Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-24
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

Ifmes.)
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NEVER mind whether / advo-
IN cate such a course. Do you
want to know what / think will
happen to our labor or union
problem by the time we come
out of the ether?
Well, it is my idea that the
Wagner Act will never be
amended in any important par
ticular and, of course, never re-
pealed. but that il will just scale
off and be forgotten, because by
that time we will have our own
adaptation of the Nazi and Com
munist system of handling labor
questions.
By then so many of the peo-
pie will be employed directly or
Indirectly by the government
that wages. hours and pay will
be Established by the govern
ment and the right to strike will
be abolished.
1t will be recognized as a fact
which il certainly is--that the
strike is a modified form of war
and that. of course. people can
not be permitted TO make war
on their own country.
GO THERE will be arbitration
~ and. probably, concessions to
the workers, varying according
to the political strength Of the
administration But strikes viii
be out.
Moreover. most workers viii
like this arrangement. because
people don't like to strike and
will be glad to get rid of the
TacketeerS and boSsy agitators
who jerk them around nova
days.
Already. from voices which
invariably sing in praise of the
Roosevelt government, you can
hear discussions of the suspen-
sion and eventual abrogation of
the right TO strike.
Mayor La Guardia is against
strikes by workers on the mu-
nIcIpal transit lines.
Sidney Hillman. man OF
similar political persuasion, is
against strikes on defense prof.
ectS. and the New Leader. q
Social Democratic paper. says:
Every obstacle to the pro-
duction Of defense of democ-
raey, no matter whether 1T is
labeled rights Of private prop
erty' or rights of organized
labor. must be overcome"
NOM.-ot course. I know this
~ paper doesn't speak for the
administration, but | would like
10 bet you something that il
speaks for the future and that
once this condition is accepted
for purposes of preparedness
and /or war II never will be in
voked. no matter what happens
to Hitler.
OF course. what with the ex-
penSe of cumming the prepars-
tons, and possibly a war too.
and giving Britain what she
needs. industry will become ma
tionaliZed. too.
Business will be so deep In
hook that the government will
Just take over. and labor. there
fore. Will work for Sam. who
might be a pretty good boss. al
that.
lie Is pretty tough boss in
some Of his services where poll
ticianS don't have TO meet union
conditions or demands and want
TO make good records for them
selves. but no worse than many
private employers. and he has no
slack seasons.
T1lE workers might like Sam
L as a boss, but nobody il
going To ask whether they like
him or not. Nobody is going 10
ask them whether they want 10
90 10 work for him. They will
think they are working for pri-
Xate industry, but will suddenly
realize one day that Sam owns
the industry or runs it with his
money
The contention that govern
men1 contracts should be with
held from unfair employers can
be applied TO plants controlled
by unfair unions, too.
And. of course. over on the
left they have long taken it for
granted that when the govern
mont is the customer the gov
eminent Gag dictate the labor
conditions. II can revise them
up as. easily as ii can revise
them down. too.
Don't ask me for the details.
I am better on big. lumpy gen.
eral ideas. And don't get petu-
liant now because this system, in
a general way. is Hitler's and
Stains.
Fate as Miss Anita Loos
wrote, keeps on happening these
days.
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