Evening star., 1941-11-17
Presidents Statement on Coal Strike
Praised os CIeor, Temperate and Fair

between Daladier and Roose-
welt. Roosevelt has provoked
nothing. He has forced no show
down-he has tried, under terrific
pressure, to prevent one. But II
labor leaders defy the friends of
labor as well as the enemies, the
public opinion Of this country
will turn against labor. The
President does not want 1t so to
turn-and neither, should
think, with all his bigoted mar
row-mndedness and personal
hatred Of the President, does
John l.. Lewis.
Problem Of Congress.
The problem is the problem Of
Congress, of course. 1t made a
severe mistake when, in passing
the Wagner Labor Relations Act.
it violated an axiom of demo-
cratic politics: Namely. that
every right granted in law in
wolves a reciprocal obligation.
This fact is now recognized In
the growing social control over
all groups.
The s. E. c. extracts from
capital obligations commensurate
with its rights. All sorts OF reg
ulations pertaining to soil con-
servation and hygienic conditions
put obligations upon farmers.
For every right duty-that Is
the rule, and only by the recog-
milton of such a rule can a DEM
ocratic society hold together.
1t is the rule for nearly every
body except organized labor,
which some labor leaders assume
to be . state inside the state, to
limit It's rights" by a reciprocal
duty to society. That cannot 60
on. For it is also an inexorable
pattern of democratic society
that whenever minority,
whether Of capital or labor, or
section, assumes an unrestricted
power that threatens the COM
munity as A whole. that minority
will be crushed by the rest. I am
that la hnr hP
crushed. The crushing of mi
norities small or large is the be-
ginning of chaos or tyranny, or
both. one following the other. I
am merely saying that this IN
variably happens.
Benefit of Experience.
The United States has had the
benefit of a world Of experience
in other countries, during the
past terrible years. Let us take
advantage of what has happened
before our eyes and profit from
it. Let the workmen of America
realize every day Of their lives
that their status in the America
of the future will be in direct
relation to their patriotism
today.
This Nation is bending its
back to protect itself and to lift
off the back of mankind, a con-
ception of life that is destroying
the democratic and republican
idea that has given workers more
of q status as equals and free
men than they have so far en-
joyed anywhere on earth or any,
where in history. The whole
Nation is bending its back.
Workers are not being exploited.
As whole they are receiving
more than their mathematically
reckoned proportion Of the total
national income. The class that
is bearing the brunt most severely
Is the middle claSs-and, incl
dentally, the middle class Is
bearing 1t with the best grace.
In a rocking boat and in .
stormy sea, the worker or the
manufacturer or the professional
man becomes a citizen, primarily.
He merges the interest of his
group in the larger interest. He
grasps an oar. He rows.
Afterward, when the ship is in
harbor, we can settle the differ
ences, all of which are minor
compared with the common dam
ger OF shipwreck.
PeIeased by the Bell Syndicate. Incl