Evening star., 1934-06-19

Uncertainty in the rules governing
the steel industry is emphasized In
the controversy between the produc-
ing companies and their employees.
The Government" in the tudg-
ment of the Milwaukee Sentinel. is
simply an umpire in such a situation
as the steel strike, as Gen. johnson
points out. There is nothing in the
law which empowers the Government
to organize the steel industry for the
workers. But the administration is
not blameless. When the law was
passed 1t permitted the idea to cfrcu-
late that this is exactly what the
Government would do-organize the
workers and fight their battles for
them In q quite literal sense. There
are persons who have no connection
with the steel workers who insist that
the law, If 1t has any meaning at all,
means what the union leaders think
1t means"
I'm q weli considered statement" I"
says the youngstown Vindicator.
employees declared their opposition
to the proposed steel holiday on the
ground that it is 'unwarranted, un-
justified and not in accord with the
Presidents recovery program Con-
tinuing, they said that a general steel
strike at this time would impede the
progress of recovery and throw the
community as well as the entire coun-
try back into a far worse condition
than has ever been experienced.
These are wise words, and the men
who wrote and approved the state
ment are truer friends of labor than
the restless young radicals Of the
rank and file group who by misin-
terpreting section IA of N. I. r. A.
have allowed themselves to be misled
into expecting the impossible. It
would be wrong to criticize the rank
and nle. Their mistake is natural.
The great fault rests with sdministra-
ton officials and others who bally.
hooed N. I. n. "A. to the skies last year
and encouraged men to believe that
overnight, almost, 1t was not only
going to revolutionize the whole set
up of American industry, but remake
human nature as we'll"
Demand for q law covering indus
trial disputes and Labor Board Is
made by the Oklahoma News, while
the Savannah Morning News offers
the opinion: THE steel workers
threatened to strike IL the operators
refused to recognize the union for
collective bargaining. President Roose-
velt has promised to provide promptly
the workers elections demanded by
union leaders in steel plants. Union
leaders claim elections would show a
great majority Of workers favoring
bargaining through A. F. of l. unions
rather than company organizations"
The whole principle of arbitra-
tion," as viewed by the New Haven
Journal Courier. 'of Cancellation and
harmonization, is rejected in advance
If President Tghe says anything, he
says that the steel dispute must be
settled the labor way, without inter-
position OF any other view. No arbi-
traitor can be found outside the labor
interest who would not betray that
interest: labor viii prevail at the cost,
even, of the strike. Now it must be
obvious settlement on such grounds
Is impossible. Section IA can hardly
be coerced into that construction. The
philosophy of the recovery act has
often enough been described, as one
of partnership. Yet a partnership
needs the views of all the partners.
Industry once talked In terms like
Tfghe's, but the recovery act puts
that time definitely in the past. What
President Tighe does is identify the
national interest definitely with the
interest of o minority group of work.
ers in the steel industry. This course,
resting on Government intervention,
invites Government discipline. Yet
no 6Se really wants that"
while unionization is the imme-