The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-08-03
Facing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

We are indebted to Charles Fahy
National Labor Relations Board coun.
sci, for a great big laugh. Mr.. Fahy
appeared before the House Labor
Committee the other day to offer re.
buttal testimony. Much of what he
said in an effort to offset A. F. Of l.
evidence was inaccurate, inconsequen.
tial or beside the point. But he made
one remark that practically had us
rolling in the aisle. Said Mr.. Fahy:
"The Labor Boards record is fine
one. The only serious trouble we have
encountered was in cases where the A
F.. of l.. and C. /. o. were in dispute >
Why, Mr.. Fahy, how you do go on!
Or was that remark just slip of the
tongue? Don't you remember Mr.
Fahy, that every A. F. of l.. witness
had emphasized that very point And
don't you remember that the Labor
Board has been accused of favoring
the C. l. o. in every case in which it
was lined up against the A. F. Of L. ?
Or perhaps, Mr.. Fahy, you were
just offering an alibi? Perhaps what
you meant to say was that if the A.
F. of l.. and the C. l. O. were to patch
up their differences the Labor Board
would have no more troubles. If that
is so, what fine commentary you
have made on the ability of the Labor
Board to be impartial. What you have
Virtually said is that the Labor Board
cannot treat the A. F. of L. impartial
| ly in any case where the C. l. 0. is on
the other side.
Amt it the truth!
A Great Victory
AS this is being written, Congress
is sprinting on the last lap to adjourn
ment. 1t appears certain that no
action will be taken on proposed
amendments to the Wagner Act at
this session. The stalling strategy of
the Labor Board, the C. l. o. and
other related groups has blocked a
vote in either house. Undoubtedly
these boys will be slapping each other
on the back and exchanging congratu-
lations on great victory.
Yes, it was great victory. And,
like the famous victory at Blenheim
in the poem, the victors are likely to
be slaughtered.
For the House of Representatives
has authorized an investigation of-the
Labor Board by a special Congression-
al committee. 1t will not be friend
ly inquiry. 1t will be out to get dirt
And we are freely predicting right
here that it will find plenty of it. Be-
fore the next session of Congress rolls
around the Labor Board and it's friends
will be plentifully smeared.
1t is a great pity. Because the Wag-
ner Act, which the A. F. of l.. has
been trying to protect and preserve
will be endangered. A great hue and
cry will be raised about the alleged
unfairness Of the law. And inevitably
a determined effort will be made by
powerful interests in the next session
of Congress to have the law mutt
lated.
Again, we say, it is a great pity
Because it all could have been SC
easily avoided. If the Labor Board
had only exercised a little sense and
fairness in administering the Act, the
whole fuss never would have started
And if it had only awakened to the
realities of the situation few months
ago and accepted the A. f. of L.
amendments which would have correct
ed administrative defects, the forces
of reaction would still have been stop
ped in their tracks. Instead the Board
chose to be stubborn. Let's see how
it will enjoy the fruits of that victory
Let Freedom Ring
Westbrook Pegler, acid commenta-
tor on other peoples mistakes, finds
trace of Fascism in the C. |. O
makeup. 1t seems this newspaper
columnist discovered that the C. l. O.
is using in the automobile industry the
very tactics it denounced when en-
ployed against the C. |. O. by Mayor
Hague of Jersey City.
Well, well, Mr.. Pegler, we are glao
you have joined the growing ranks OF
those who already have learned that
G. |. o. idealism travels on a strictl,
one-way street. We don't know very
much about the evidence you cited
Mr.. Pegler, but we invite you to take
a look at ours.
The United Mine Workers of Amer.
lea is the largest organization in the
c. |. 0. It's president is John l.. Lewis
the president of the C. |. O. In the
last year the United Mine Workers
has encountered opposition from the
rival Progressive Mine Workers., al
A. F. of l.. affiliate, especially in West
Virginia.
Organizers for the Progressive Mine
Workers and for the A. F. of l.. foune
receptive audience among the miners
of West Virginia. These miner:
didn't like the idea of having their
dues used to defray the expenses o.
the crippled unions in the C. l. o. They
believed the funds of the United Min,
Workers should be used for the benef
Iof the members of the United Min,
Workers. Thousands of them wer,
unemployed or got only one or TIVE
days a week. They looked to thei
union for help. But the union leaders