Evening star., 1937-06-19

Dor Board-and that was not q
judicial body; it was, by the statute
that set it up, a partisan OF labor.
The third member OF Mr.. Roosevelt's
newly appointed Federal Steel Media
ton Board, Mr.. Taft, is not as con-
servative a person as might be in
ferred from the fact that he Is the
son OF = conservative Republican
President. Young Mr.. Taft. indeed,
while = Republican, Is thought by
many Republicans to be closer to
the New Deal than to the party Of his
father.
Yet, II the new board, by the past
associations OF its members, Is pro-
labor. nevertheless they are high
minded men who know how to ap-
proach their present task in a judicial
spirit. Two of them. Messrs. Taft
and Garrison, have had legal training
and experience Of high order.
But however judicial this new board
may try to be, they will be handi-
capped by the position OF the man
from whom they derive authority.
President Roosevelt. Less than a week
ago Mr.. Roosevelt, in a press confer
ence, took a position. and strongly
partisan position, on the very question
which his present appointees are now
supposed to treat without partisa sanship.
Mr.. Roosevelt, when he was asked a
question about the c. I. O. strikes,
said that no matter what the law
says or does not say, common sense
says that when two parties have
reached an agreement there is no rea-
son why they should not put it in
writing. And whether an agreement
shall be put in writing is the principal
question which the new mediation
board is supposed to deal with.
Passive on Use Of Name.
Mr.. Roosevelts partiality for C. I.
O., indeed his identity with c. I. O.,
is patent. To suggest that he at
tempts to conceal it would do him in
justice. When c. 1. o. WAS being
organized, the organizers. in diverse
parts Of the country, issued circulars
and put up posters which told the
workers that President Roosevelt
wished them to join c. I. o. This
use Of his name was called to Mr..
Roosevelts attention. He declined to
do anything about it, though ordi-
narily he is sensitive to Use Of his
name. and has in the past admins
tered public rebuke to persons who
used it without authority.
The head of c. l. O., Mr.. John L.
Lewis, made the largest contribution
made by any contributor to Mr.. Roose-
velt's campaign fund last Summer.
He solicited from his United Mine
Workers and gave to Mr.. Roosevelt
campaign fund upward Of S450,0o0
A loan of $4,000 from Mr.. Lewis
United Mine Workers still stands un-
paid on the books of the Democratic
National Committee. When some
Democratic Senators wished to pass
resolution OF outright disapproval
Of the "sit-down" strike, ss prac-
ticed by c. l. o. at Detroit and Flint,
Mich, Mr.. Roosevelt resisted.
Even if Mr.. Roosevelt's new Steel
Mediation Board 50 conducts itself
as to escape the cloud of their cnic:s
partiality, even If they succeed in
| bringing an end to the present strikes
! nothing permanent will have been
settled. Future strikes will not be
| averted. Strikes are inherent in The
Wagner labor law.
No Mediation Provision.
Because the Wagner law IS called
the national labor relations sct,'
many assume that its purpose and
function is to mediate and settle
labor disputes. The Wagner law has
no such function. It does not rur-