
not improved for the better since
that opinion was given except
through the war time emergency
nerency
Right Res -erend Angus Dun Speaks
The Council of Social Agencies of
Washington had an able spokesman
in Dr Dun Episcopal Bishop of
Washington as reported in the
Washington press of August 25
1946 In the report of this Council
the District Commissioners were
bluntly accused of "blocking efficient
operation of Washington's welfare
program" through some of their dif-
ferences with another organization
Among the good things contained
in the recommendations as presented
was "Simplified procedure to secure
welfare funds so as to eliminate the
majority of some 21 steps now re-
quired" This same principle of sim-
plification should be can be and if
11be General Welfare Federation of
America is successful in its efforts
will soon be done
Further Wisdom
Other evidences of the wisdom of
the Council are shown in these fur-
ther statements upon the part of
their spokesmen: It urges that the
policy of requiring the Board of
Public Welfare to estimate its money
needs nearly a year in advance be
eliminated and sufficient funds be
made available to care for such con-
tingencies as the spiraling living
costs Rising costs of food and other
essentials have drastically it the
value of relief to indigents in recent
years the report points out
In this recommendation as in
others the Council of Social Agen-
cies speaks of conditions which pre-
vail not only in Washington the
capitol of bu r nation but through-
out the whole United States These
facts were indicated at the National
Convention in Chicago on August
10th and llth They are evidence
of the wisdom of the Washington
Council and are also evidences of the
correctness of the actions and recom-
mendations of our National Conven-
tion Another of the recommenda-
tions of this live Council in Washing-
ton is the "elimination of residence
requirements and establishment of
provisions for meeting emergency
needs for funds on an immediate
basis instead of week-long process
required now"
Msgr Job n 01G rady Spesiks
Our good friend Wm L Gallup
President of the North Chicago
Club which entertained the National
Convention of t h e GWA w a P
thoughtful enough to clip the state-
ments of Msgr John O'Grady of the
National Conference of Catholic
Charities regarding old age pen-
sions Msgr O'Grady was another
able advocate before the Ways and
Means Committee who was entirely
ignored by a certain pension organi-
zation from the west coast when
their representative and editor of
their paper proclaimed his organiza-
tion the one and only speaker for
the old people
Msgr O'Grady said that the Unit-
ed States is "headed for a straight
national pension t or we shall have
to follow the pattern set by the
United Mine Workers It may well
be that each group must set up its
own system in order to protect its
own workers" What Msgr O'Grady
says is correct unless our Congress
does give us a Federal old age pen-
sion That is the only alternative
Lal'or the official organ for a
number of large organizations for
September Tth has just been re-
ceived in our mail It contains some
suggestions along this line mentioned
by Mgsr O'Grady We have not time
to address ourselves to this latest
pmrosition but will do so later
The Nsition of The General Welfare
Federation of America
Our position on this subject is
well known to all who have studied
with us on this subject While there
are many steps of makeshift which
have been taken and possibly more
may have to follow yet as an organ-
ization we are dedicated to a straight
Federal old age pension The course
followed in the past has been group
legislation It has brought us much
grief The longer we follow that plan
le more grief we will create for the
old folks for the public at large and
for our legislators The course will
be most expensive Confusion will
reign supreme ill feeling jealousy
and suspicion will breed a thousand
difficulties and injustices
The General Welfare Federation
of America stands for the fundamen-
tal prinjple of "Promote the gen-
eral welfare—the greatest good to
the greatest number"
MMeNe4ff Mmm01O
GYM Leaders Object
To Membership Fee
The August issue of the Reporter
carried a story that the Chicago
Convention had adopted a member-
ship fee of $1 a year for each mem-
ber The editor of the Reporter kit
the Convention on Saturday evening
August 10 and that was what the
Convention had decided at that time:
A letter from Mr Eugene Boucher
new National President advises that
the final action of the Convention on
Sunday August 11 did not approve
of the membership fee We are na-
turally embarrassed by such an error
but at least the Convention nor
none of the officers of the Conven-
vention had advised us of this mat-
ter A few members have remitted
$1 membership fee and if they want
the money refunded we will be glad
to do so
The Big Question Is
Financing the GIVA
Since taking over the duties of
publishing the official paper of the
GWA we find that subscriptions and
contributions have fallen several
hundred dollars short of enough to
finance the paper We cannot con-
tinue this indefinitely The National
Headquarters has had to share the
office with others in order to keep
it open We ha v e placed a burden
and responsibility on the shoulders
of Mr Boorde that no one should
have to carry Since the Chicago
Convention failel to adopt any plan
that holds promise of more finances
it is now up to the rank and file
membership to determine what
course we must pursue
Being Honest And Remaining Poor
The General Welfare Federation
of America is needed it has accom-
plished much good and it would be a
distinct loss to the whole country
should this great organization fold
up and quit We have seen other
groups collecting thousands of dol-
lars for the aged poor and shaking
down politicians for fat purses This
organization cannot stoop to such
things and for that reason alone we
are remaining poor The Reporter
MUST have more subscribers and
more bundle orders The Washing-
ton office MUST have more money
There is no membership fee but that
is no reason why a thousand mem-
bers could not or should not contrib-
ute $1 to $5 w month to the paper
fund and the Washington office Let
us hear from every reader of the
Reporter and every member and
friend of the GWA as to how we are
to finance the organization Address
your letter to Ccneral Welfare Re-
porter 31212 W California Okla-
homa City 2 Oklahoma We will
need the information to pass on in
the October issue
Who' Won the $5 Increase
For the Old Folks?
Out in California there is a very
versatile fellow by the name ef
George McLain who has been grant-
ing the old follzio of California the
rare privilege of "buying a brick" fott
$5 to be placed in a building that will
"belong" to the old folks Mr Mc-
Lain is now busy telling how
without any trouble at All induced
Congress to be so liberal with the old
folks
Down in Oklahoma there in an-
other fpllow who is os versatile as
any "con" man that ever followed
the old time country picnics and
fairs He too is telling the old folks
how IIE won this stupendous col-
losal sum of money for the old folks
Naturally he lets them knpw that in
order to win them another fortune
such as the $5 increase be MUST
have part of what they receive
The GWA Did Not Win
The $5 Increase
Our G-R-E-A-T Congress voted
billions for railroads and other Wall
Street monopolies and gave back to
the special interests billions in taxes
fastened monopoly more firmly
about the neck of the people by pass-
ing laws for corporations OUR Con-
gress killed price controls then turn-
ed around and made it legal for the
special interests to pyramid prices
to the sky OUR Congress refused to
pass a sensible workable fair hous-
ing bill for OUR veterans for fear
it would interfere with holy profits
OUR Congress refused to pass a fair
employment practice act to protect
negroes and other minority groups
against the American Fascists
The Military Lobby Wins
OUR Congress voted 18 billion
dollars to be used this year by the
military arm of our government
(This would have been enough to
pay the old folks a $50 monthly pen-
sion for four years) OUR Congress
voted themselves a pension up to $7-
000 a year that will permit them to
retire and live in dignity as is fitting
for a Congressman OUR Congress
voted themselves a salary increase of
$2500 and a tax exempt expense ac-
count of $2500 which amounted to
a salary increase for Congressmen of
$5500 annually Then on the closing
days Congress became warm heart-
ed and voted to increase old age as-
sistance $5 a month for the old folks
who could "qualify" for assistance
under the pauper laws passed by
OUR Congress
The truth of the matter is OUR
Congress did this most generous act
through the goodness of their own
hearts They did not consult either
of the two nation-wide old age penz
sion organizations the General Wel-
fare Federation of America and
Townsend's organization much less
the little two-by-four would-be lead-
ers with a small following in a singrt
state or town Of course the GWA
was on the job in Washington work-
ing and fighting for the old folks
while some of the little two-by-four
money grabbers were raking in po-
litical "dough" But we want to be
perfectly honest with the old folks
whom we serve and whom we sin-
cerely love—honestly folks we did
not win the $5 increase for you But
down in Oklahoma we did have our
State Constitution amended back in
1941 which made it possible for the
$5 to be passed on and for the Legis-
lature this winter to add another $5
While we are glad the old folks are
to receive the $5 we consider it an
insult to every elderly man and wo-
man in the nation and an insult to
those of us who care about the plight
of our elderly people and again we
want to emphasizeWE DIDN'T DO
IT! Neither did any of the fakers–
who are now taking credit thinking
they can get a part of it as a donation
"Luck" is the thing that happens'
when proper preparation meets the
right opportunity
My purpose in this world is not
to succeed but continue to fail in
good spirits
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PAGE TWO TWO TITE GENERAL WELFARE REPOR'rER
most grow weary of quoting that number of large organizations for
Who Won the $5 Increase
General Welfare opinion yet it is of so great import- September Tth has just been re-
ance that vve are going to repeat part ceived in our mail It contains some For the Old Folks')
i
I
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Finley, Ira M. General Welfare Reporter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, September 13, 1946, newspaper, September 13, 1946; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2190598/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.