Evening star., 1937-03-26
Triumph of Reason?

Governor Murphy enthusiastically
hailed the armistice between Mr..
Chrysler and Mr.. Lewis as triumph
OF reason" No doubt the Governor
was giving expression to the thought
that has been uppermost in his mind
for many weeks. Another barrel of
gunpowder had been removed without
an explosion. A bloody clash between
strikers and the law, with death to men
as well as to political careers, had been
averted. The automobile plants were
being peacefully evacuated by their
captors, with bands playing and flags
flying. Reason, in this respect, had tri-
umphed and no one grudges the Gov
ernor the comforting relief of the
moment.
But in a deeper sense the temporary
truce is more triumph of lawlessness
than of reason. 1t is hard to see much
reason in the events of the past two
weeks. The union and the corporation
were in practical agreement, through
negotiations, on everything except the
point of recognition of the union as the
exclusive bargaining unit for the
Chrysler automobile industry. General
Motors had refused to yield this point
and the union had conceded, withdrawn
that demand for the time being, and the
strike in General Motors plants had
ended. The highly significant agree
ment with the steel plants had been won,
without benefit of sit-down or armed
clashes, because the union was willing
to accept recognition of it's membership
only.
But in the case of Chrysler an un-
qualified ultimatum for exclusive recog-
milton had been followed by seizure of
the company's plants. They had been
held in defiance of court orders that
they be vacated. They had been held
at the point of threats of wholesale
demonstrations, general strikes. They
had been held by threatening the gov
ernment of Detroit and of Michigan with
reprisals if the orders of the court were
carried out.
And then, with a long-suffering public
at last turning on the heat in WASH
tngton and with members of Congress
sympathetic to the administration be-
ginning to squirm in discomfort and en-
barrassment over this breakdown of law
while the Nations Chief Executive main
tanned smiling silence, Mr.. Chrysler and
Mr.. Lewis met with the Governor. In
q few hours truce was reached. The
American people were treated to the
amazing spectacle of voting by the
strikers on the question whether to obey
the law or to continue to fout it. And
the triumph of reason" having been
won, the plants were evacuated and the
negotiations are being resumed with
exactly the same issue in dispute that
led originally to the sit-down. Not much
reason there, but dangerous and In
sidious breakdown of law and respect
for law and respect for government that
may carry evil consequences unless a
corrective is found.
The corrective, it is believed, does not
consist in hasty searching of the prece-
dents and the statute books for author
tty of the United States to intervene to
put down disorder in the States. Sane
and intelligent people do not believe
that Michigan is unable to maintain
orderly government. The need is for
. change Of atmosphere in Washington.
The people of this country hold no
brief for the stupid, selfish employers
who exploit their workers and blindly
fight their right to organize and bargain
collectively. But the people of this
country are becoming heartily sick of a
new sort of partisanship in government
which winks at defiance of the law by
generous campaign contributors. They
are becoming heartily sick of the spirit
of compulsion that is being adopted as
the rule for forcing the predictions
and wishes of one group down the throats
Of another. They are becoming heartily
sick of the efforts to gain immediate
political ends by sneering attacks on
the Supreme Court and the judiciary
by every Tom, Dick and Harry who holds
Q political job.
Governor Murphy has been premature
IN hailing triumph of reason" There
is hope, however, that he may have
e,olay, oe a oropbo}