Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1937-03-25

tnOuSul, WutTc VIII IL all emu -.
Some conclusions are already self
evident. Every strike is making its
contribution to infiationary values,
and every concerted activity of sit
downers is adding to a growing
problem Of law and order that
caves n In a decided state of won
derment as to the effectiveness of
a democracy. The latter should be
OF much greater concern to every
real American than the first.
So far as imitation is concerned we
believe workers in general will only
wake up some day to realize that
for every extra dollar added to
thei income in wages through sit
down strikes, that dollar will be
paid out in HCL-the higher cost of
living. One or the other may not
keep pace for a while, but ultimate
ly we may all rest assured that our
economic status will strike a pretty
fair balance. Wage increases are on
ly a part of initiation; advance in
prices is another factor which is
certain to follow. Note: the big
steel industry made quick work OF
making peace with strikers by
granting their wage demands; the
next day steel prices advanced ten
per cent. Who pays? You and |, and
everyone who purchases a product
of which steel is a component part.
What is true of steel will be
equally so Of every other commod-
ity. The producer of every commun-
ity must be assured a definite mar
gin of profit in order to survive.
Crashes to individuals or to nations
do not necessarily come through an
existing condition Of either de1ation
or initiation, but in readjustment
from one to another-in the failure
of wage income on the one hand to
keep pace with rising prices of
those things he must buy; or of the
seller to maintain a safety margin
that will assure against financial
collapse. History has shown that
our greatest periods of prosperity
and contentment have come in
times of imitation. For that reason,
II for no other, we should favor a
period into which we are now head
ed as one OF good tidings rather
than a bad omen. We believe 1t can
go without reasonable contradiction
that those who chafe at the bit the
hardest because Of imitation are the
idle rich-those whose wealthy
holdings have come largely through
the adversities Of their %neighbors.
The trouble with the present I'm
rest Is hat 1t is being initiated at
the wrong source. Better for our
country, we hold, would be for wag-
es to rise because Of increased cost
of commodities rather than to boost
HCL because a horde of illusioned
but well-meaning workers permitted
themselves to be dominated by Z
minority Of Communicate henchmen,
paid to create disturbance and en-
gender hatred by unprincipled high
er-ups only seeking to lire their
pockets with extortionary wealth.
Do you think for one minute that
John L. Lewis or Homer Martin,
prime movers of Clio and every big
sitdown strike perpetrated since ell
ection is motivated by an inherent
desire to better the cause of the
common laborer or to bring a great
er degree of happiness to his fam
lily? Well, If yeu do, we just couldn't
agree.
The basic principal of Lewis and
his racketeering brain child the
Committee for Industrial Organiza-
tion-is fundamentally ~undemocrat-
ic. In demanding that through this
organization, and this alone, must
ALL negotiations be carried OH be-
tween employer and employee, 1t
calls for the majority to be governed
by the minority, even to the extent
of that minority hurting defiance at
the courts and executive orders of
those held responsible for carrying
out judicial orders. Just how long
such a condition can last, or what
the ultimate outcome will be re-
mains a conjecture. 1t is not hard to
see that when not only all respect
for law and order fail, but ability to
enforce that respect crumbles at the
feet of helpless or fearful executives.
a state of rebellion exists. And the
dream of the Communist is realized.
Will someone neutrality-suspicious.
a Henry Ford (noted for his liber-
al CONSIDERATION Vi the wage tdIH-
err or a Governor as the chief eX-
ecutive of his state; or some sher-
if charged with carrying out the Or
ders of a justice-have the courage
to stem the tide? If and when he
does, history is likely to record the
name of a hero whose achievements
will live much longer, both in the
memory of labor and industry alike
than either a Lewis or a Martin.
+ 4 8
If you've had the opportunity to
see one of the movie reels recently
depicting the racketeering methods
of union organizers, you've seen
just such conditions first-hand that
exist in the larger cities today. A
fish peddler is likely to find himself
paying tribute to a racketeering
gang who protect him from no.
body but themselves. A member of
the ambulance chaser crowd
throws himself in front of an un-
suspecting motorist who find himself
the victim of the extortionist 'fxer"
and one of the most O"utragpOu