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Fechner |
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It was Fechner's fairness that impressed Roosevelt and Howe, who resented the attack by William Green and the American Federation of Labor on the proposed CCC program as a "forced labor" project whose "dollar a day" wage would undermine union pay scales. With that viewpoint Bob Fechner wholly disagreed. He knew little about conservation, but he was a good organizer and administrator. Everyone who got to know Bob Fechner loved him. He was a gentleman, always kind and courteous, but firm; he made his decisions promptly; he was not averse to discussion; and he was always willing to correct himself if he felt he had made a wrong decision. He relied on the professional and technical people of the various bureaus to do their work properly and devoted his talents to providing them with the tools they needed, urging and aiding them in a subtle way to work together across bureau and department lines as they had never done before. He was considerate and respected the opinions of others and their right to analyze his policies and offer constructive suggestions. I don't believe he ever made a major policy decision without first talking it over with the council. Yet Fechner could and did make firm decisions on the spot, and he made them stick. I remember a CCC Advisory Council meeting in which a special problem was brought up by the War Department. The army representative, a general, came in accompanied by a fairly large staff—a colonel or two, a major or two, and a captain—and they brought along a lot of material. After a few opening remarks and some reports, Fechner started calling on us around the table, as was his custom, so that each representative of a department could have his say. When his turn came, the army representative expounded his problem, which had to do with the army establishing an equipment pool for all CCC equipment and moving it into various compounds and forts for repairs. The general got very excited about it. He spoke loudly, pounded the table, grabbed papers from his staff sitting behind him, and flung them on the table. He concluded by again bringing his fist down on the table and saying, "Mr. Fechner, you have got to do this! It's absolutely necessary!" He then stopped and looked at the director. Bob Fechner had sat there, quietly listening, for about ten minutes. Now he looked at the general and said, "Is that all, General?" The general said, "Yes," and slammed the table again. Bob Fechner replied, "I ain't gonna do it!" Those words left the general dumbfounded. Fechner turned to the representative of the Education Bureau and asked whether he had anything to bring up, and the reply was, "No, sir." He then went to the man from the Labor Department, who answered "No, sir." Then he came to Fred Morrell, of the Agriculture Department, and me. While we did have a few little things to discuss, we felt it best not to bring up anything, and both of us replied in the negative. With that, Bob Fechner took the gavel, pounded the table, and said, "Meeting adjourned." He got up and walked out, and so did we, leaving the military sitting there. It was a most startling performance, and a very effective one. As I recall, Fechner never did reconsider that subject. Fechner was in his late fifties when he took the job, and I really believe he undertook the task primarily because he liked people, especially young people, and he felt that he could do something to help them. One of the things he wanted to do more than anything else was to inspect the camps, talk with the boys, and make sure that they were well taken care of. He believed they should work, but he also felt that they should get everything they possibly could out of the CCC experience. He strongly supported and encouraged education for the young men in the camps. He felt that the CCC, besides improving our natural resources, had a responsibility to teach the boys how to work and do a good job. He encouraged them to take pride in their accomplishments. He approved the employment in each camp of eight or ten "Local Experienced Men" (LEMs)—older, unemployed craftsmen who could guide the boys in doing skilled work such as carpentry, masonry, and the like. Even though Bob had been an important labor figure, he objected when some union organizers attempted to move in on the CCC program in New England to form a union among the boys. The organizers got into two or three camps and met with the boys, but when word of this got to Fechner, he put a stop to it immediately. He didn't waste any words or even call a hearing. His decision was made on the premise that the government was doing everything that could possibly be done for these boys—they were happy; they were getting good food; they were sending money home to their parents; they were getting an education to the extent that was possible; and they were contributing in a good, healthy way to the conservation needs of the country and to their own well-being. There was no need for a union, as far as he was concerned. He sent orders to the camps to keep the union organizers out and gave instructions that if any of the boys joined a union they were to be sent home. Often when he went on a trip to inspect the camps, he would take Mrs. Fechner along, together with her sister, and his secretary, Mrs. Holbrook. In the work-camp atmosphere—where there were anywhere from 150 to 200 young men working, day after day, month after month, under the management of men—it wasn't always the easiest situation to handle. Looking back at it, however, I believe that bringing these ladies into the camps was really a very nice thing to do. Their presence lent an air of dignity and a bit of homey atmosphere. Fechner was very strict regarding the hours the boys were to work. He wanted them to have time off for study and for recreation. For the later, there was hardly a camp that didn't have facilities for volleyball, softball, and baseball. Boxing too was a popular sport. It was surprising to some of us that many of the young men who showed up in the camps were illiterate. Bob Fechner made it clear that he wanted the army and supervising forces to do everything possible to see that nobody left the CCC without mastering at least the fundamental elements of reading and writing. |