Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1942-12-18
The Washington
Scene
By VIRGINIA GARDNER
BY Federated Press

! IN America To-Day.
AS even his best friends, in
dustrially speaking, have told him
he is a paragon of unpatriotism
he speaks untruths, he is guilty Of
pretense and hypocrisy, and he did
a gross disservice to his fellow in
dustrialists.
Avery is chairman of the board
of Montgomery Ward &Co., and
was ordered to appear as such be-
fore the Natl. War Labor Board
Dec. 8, or send representative,
to meet with the board and spokes-
men for the United Retail Whole
sale & Department Store Employees
(CIO), representing $500 of his
Chicago employees.
He sent Attny. John A. Barr
who explained that when writing
in the dreaded union security
clause, the company insisted on
putting in the contract words say
ing it was only under duress" and
because the President as Com
mander-in-C Chief demanded it, that
the clause was being inserted, and
that it was illegal" !"
When Chairman William H. Da-
Wis suggested a compromise word
ing, it was rejected. The board then
issued an order that the company
sign with the union, with Davis
clause spelled out, saying the
clause was inserted after pro-
test"
In the meantime, in closed ses-
sion, transcript of which was
made available later, the attorneys
for Montgomery-Ward aroused
conservative members to deliver
some of the fieriest pro-union
speeches the board yet has heard.
Chairman of the Board Harry L..
Derby of the American Cyanamid
& Chemical Co., and director OF
the Natl. Assn. of Manufacturers
said hotly that he had voted for
union security clause because
the evidence convinced him that
"steps had been taken to hinder
or destroy this union"
81 want to say that when this
board, constituted as it is on tri-
partite basis, can't decide these
things in the light of justice, with
out being subjected to untruthful
attacks, then | say that this form
of government is seriously leopard
lied.
'In my humble opinion, Mont
gomery Ward has done the great
est disservice to industry and the
private enterprise system of any
concern in the United States, and
| feel that just as strongly as
| can.
"The ads that you put in the
papers were statements of un-
truths or halftruths and the state
ment that you want to comply
with the order of the President
because Wards is so terrifically
interested in doing that in time of
war, doesn't square with the at
titude that is expressed here to-
day, and don't care whether
Montgomery Ward thinks that
represent the viewpoint of industry
or not"
Chairman of the Board Roger
d. Lapham, American-Hawaiian
Steamship Co., witheringly ridi-
culed Montgomery Wards concept
of freedom of speech which the
company pleaded as an excuse for
attacking the boards integrity il
the contract.
wards uses its freedom of
speech by half-truths which. cast
reflections on all the industry
members of this board. The in
dustry members also have freedom
of speech and they intend to use
it to tell the truth and not damn
bunch of half-truths."
Dean Wayne L. Morse, Univer-
sity of Oregon Law School, pub
lie member, obviously at the end of
his patience with the company
weaseling, then made the obser
vation that it was pretty clear that
the company did not propose tc
comply with either the origina
order of the board, the Presidents
order or with the current sugges-
tions of the board.
81 consider the present position
of Montgomery Ward" he said
" pure case of welching on an
agreement with the President of
the United States. think the posi-
ton of Montgomery Ward is one
of the most unpatriotic positions
that any citizen could take in time
of war.
For them to mouth before this
board their professions of patriot
ism in my opinion simply repre-
sents the highest type of intellect
ual dishonesty.
81 move we go into executive
session and take the necessary
action to find out whether or mo-
the Commander -in-Chief in time