Evening star., 1937-07-29
Statements of Economic
Adviser Grossly Erroneous

To the Editor Of The Star:
DR.. Mordecai Ezekiel, economic ad-
wiser to Secretary Wallace, is quoted in
your issue Of July % as saying that those
leaders OF industry who refuse to rec
ogniZe labor unions do not believe in
democratic processes and that such
employers are outlaws in democracy;
that the principle of collective bargain
ing has been indorsed by mandate from
the people and by the Supreme Court.
Every one Of these statements is alb
Solutely untrue or grossly misleading.
These pronouncements and others
like them coming from high places are
1ully sufilclent to cause the militant at
titude on the part of labor and il they
believe them no one can blame labor.
Even as like sugar in coffee and de-
test 1t on raw oysters, I approve demo-
cratic procedure one hundred per cent
IN all matters in which every one con-
cerned has an equal interest and which
demand decision one way or the other,
and l consider 1t crime against the
Declaration of Independence to employ
democratic procedure to destroy life,
liberty or the pursuit Of happiness The
right to work, the right to hire, the right
to quit, the right to fire" are inalienable
rights which have never before been sue
cesSfully attacked in these United States.
II democratic processes can fairly be used
to take away these rights, why can they
not be used to take away religious lib
erty? Under the so-called democratic
processes which the Wagner act sets up,
the first ballot would be on the question:
Religion or no religion. Whichever side
won would then have the power to make
further decisions applicable to the whole
population. If the religion side won. the
question would be- what religion? If the
no-religion side won, the question would
be what to do with the opposition, BAN
lsh 'em or kill 'em.
The principle of collective BARGAINING
needs no mandate from the people nor
Endorsement by the Supreme Court any
more than the fact that two and two
make four does. 1t is principle that
has always been used and which cannot
be either doWned nor augmented The
original thirteen Colonies first used it in
this country. the allies in the last war
were the last ones that used it in a big
way, and thousands of partnerships use
1t every day now. In other words COL
lectlve bargaining has never been denied
labor and could not be. The Wagner
act did not deliver anything new to them
except new coordination of general
welfare and interstate commerce author
lty, in way to allow them to use collec-
tive BARGAINING against a man whose
hands are tied behind him by this act.
CERTAIN component parts of the act
have been brought before the Supreme
Court and have passed muster, but this
court does not pass on points not raised,
and believe the act would fall if it were
tried on the point Of being consistent or
inconsistent with itself, and this is WHY:
In the last analysis, the only penalty
possible to invoke for violating the act
is the prohibition Of interstate commerce.
whereas the promotion of interstate
commerce is the only grounds upon
which the act claims for itself the right
to exist.
Laws made by Congress absolutely pro-
hlblt the mlSbranding of merchandise.
Shall Congress be allowed to make a mis-
branded law? This one is branded TO
eliminate the causes of certain subStan-
tlal obStructionS to the free flow of COM
merce and yet all the various. circuitous,
expensive and irritating processes pre-
Scflbed by the law Culmlnate in Just one
thlng-the absolute prohibition of this
f1oW OF commerce for the specific purpose
OF loading it with an additional burden
at It's starting point in the shape of
higher costs of production for those
things which are supposed to flow.
1t is not possible to assume that. under
this act, commerce may be halted for
the purpose Of making it flow more
freely, because the only purpose for
which it might be stopped is the demands
OF workers, which must inevitably result,
If granted in placing an additional bur-
den on commerce. whereas the avowed
purpose of the act is to remove obstruc-
tions and lessen the burden on the flow
of commerce
w. STANLEY FREEMAN.