Evening star., 1941-04-09

ton and that
which existed in David Lawrence.
1917. 1t Is a fact that no such patri-
otic ferver concerning the national
cause has swept the country this
year as in the months Immediately
following American alignment along
side the Allied powers in the first
World War.
Instead of national unity, there
are elements of disunity which find
their repercussions not merely in
the indifference of various labor
organizations to the requests of
Government departments for their
cooperation but in the psychology
of many citizens in important posts
in the industrial life of the Nation
who feel that the American cause in
helping Britain is of secondary i'm
portance.
What has become apparent is that
the scars of the lease-lend bill
fight and the repeal of the original
neutrality act have not been healed
So long as there is no acceptance
by all the people of the premise that
Americas aid to Britain is in reality
q matter of self defense there will
continue to be difficulties thrust in
the way of getting labor and man
agement together.
Campaign Against Aid.
Again and again it is being re-
marked in the National Capital that
various individuals and various
groups seem to place their own
interests above anything else. But
1t is rot realized that there has
been a Nation wide campaign of
opposition carried on against the
Governments primary policy of
aiding Britain. So long as this kind
of controversy is carried on, even
though the lease-lend bill is now
law. there will continue to be diff
ficulties placed in the way of CO.
operation between Government and
the public 1t Is obvious that
agents of foreign governments will
make the most of this friction and
will endeavor to provoke and pro-
mote strikes. Recommendations are
coming from the citizenry that
legislation be nacted prohibiting this
and that form of striking. The
President himself leans toward the
idea of cooling off" period before
strikes are called and in this he Is
supporting the suggestion of William
s. Knudsen of the o. P. M. and
others.
The really important factor, how
ever, Is not new legislation but the
use of the presidential influence to
insure cooperation between labor
and management. New legislation
would be useless If laws already on
the statute books are either in
competently administered or preju-
dicially applied, as is the case so
often with the National Labor Re-
lations Board
Labor Board Blamed.
Much of our present day labor
troubles and the refusal of manage
ment to surrender their properties
to minority groups which claim ma
jorities is due to the supine nature
of the Labor Relations Board, which
has worked in collusion with labor
unions and thus has almost COM
pletely forfeited the respect and the
confidence of the management group
in American industry. The Presi-
dent could do great deal by clean
ing house in the Labor Board and
seeing to it that that agency admin
istered the law as written and not
with bias.
But so long as the Labor Board
and labor chieftains think it is more
important to carry out unionization
strategy and ignore national defense,
there will be labor difficulties and
the appeal to management to sur
render rights in the face of national
defense emergencies will not be
received with any enthusiasm.
If somehow there had been
nationwide campaign to persuade
the people to put national defense
first and their accustomed pursuits
second, much of the present dis
ulIlOS "Oulo llOU OC uCFClOplllS. 1IIC
answer does not lie in discouraging
dissenters from the national policy
of aid to Britain from stumping the
country, but in starting a patriotic
counter movement which will per-
suade the workers as well as man.
sgement that the national policy
adopted by the Congress deserves,
100 per cent support.
Morale Must Be Kept.
The President is working day and
night on defense problems. 1t might
be more accurate to say he is even
overworking. But production and
the administration of the many
tasks delegated to him by Congress
are made more difficult of accom-
plishment If national morale is ne
elected. There is, of course, no in
territorial neglect. 1t is simply that
Washington officials are too busy to
think of the one thing that has kept
BYftain going-national spirit in
times OF stress.
Fne President Is occupied with
s,env things but If he could find