The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-23

Therefore you can get some idea of their astonishment when the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, MT. Eric Johnston, called on Phil Murray head of the CIO and Bill Green of the AFL.
 MT. Johnston, newly elected president of the U. s. Chamber is its first president to come from west of Chicago. He is from Spo- kane, Wash. Also he Is A and the Chambers youngest president.
 'This may surprise you," he said, but I think we business men have lot in common with labor, and I'd like to propose that we get together on several things. I think I can even show you that already we agree on quite a few things.
 My organization has done some things wrong in the past, but I think I can get most of my members to agree now on EVCVSAAASAUAA U1 UAAAUIbSs
 "That doesn't mean the closed shop, necessarily. But here's the first thing think we can all agree On--cutting out name calling. We've called labor 8 lot of names and you've thrown a lot of brickbats at us. I think the atmosphere would be lot better if both sides cut this out and gave the other the benefit of the doubt"
 This sound suggestion struck an immediate responsive chord in both Green and Murray, who agreed that this was one point on which the CTO, the AFL and the U. s. Chamber of Commerce could concur, wide apart as they might be on other matters.
 AGAINST COMMUNISM
 "AnOther thing I think we can agree On," continued Johnston, "is to get to know each other better. A lot of men In my Or- ganizatiOn have thought you labor leaders wear horns. And I guess you thought the same thing of us. But I'm convinced that if we get acquainted we can work out a lot of things that seemed insurmOuntable be- fore.
 And another thing on which I think we can agree is the principle of a fair profit--a fair profit for labor and for indus- try. You people can't collect dues from . sick industry, and you also have union profits of your own to protect. Anr along that line, I don't think that labor wants . communist system any more than industry.
 "I've been i'm Russia and Ger many" continued Johnston, 'and under those systems labor gets 9 much shorter end of the deal than management. Management still Is driving the circus wagons over there even though different names are printed on the wag- ans. WorkmeFi' can't change from one job to another"
 Green and Murray also con- cured heartily on this point.
 Result of the conversation was an agreement to get together from time to time to discuss common problems. Johnston said quite frankly he could not speak for the entire membership of the U. s Chamber, and would have to dc some missionary work to sell them on all of his labor ideas. However he said he was convinced that the Chamber had learned a lot oi lessons during the war, and was definitely in the mood to cooper ate.
 GEN. MACARTHUR
 Popular young Senator Josh Lee will never forget his first en- counter with Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur, in which the Army hero proved himself, then as now, q man of dynamic action. It hap pened in 1885 while Macarthur was Chief of Staff and Lee was a rookie Representative from okla- honia.
 Lee walked into the House one day while Congressman Vito Mar eantonic. NsW York left-WingeE