Evening star., 1941-11-10

that present la ~
Dor laws, includ-
ing the Wagner David Lawrence.
Act, furnish opportunities for
rackets.
Under the rulings of the National
Labor Relations Board an employer
who knows that the head of a union
which is seeking to organize his
employees is a crook and a racketeer
must keep his mouth shut. For the
board has ruled that even if it is
true, the employer must not tell
his employees because that would be
attempting to interfere with their
rights to elf-organization.
In other words the citizens who
know most about commission of
crimes in labor matters must keep
silent. Who then can ferret out the
truth? The press takes risks of dam
age suits and must go in the busi-
ness OF prosecuting if it wishes to
expose Wrongdoers The agencies of
Government as a rule, especially in
the States and cities, are often in
league with the labor groups and
are afraid of the labor vote. So
not much can be expected from the
Initiative of political units.
The revelations that led to the
Browne-Bioff case of extortion in
the moving picture industry and
similar exposures have been largely
the work of Westbrook Pegler. a
newspaper columnist, who was
awarded the Pulitzer prize last year
for his fearless articles. But it's a
poor sort of Government which must
depend on unofficial agencies to
start the wheels OF justice against
criminals.
Wagner Act Seals Lips.
In fairness to governmental agen-
cies, on the other hand, it must be
said that they do not have the ma
chlnery to detect all the crimes
done in the name of labor. They
must get their information from
the citizens. And the Wagner Act
as interpreted by the labor board,
seals the lips of the citizens who
can be OF most aid in running down
criminal acts in the labor world.
Under the act, as interpreted now,
an employer cannot advise his en-
ployes they are being victimized.
They must have the privilege of
being victimized without interfer-
ence from any source. Nor Is there
any law which forbids a union
leader from taking a fraudulent
strike vote and making demands
from an employer which are 50 ex-
treme that he has to capitulate to
the extortion demands of the union
chieftains.
In the Allis- Chalmers strike a few
months ago, evidence of fraud in the
strike ballotting was disclosed and
officially denounced by the Secre-
tary of the Navy but neither house
OF Congress has done anything as
yet about safeguarding union elec-
tions against the repetition of an
abuse.
It Is easy enough to say that the
n14on members can throw out their
leaders. The two convicted leaders
not only coerced their members but
actually had enough influence for
a long time TO prevent the Execu-
tive Council OF the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor from dropping one
OF the accused racketeers from the
highest council of that body.
Now, too, comes the demand for a
closed shop. This means that an
individual employe is even more
beholden than before to his union
thief. This week the President of
the United States could do some
thing about that if he wished. Not
only has his National Defense Medi-
alton Board before it the question
OF granting a closed shop in the coal
mines owned by the steel companies,
but a half dozen American citizens
who want to withdraw from a G.
I. o. union at Kearny, N. j. are
being threatened with loss of their
jobs because they desire to exercise
their American right OF democratic
choice in designating agents to rep
resent them in collective bargaining.
Status Is Given.
The men in question have paid
their dues, but want to organize a
rival union. The c. I. o. union
chiefs demand that the employer
the Navy Department-fire these
workers. The Mediation Board has
the case under advisement, but if it
sticks to its previous ruling under