Evening star., 1939-02-27

splendidly neutral terms is but an
external devHe calculated to give
initiative to the forthcoming nego-
tiations. What lies back of the re-
opening of negotiations at this time
and particularly what elements are
present now which were not present
before will not be readily ascertain
able or even susceptible than per-
haps OF being epitomized in a single
reason, But there is a change, and
a vital one. too
The truth is that since the last
parleys a gradual evolution has been
taking place. While labor has been
quarrellng. economic conditions have
been growing worse instead of bet
ter. The disinterested third party
the public-has been getting more
and more impatient with senseless
labor friction. that is economic loss
and interruption due not to differ
ences between employer and en-
ploye but between rival groups of
employees. And when economic con-
ditions grow bad, political changes
come and sweeping reactions set in
which sometimes go farther than
they should in upsetting the gains
liberalism has made.
Concretely, labor faces growing
distrust by large section of the
country that unions can discipline
themselves in democratic society
and rising belief that some form
OF governmental regulation may be-
come necessary. Before such
threat every labor union executive
will be inclined to make many sacri-
flces IN order to prevent labor from
losing that equality of bargaining
power which for generations it had
fought for and only now has gained
in statutory form in the Wagner
Labor Relations Act.
Not an Easy Task.
What has kept the c. I. O. and
A. F. of L. apart? Differences of
a fundamental character exist but
they are by no means irreconcilable.
Labor groups are not unlike other
groups. The human equation in
volving pride and ambition mott
Yates not merely the corporation
president facing a merger with an
other corporation but also the labor
union executive who is asked to
amalgamate his organization with
another and to dispense with two
sets Of officers. Bitterness of feeling,
too, has stirred up antagonisms
here and there in labor union rivalry.
So it will not be easy to bring
about peace 1t will come, however,
II the leaders subordinate all con-
siderations to the main objective
labor unity. 1t will do little good for
the A. F. of L. men to recite the
reason why the break occurred or
to dwell in the peace parleys on
who was responsible for what they
so often call "desertion" from their
ranks. A peace negotiation need
not start with an attempt to fix the
blame for past misunderstanding
Likewise no progress will be made
If the c. l.. O. spokesmen do not
recognize that the A. F. of L. is an
old. old movement in American labor
and that it cannot be transformed
overnight to adopt some of the more
recent concepts of labor union phi
losophy in which the C. I. o. has in
some respects blazed a new trail.
President Roosevelt pointedly
enumerated the elements who wanted
the peace between the two major
labor groups to be brought about. He
spoke of the desire among the rank
and flle-and he is right about it
because too much money taken
from dues of workers is spent for
competition between the C. I. o.
and A. F.. of L. in membership drives
that could be spent more construc-
lively. Likewise the President spoke
of the wishes of the American peo-
pie and he noted that the National
Association of Manufacturers had
expressed at this time a desire for
the development of a better under
standing of labor relations. Lastly,
the President mentioned the wish
of the Government of the United
States for labor peace. Mr.. Roose-
velt knows only too well how the
friction between C. I. o. and A. F.
of L. has eaten into dozens of gov
ernmental problems and frustrated
the true development of some major
social and economic solutions.
One Element Unmentioned.
There is one element which the
President did not mention. 1t has
been in the background of most dis