Evening star., 1937-03-22

virtually also 10 49, SSHiix2s$$# 81
the judici a
branch of the #
Government in David Lawrence.
the State is worth
examining because of the historic
importance it may assume in the
future. The letter says in conclusion:
You can do one of two things.
You can use your influence to see
that our grievances are adjusted,
Or you can use the States troops
to try to force us out.
The first way will lead to industrial
peace and the elimination of the
cause for strikes The second will
lead to bloodshed and violence and
more strikes.
I'VE are resolved to protect our
rights to or jobs with our lives.
The choice is fairly up to you"
Direct Challenge.
Never before has an organized
group of American citizenS-at least
in a so-called period Of peace-iSSued
an ultimatum to a Governor. Never
in the last half century or more has
constituted authority in America been
given more direct challenge. Courts
of law last week issued formal orders
to return seized property to lawful
owners, but these orders have been
f1agrantly ignored and instead a
document which argues in effect the
right of revolution is widely pro-
claimed.
Every State is guaranteed a Re-
publican form of Government by the
Federal Constitution and there is
provision for the summonlng of
Federal troops whenever the Governor
OF a State shall so request. If Gov.
Murphy needs help to enforce the
orders of the Michigan courts, he
can get it promptly by asking the
Federal Government.
But there will be no such request.
And the Governor of Michigan
probably will not use force to GUST
the strikers from the motor plants.
He does not believe in violence and
bloOdshed as a means of solving in
dustrial disputes. Nor do many other
American citizens who are watching
from the sidelines the first big clash
OF physical force with law in an
organized labor attack since the gen.
eral strike of postwar days in Seattle,
Wash.
Reason Needed.
IF ever there was a time for the
triumph of reason over physical force,
1t is in the Michigan dilemma In
such circumstances the processes of
public opinion must be made vocal
and effective The first step is 10
recognize that there are two sides
to the controversy, but only one solu-
ton.
Spokesman for the strikers con-
tend that the motor companies have
refused to obey the Wagner labor
law, which calls for majority rule
for unions known to speak for a
majority of the employees. ASSum-
ing that the motor companies have
refused to obey the law which, t
course, isn't true as will subsequently
be demonstrated, the argument of
the "Sit-dOWn" strikers is that be-
cause employers get court injunctions
to over-rule laws, the strikers are
justified in taking the law into their
own hands.
It will be recalled that there rarely
has been a lynching of Negro in
which the mob has not used the
same argument. Namely, that the
law is too slow and usually favors
defendants and hence it is necessary
. to string up the victims as an example
to others.
Lynch law has for generations been
condemned, but only recently has
the true meaning of lynch law become
apparent to the American people,
especially in the South, where en-
l1ghtened opinion has been pushing
for a prosecution of lynchers.
MinortieS in Jeopardy.
Minorities of all kinds-minority
religions. minority races, minority
groups are in danger when so-called
majorities take the law unto their
own hands or put themselves above
courts and judges and attempt to
say what the law is.
In the present situation condemna-
ton should not merely be visited on
the 'sit-doWn" strikers, but upon the
men who lead them astray. And the
labor leaders are in a sense hardly
to be blamed when they read en-
couraging words for their concept of
law given them by the Secretary of
Labor in the Presidents cabinet, and
now by Chairman James M. Lands
of the Securities and Exchange Com
mission and also by Ferdinand Pecora,
a local justice in New York State.
Pecora told a Senate committee last
week that business and industry had
been engaged in "sit-down" strikes
against various laws, his inference
being that two wrongs made a right
or at least that the workers could not
be blamed if they adopted the same
tactics.
Lands, who is shortly to become
dean OF the Harvard Law School, told
q convention of law students in a
public address that the "sit-down"
strike might involve new concepts of
property rights and he intimated that
perhaps they might ultimately be held
legal.
Possible Supreme Court Appointees. d.
The significance of these comments
is that Lands and Pecora are being
mentioned as probable nominees for
two Of the six places on the Supreme
Court to be created if President
Roosevelt's plan for enlarging the
highest court in the land is adopted
by Congress-