Evening star., 1941-11-17

the power to tie up the defense pro-
duction of the Nation in a time OF
crisis.
John L. Lewis is veteran In
American labor controversies but it
remained for him to everyday his
hand and compel the first wave of
restrictive acts which unionism has
faced in almost decade.
Union labor leaders generally will
not be grateful to Mr.. Lewis, nor
will the workers who have made
much progress under collective bar
gaining be sparing in their criticism
For his strategy has failed. First he
mistakenly allied himself with the
isolationist cause. Then he mani
Tested his power to cripple the ma
tional defense program. The two
moves were not i n e n t ! O n a l ly
coupled together but they have had
the same effect-to weaken Ameri-
can effectiveness by crisis after
crisis.
But irrespective of the gravity of
. situation in which one man with
power 10 close down all the coal
mines has been using a threatened
tieup only to increase his power SO
that he could control both the coal
mines and the steel mills at the
same time, the fact remains that
collective bargaining has become
collective bludgeoning.
Called Noble Experiment.
The Wagner Act was passed as
q noble experiment in economic
democracy. The American people
sanctioned 1t as they did another
Observation-Disclosures under the
Volstead Act The Anti-Saloon
League once had as much lobbying
power with both major parties in
Congress as the A. F. L. and the
c. l. O. have today. But when the
bootlegger and the racketeer came
TO the front, the American people
laid aside the merits of prohibition
itself and put an end to the means
whereby bootlegging and racketeer-
Ing could flourish.
Today the headlines tell of the
abuse of collective bargaining power
on many sides and the conviction of
two prominent labor leaders for
extortion. The reckets have grown
Many an American workman pays
tribute in the form Of high initia-
ton fees. He must bow down to a
union and join or else be kept from
employment. In some instances
where he is not already union
member he can get a job. but he
must become a member thereafter
In other instances once he has
joined he cannot withdraw under
penalty of being fired.
For the employers have been
gradually forced by collective
bludgeoning to use their dismissal
00Oiiol1Uy W llClp lllAOllo.
These vicious principles of monopoly
have been aided and abetted by
the Government itself under the
New Deal administration. Little by
little whether to gain or keep the
labor vote, the administration has
eoddled the union leaders granting
"a
today the labor union movement In
America is controlled by a few
men who have made Of it sort
Of supergovernment.
The same thing happened in Brit
atn. The British people finally saw
That their safety was threatened and
that If unions were permitted to call
general and sympathetic strikes, the
national defense might suffer in
time Of war. A conservative govern
ment came into power as conse-
quence.
Sizable Bloc in Congress.
Today John L. Lewis has the right
eo call a sympathetic or general
strike In the whole coal industry.
He has 1t by virtue of Government
scquiescence. When the so-called
Appalachian agreement was up for
consideration last spring, the Ma
tional Defense Mediation Board
appointed by President Roosevelt
allowed the clause to remain which
gave Mr. Lewis to right to call out
the whole coal industry just to
punish one employer. The closed
shop has now reached the zenith of
It's capacity for mischief in the
American economic system.
This form of dictatorship has now
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