Evening star., 1938-11-11
BLAMES LABOR LAWS
FOR ECONOMIC ILLS
Domination of Congress by
President Held Factor
in Trade Loss

TO the Editor Of The Star: -.
Some anxiety has been created by the
recent pronouncements from the. White
House and the State Department an
nouncing that our fighting forces will
be augmented to point where we shall
be able to enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
The anxious ones may rest assured that
II this country goes to war it will be In
defense of the integrity Of our own
territory.
In the absence Of violent-a revolu-
tionary-change in our own internal
policies, the German overlordship Of
Latin America will come through peace
full commercial penetration in which We
are actively cooperating. BY steadily
weakening our own economic forces
while those Of Germany are being
strengthened, both countries are work.
ing toward the same end: the reduction
Of the United States to an insular power
without oversee possessions or extra
territorial influence.
The changes In the framework of our
laws, accomplished through the prostit,l-
ton Of the vast powers Of the Federal
Government to the purposes Of a few
individuals, which have led to our pres
ent unhappy plight, originated with
ourselves. Only within the last four or
five years has there been active German
propaganda In matters which should
have been Of purely American concern.
Because Of the exigencies Of space,
only salient facts may be stated here.
Deductions must be left to readers
intelligence.
A few years ago, America could COM
pete fairly with German factories. Now,
by emasculating our industries, we have
made ourselves incapable of competing
industrially with a country having none
of our great natural resources but with
a population which is neither lazy nor
self-indulgent and whose members are
animated by an intense devotion to the
cause Of the German people.
Today, American products, with pro-
gressively fewer exceptions, must be sold
in the home market. Whether that be
good or bad is not now the question. It
Is true and we must face the fact.
We have failed to realize that an inde-
pendent national legislature is as indis-
pensable as an independent judiciary.
There are no limits to the criminal folly
Of legislators when panicked with the
fear of being relegated to private life
The new wages and hours" law Is a
case in point. Its enactment was not
demanded by the American workman.
He knows that his only insurance
against privation is constant and conf
peting demand for his labor
There is no space to dwell upon the
shameful features of recent labor leg
islation: its fragrant violations of the
tenets of civilized communal life; its in
citement to crime and disorder; its dis
couragement OF legitimate enterprise:
its promotion OF unemployment and
discomfort.
If God smiles upon us we may again
enter into a constitutional government
In which the liberty Of the individual
will be conserved and our high destiny
attained. A pleasing alternative to a
temporary dictatorship would be an
assertion of independence by the ma
jority, that is, the patriotic element,
within each party. pledging each or
ganization to complete freedom from
trade union or other coercive influence
A faithful adherence to that pledge
would result In the formation of a ma
tional labor party, which would function
through reason and with due measure
of responsibility to the American people
At present the labor leadership mas
power without responsibility. Can we
wonder that the consequences have been
disastrous?
HOWARD PITCHER OK1E.
November 10.