Evening star., 1941-02-05
Suggests Strikes
Are Treason
Writer Complains About
Labor Unions Coercion
Of Government
To the Editor of The Star:


To the Editor of The Star:
The United States Government asked
for bids on a sl0,00O,O00 Army truck
contract. The Ford Motor Co.'S bid was
low, but it did not obtain the contract
because Mr.. Ford's company does not
comply with all labor laws Claws laid
down by the unions, and dictated by men
outside the industry. So the contract
will go to some other firm at a higher
cost to the taxpayer, and the work un-
queStionably will be delayed, if done at
all, because of strikes on the part of
workers asking for additional wages on
the strength of the new order. 1t GER
tainly doesn't make sense, and public
opinion should so condemn it as to
make it impossible. If firm can do a
job as well, and yet more reasonably
than a competitor, while paying its en-
ployes a standard of wages ahead of
the field, then it should have the job
regardless of how an unfriendly ad
ministration might feel. Is this really
land of the free, or is there budding
dictatorship at work?
Another inconsistent policy of Gov
ernment might well be Strengthened out
in hurry, too. Men of high attain
ment, social position and wealth arbi-
trarily are removed from their homes
and placed in the Army by the draft;
and that's as it should be in a time of
national danger. In the military Serv-
ice there is no such thing as sit-down
strike or lockout or Il won't work at
military training at 81 a day salary"
There is no striking for a higher wage
because of the exigency of the situa-
ton. The Government packs dissenters
off to Jail.
1t is even more important that de-
fenSe workers, at far more than 81
day, stick right at their jobs and rush
every defense order through, but do they
do it? No, sir: they strike and hold up
the wheels of defense industry, and
they actually are supported by the Gov
ernment in their attitude None of this
makes sense to me, nor TO any other
rational citizen; but, of course, I'm not
a politician.
AS further evidence of Governments
inconsistency, and straining at a gnat
while swallowing a camel, We have two
front-page stories in The Star for Sun
day, February 2 In the first instance,
bond for a clerk was set at S25 900 be-
cause he offered to keep draftee out of
the Army. His act was described as
"tantamount TO treason against the
United States" This tableau concerns
two individuals, and two only, the &C
cuSed and the accuser, both unimportant
in the scheme of things.
According TO the second story: % &C
I. o. strike at Phelps-Dodge Copper
Products Corp. ties up S230000000 de-
fense order; % Il 500 A. F. L. truck
drivers on defense work in Dayton strike
for 10c wage increase; 90 &C. I. o.
workers at the Universal Cyclops Steel
Corp. strike. halting $4,000 900 in steel
orders; a. 5000 walk out at the AIIis-
Chalmers Manufacturing plant; 80
$500 at International Harvester on
strike; t6l "34OO at the Alabama Dry
dock and Shipbuilding Co. strickland
so on.
If N the first instance, involving two
persons only, We have treason to the
United States" what do we have in the
second instance, where thousands. yes
millions, are involved? Only politician
could find name for it, What we need
is return to common sense and less
silly radlcallSm. BILL WERBER,