The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-25
INSURRECTIoN IN MICHIGAN

INSONNESl ION In MiSF1iSAN
The federal government is obligated by
the Constitution of the United States to see
that the established, representative form
of State government is maintained in all
the States of the Union. The Washington
administration, therefore, is overlooking
one of its obligations in failing to see that
the insurrection of John Lewis and his fol-
lowers is not quelled in the State of Michi-
gan. -
The seizure by former employees of the
General Motors Corporation of plants OF
the corporation undoubtedly constitutes in
surreetion. These plants were seized and
are held by show of force. Efforts to Dust
the insurrectionists by legal action, for ex-
ample, in plants in the city of Flint, were
met with force, duly constituted officers of
the law were resisted and were unable to
dislodge them. The automobile of the
sheriff of the county was overturned at one
of the plants and the lives of the sheriff
and his deputies were endangered.
Then an amazing thing happened. The
Governor of Michigan called out two thou
sand national guardsmen and modified
them in Flint-what for-the public sup
posed for the purpose of enforcing the laws
of Michigan and putting down the insur-
rection-but, behold, it transpired that the
troops were in Flint to aid the strikers in
holding the seized plants; to see that the
majority of the workers, who desired to
return to their jobs, were prevented from
doing so, and to protect the insurrection-
lists from law enforcement by the duly con-
stituted civil authorities of the city and
county.
What a travesty on JUSTICE as we have
it in Michigan today. ..,... &
Any reasonable appraisal of the situa-
ton in Michigan reaches no other conclu-
sion than that the striking automobile
workers are in insurrection against consti-
tuted authority in that State, notwithstand-
ing the fact that Governor Murphy has
done what John Lewis called upon Presi-
dent Roosevelt to do, "a move the Presi-
dent has so far declined to make) that is,
as the chief executive and the power of
the federal government to enable Lewis to
compel majority of the workers, now un-
affiliated, to, join his union, and also to
help him to realize his ambition to become
the labor and industrial dictator of the
United States.
The last lines of the foregoing para
graph sum up the whole cause, the sole
reason, underlying this General Motors
trouble. r.~'.. r--- ".r
These automobile workers are paid
wages 20 per cent. higher than the wages
paid any other similar class of workers n
the United States. They work under the
best of conditions. No wage dispute o.
questions of working conditions is involved
in this insurrection. The only issue is TIT
question as to whether John Lewis uniol
is going to compel all automobile worker
to become dues-paying members OF tina
organization, to hoist Lewis to the position
of labor dictator of the country.
tits a we'll established fact (The Times
News has the figures before it as this
being written) that four-ffths or more o
General Motors employees do not belon,
to Lewis union, do not propose to JOIN
unless forced to do so; and that they ar
standing ready to return to their employ
ment as soon as the company is agail
placed in lawful possession of its property
No information from any reliable sourc
places the number of General Motors work