Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-07
Roosevelt
Made Pivot
Of Clio. ALL
He viii Decide Issues
When Bloc Splits
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

the hurricane OF other earth
shaking news, passed with very
little comment. 1t was the
choice by each Of our two great
amalgamations of international
labor unions and CIO-
OF committee or panel OF
three each to meet and settle
disputes betwe tn EN- by
majority vote if possible. 1t
almost never is.
Boards composed of equal
members of representatives of
holly divergent interests usually
split evenly Therefore they
have 10 have an odd member
with a deciding vote. DiSre-
gardlng the window dressing of
boards and conferences. the
practical effect of this is To by
pass both groups, putting de-
CiSionS pretty thoroughly IN one
man control Of the odd member
al least on disputed points be-
tween the groups.
In this case the odd member
is very odd indeed at least so
far as traditional labor prece-
dent is concerned For he hap
pens TO be none other than the
President Of the United States.
THUS, TO some extent ar least,
Il one of two things has hap-
pened either the free labor
movement has taken over the
polite ii government Of the
United States or the political
government has taken over the
free labor movement.
The former alternative might
sound absurd if II were not that
each one of these labor groups
claims upwards of 100000
members representing forty to
fifty million voters which is a
right smart mess of voters in
any mans book, even if they
don't always follow labor leader
ship IN voting.
But it is the former interprc-
tatton -t h n I government has
taken the last word IN labor
control-that is most logical and
likely.
Now that 10 a much greater
degree, Is exactly what happened
10 labor organizations IN both
Germany and Russia and il is
exactly what was never 10 hap
pen here according 10 Rule No.
l in labor'S book Of golden pre-
cepts. Both the Russian and the
German revolutions started out
as more militant labor move
mentS.
RUT, In both cases. the great
~ labor leaders turned out 10
be like Huey Longs "ScroOch p
not "SCreeCh owl 10 Hucv
Longs hen. II cuddlcd up ST.
lentty in a cold dark night 10
HueN'S hen on the warm rooSt
and kept SCrooChing over and
Scroochlng over until "pooty
soon there warn no hon
This ScroOChlnG up has conc
nowhere near as far as that but
II is a mountaineering precc-
efrt-At~o everybody know $
that il was intended in the first
instance far more as very
clever move 10 clrcumvent John
Lewis and take away from him
the great CO organization
which he invented and built
than as a move 10 cement and
strengthen persona | political
power.
just tho same the fatcful
i move was made and the result -
unexpected and, Unprecedented
/ IN this country stands. Dircc-
ton Of organized labor. AT least
on matters where neither half
can agree with the other bv a
majority vote of that half. now
will have It's doubts resolved
for it by the all-powerful voice
of a single man.
Labor has always perhaps not
always with sufficient reason.
boaSted Of its own democracy
OF self-government. At leRt
half Of it either as Circum-
stances may appear cant hon
eStly make that boast any more.
II has chosen for itself very
aStutc and charming car.
And so, in another aspect Of
our war TO Savc7sdemoCracy We
have given up democracy on
almost the formula of the totali-
tartan states.
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