The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1939-01-27
eCherry
" Where with our
roo Little Hatchet we
tell the truth
about many things, sometimes pro,
foundly. Sometimes fippantly
sometimes recklessly.

Shutdown strike once fourished, or
at least appeared to flourish.
Now it has largely gone the way of
the dodo, the handle-bar mustache,
the big Scent glass of beer and other
extinct things.
Past are the days when the sit-down
grabbed front-page space. Now it
gets few lines on inside pages, when
it occurs at all, which is seldom.
When the sit-down was in it's prime,
back in early 1887, lots of folks were
sure it would sweep all before it.
Others didn't think so.
Among the dissenters was the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, which saw
at once the foolishness and danger of
the sit-down technique and warned
emphatically against it.
Fervid advocates of the sit-down,
including the Communists, hooted de-
risively at the federation's stand. They
extolled the sit-down to the skies and
could scarcely find words adequate to
glorify it.
These days most of the former
sit-down champions are quite con-
tent if the subject of sit-downs is
not mentioned
If put in position where they have
to say something, they sing exceed
ingly low. Why the change in heart !?
Because what the A. F. of l.. fore
most bigoted of the sit-down defend
ers have come to realize that the new
form of strike can do more harm to
labor than good
A F. of l.. pointed out, among other
things, that the sit-down gave power
to minority which could easily wreck
a union through its reckless use.
Federation also pointed out that the
sit-down was bound to stir up strong
public opposition.
Truth of the two points was soon
evident and has become even more evi.
dent in recent months.
The union that made the most use
of the sit-down strike, the G.. |. O.-af.
filiated United Automobile Workers
of America, has been torn with dis
sention for months.
i Flare-up of the sit-down by some
of it's members in the last few months
has weakened its position as a re.
sponsible bargaining agency and lost
its friends among the general public
| Point two of the A. F. of L. indict
ment was plain from the very begin
ming of the sit-down strike movement
The public didn't like it and likes i
even less now.
Public hostility to the sit-down i:
generally conceded to have been al
important factor in the defeat of Gov
Frank Murphy in Michigan, despite
his united labor support. His oppo
nents made effective use of his con
ciliatory policy during the biggest o
the sit-downs.
This is not to say that Gov. Muir
phys policy was wrong. Probabl.
most union members, A. F. of L. AM
C.I.O. alike, think he pursued tn,
wisest course under difficult circum
stances.
But his refusal to enforce the Law
against the sit-downers ranked witt
many middle-class voters.
Incidentally, Gov. Murphy, when h
faced a Senate committee inquirin!
into his fitness to serve as Attorney
General, didn't champion the sit-down
The sit-down was illegal and has beel
thoroughly discredited," he said.
Truth is that the sit-down did no
really flourish, IN the sense thaC
healthy plant or tree fourishes.
| Outwardly it appeared strong. In
wardly it was weak. 1t was rooted il
soil in which strong popular supper
was essential to it's health and con
tinued growth. 1t did not have larg
measure of popular support and di'
not succeed in winning such support
It's decline was inevitable.