Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-20
War Labor
Fine but
Not Heroic
Most Workers Better OF
Now Than in Peace
By WESTBRoOK PEGLER

working al war job enjoys
his belief and has right 10 be-
licve he is backing up the fight
ers and helping 10 beat the
enemy and preserve American
liberty.
But no sensible man so en-
4ployed should take seriously the
ballyhoo or propaganda deliber-
ately and mechanically produced
by men who make a speciality
OF such emotional effects, which
depict him a hero Of the as
sembly line who is making a
great sacrifice in freedoms name.
OF course, there are eXcep-
tional men and women who will
have chucked verything and
taken substantial losses so as 10
find places where their hands
could be put 10 the task, hut l
am dealing with the majority
who must work. anyway, and
would be miserable without
work.
II TSr T very long since MIL
lions Of Americans knew the
spiritual agony OF idleness. be-
cause there was no work, which
was. just as painful 10 the souls
of men as their poverty was
painful 10 their bodies.
Nowadays. generally speak
inc, work is plentiful every
whore and most Of it is war
work.
In another year, very little or.
anyway. much less. work will be
unrelated 10 the war.
What else would our people be
doing if they weren't engaged in
war work. with 50 many non.
essential tasks and sssS1t0
eliminated
I Asst winter Joe. tho man who
IL ran the service station and
sold gas and oil. saw il coming.
closed out his place. took a
quickie 20 sharpen up his me-
chanical skill and went into
war plant
Is he 50 vain or stupid as 10
tell himself now. or believe il
when others toll him. that he is
a great fellow for doing this.
when he knows that If ~ were
not doing war work he would be
out Of a Job altogether and not
seating regularly?
They recognize this sort ~
thing IN the army, navy AMI
marines. If young man puts
in for a commission in one of the
speciality lines, they ascertain
first whether his number is up
in the draft
II it appears that he has
waited until he's about 10 be
taken anyway they usually dis
count entirely the subjects
willingness 10 volunteer as an
officer, and reject HIM.
OF course, labor is backing up
tho fighters, although IL must be
SAID that the effort is consider
ably short Of that degree which
tho British have taught us 10
call all out % what with strikes
and slowdowns and Stalling.
But what else would labor be
doing Just now. when u is con-
sldered that war work is the
principal industry Of the entire
nation?
4 Nd for whose benefit is labor
"A doing this. anyway If not
for labor'S own benefit and.
therefore. VIII" all the oratory
and the awards and fattcry7
Practically all Of the United
States is labor. This is ma
ton OF working people and il
the war is lost IL Will not be
some vague cartoOniSt's symbol
call Walled Street or the inter-
ests hut labor who will suffer
degradation and poverty
The answer is. Of course that
il isn't labor but the politicians
NJ that group who presume 70
speak for labor and who play
labor for a political imbecile,
who do All the boaSung about
lahor's effort in the war.
The people who do the work
mostly will keep on AZ their
work, but the speeches are
made by the administration men
and the boss unioneers, and all
the organized tieups are the
work Of professionals who use
their power 10 hamper real
lahors work.
Last winter 2 huStling Young
civilian had bright idea which
he sold 10 one Of the big depart
ments Of tho government having
io-do with both combat and pro-
duction
He sold himself 10 cabinet
member as A genius in morale
work and got S100. 900 with
which 10 stimulate the patriot
ism Of labor engaged in a vital
war industry
The cabinet officer insisted
later that fine results had been
produced. but the net Of that
is q rather unpleasant reflection
on the patriotism of the workers
affected
For what II comes down 10
Is that this particular element
Of labor. enjoying high wages
and with everything 70 lose IL
Hitler won. had 10 he coddled
and kidded into decent effort
tbrpuvb tho nRoratfOn IF a