The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1942-07-17
FACING
THE -
FACTS
With PHILIP PEARL

y
American workers and we fear that
the hard-headed sons of toll who make
up the ranks and file of labor are get
ting trife fed up with these con
stant bombardments.
We've got lot of respect for the
mentality of the average American
worker He knows his ABC's and then
some. In fact he knows a great deal
more than many of the well-meaning
amateurs who are trying to "sell'' him
the idea of working harder for victory.
We may be wrong. This question of
morale" is tricky business. 1t has
a lot of angles which defy even the
basic rules of common-sense. But we
have deep inner conviction that the
American worker does not have to be
"sold" in this war the way high-pres-
sure advertising campaigners go about
selling cigarettes or soap to the public
In fact, it is our belief that instead
of being "sold" on this war, American
workers from the beginning have been
doing quite a bit of selling" them
selves to their fellow Americans. The
records show, for instance, that the
American Federation of Labor was the
first national organization to place a
boycott on Hitler's products and the
first to denounce Japanese aggression
While our industry was busy selling
war materials to Japan, the A. F. of L.
was putting pressure on our govern
ment to forbid such exports.
Everything Against Nothing
1t isn't bit strange that American
labor was so far ahead of other seq
ments of our population because the
facts Of totalitarianism were particu-
larly painful to workers.
Hitler's first move when he came to
power was to destroy the free and
democratic trade unions of Germany
He seized the trade union leaders and
sent them to concentration camps or
had them executed. Deprived of the
protection of their trade unions, Ger
man workers were forced into slavery.
Their hours were heightened, their pay
was regulated by Hitler's agents, they
couldn't even choose their own jobs.
They were assigned to their duties,
like soldiers. And if they didn't obey,
they and their families were forced to
pay heavily in suffering.
Now these things were perfectly
clear to American workers long before
we got into this war-not only clear,
but thoroughly obnoxious. Even though
at that time we were in the midst of
a fearful depression here, even though
we were told that there was no unem-
ployment in Germany, American work
ers thanked their lucky stars that they
were Americans and not Germans.
The moment America was forced
into war, lot of stuffed-shirt officials
began marching up and down the high
ways and byways of our industrial CEN
ters preaching to labor about labor's
stake in the war. Those were we'll
meaning but wasted words. Labor
knows that this war is being fought
for keeps and that the stakes are ev-
erything against nothing Labor knows
that America cannot afford to lose.
A Pat on the Back
But still we find the high-pressure
boys lecturing labor, trying to whip
on the workers with words and slo-
gans, yelling for speed, speed and
more speed.
We're not trying to bawl them out
for doing this. They mean well and
they are trying to do a constructive
job. But we wish their efforts would
be more intelligently directed.
For instance, the facts show that
American workers are in there pitch
ing and doing a swell job. Production
schedules are being smashed every day
in almost every vital war industry.
New records of output are being estab-
lished each month. The spirit that pre-
walls is something wonderful to be-
hold. Strikes today are rarity and
even when they do occur they don't
last more than day OF two. A greater
measure of collaboration between labor
and management is being obtained
than ever before in industrial history
Now these are outstanding achieve
ments. They didn't come about from
high pressure craftsmanship. They de-
veloped from the united and uncon-
querable determination of American
workers to produce as never before to
speed the day of victory.
Of course, we can't be satisfied with
the record so far. Labor is going to
keep on breaking records. But we
doubt that this drive that stems from
Observation-Disclosures