Evening star., 1934-07-18
Millions win Be Lost.

miIii0ns VIII BE LOST.
But now a small group Of leaders
foment a strike which brings hard
ships 10 millions OF innocent persons.
Food and the necessities Of life are
denied the majority because a small
minority can WELD the economic
power TO prevent workmen who want
10 work from attending TO their
duties.
Many millions OF dollars OF eco-
nomic loss VIII be the toll that the
San Francisco strike takes Mer-
chants who are operating on narrow
margins anyway will find the month
OF July a bad one and it may take
several weeks for normalcy to be re-
stored in all lines OF business, big
and little.
The justification heretofore OF Fed
eral judicial power against individuals
who by concerted action tied up the
channels Of transportation has been
that the whole peoples interests are
more important and vital than those
Of a small group.
But Congress at the behest of Or
ganized labor has passed laws pre-
venting the use OF the injunction in
labor disputes. It is possible under
the evolution of the new deal for any
economic group to seize quasi-govern-
mental power and tie up community
The very fact that strikers COM
mittee says which businesses of an
emergency character shall operate
what trolley lines shall function and
what restaurants shall be permitted
TO have food Is complete surrender
by the coast authorities of their right
to govern.
Power in Government.
Undoubtedly, submission is selected
as a wiser course than violence anc
boodshed, which have been the usual
result of using police or troops to pro-
tect those who want to work. But
there can be no doubt that there
exists a power inherent in any city ol
State government to dominate thost
who would conspire TO bring hardship
to a city through the medium OF Q
general strike.
Great Britain tasted the ill-effect,
OF a similar catastrophe and the re-
were passed which we're unfriendly tt
labor. Indeed, the law in Greai
Britain today defines a legal and ar
illegal strike and forbids the collection
or use Of union dues to support ar
illegal strike.
The conservative labor leaders In
America have genuine cause for worry
over what their radical brethren or
the coast have done. Every bit oi
evidence here for several weeks has
indicated that the American Fedora.
tion OF Labor did not want the strike
on the coast TO 60 to the proportions
1t has reached Inside the councils
of labor on the coast, the A. F. OF l.
leaders have been striving to assert
themselves. Their attitude is as
praiseworthy as it is patriotic. But
1t is also stateSmanlike, for 1t recog-
nizeS the danger of reaction to the
cause Of labor .in the United States.
Collective bargaining was hare
won privilege. 1t is now embodied ir
the Federal law. AbStractly 1t is 9
desirable and entirely defensible right
but when individuals misuse the right
in order TO advance selfish interests
or TO assert arbitrarily their economic
power over other groups, then tht
criticism which was directed at The
rugged indiyidualiSts comes to the
fore. No group of men should bt
permitted to set up their will against
the remainder of society.
Grievances Lacking.
The merits of the dispute between
the longshoremen and the employers
constitutes a single controversy. II
has no logical relationship to any
other group of employers The lat
ter have the right TO continue to give
uninterrupted employment to those
who wish to work Most of the strik-
ers who joined the general strike or
sympathy grounds have no grievances
against their own employers,
Shall the entire economic power OF
unioniSn. irrespective of contracts Oh
understanding between groups unre-
lated TO a particular controversy. bt
used to force into submission a re.
cslcitrant group of employers? Thi'
is the issue which the country as q
whole faces. And the Roosevelt ad'
ministration has yet to see the ISSUE
clearly. In England. labor govern
ment under the prime ministershlE
of Ramsay Macdonald was forced tC
give ground after general strike
SO strong was popular feeling
Economic force is not a new
weapon 1t has been used all ovel
the world as a means of gaining au'
thority and even political power Th'
Pacific Coast situation is a challenge
to Federal. State and city govern
mentS And the unfortunate part o.
1t is that sane and conservative labol
leaders who have struggled hard Il
attain an atmosphere of reasonable
ness in negotiations and peaceful
methods of settling disputes will b.
hurt along with the radical groups
when the tides of popular resentment
set in against the perpetrators Of Sal
Francisco's economic tragedy.