Imperial Valley press., 1942-12-28
A GOOD WAY TO
GET NOWHERE

The new congress will almost certainly
consider a new legislative program to
suspend the basic 40-hour week, create
a new War Labor Board with limited
power, and outlaw closed shop and main
tenance of membership clauses in war
industry contracts.
The program is being drawn up now
by a stalwart few in congress who bat
tied unsuccessfully during the last ses
sion to innoculate the governments labor
policy with some measure of sanity.
Rep Robert RamSpeck, D., Ga, house
Democratic whip, believes the program
has small chance of approval because
he thinks Republican congressman and
war industry employers" will not support
it. Ramspeck's version is that the Repub-
licans will, as he put it, play for 1914
and be unwilling to antagonlze the labor
vote.
1t could be. Congressman, Republican
or Democratic, are not all men with the
strength of their Onvictions-unfOrtu-
nately. The fact that it was Democra-
tic leader who made the prediction may
mean lot, or it may mean nothing 1t
may have been an honest expression OF
opinion, or it may have been an attempt
to discredit in advance the increased Re-
publican membership of congress.
If the Republicans do play for 1944'
by refusing to support legislation the
whole country knows is critically needed,
they will be making the mistake of their
lives. They will be turning their backs
on the results of last November's cleo
ton, and forgetting that the strongest
victories then were won by men who were
described by organized labor bosses as
No. l public enemies
The trouble with too many partiSans
is that they have been sold bill of goods
by the union organizers. They have been
convinced that the labor vote and the
labor union vote" are the same thing.
They are not.
The labor vote is the American vote.
for only minute fraction of Americans
do not labor for their daily bread. The
labor unions do not claim more than one
tenth of these laborers as members, and
they cannot even exert downright control
over that one-tenth.
The truth is that the labor vote-the
American vote is getting downright
tired of Washington's political favoritism
toward special interests which call them
selves labor representatives.
AND EVERYBODY,S TIRED
OF POLITICS AS USUAL
Any politician who guides his course
during the next few months by pOliti-
cal compass pointing to 1914 or any other
election is liable TO flnd nlmSel1 down.
right unpopular man when the votes are
counted. The people do not want favors
these days-they want action to win the
war They want the muddled, foggy do
mestic mess Strengthened out so that the
home front can back up the battle front
with every ounce of efficiency
The popular legislator is liable to be
the one who fOrgetS to consider the effect
of his actions on the voters back home,
and does the things he knows must be
done to put American internal affairs
back on an even keel.
The fellow who refuses to help speed
up production because he is afraid Of
hurting somebody's feelings, or who re-
fuses to help check the governmental
drift toward national socialism because
he fears some alien-minded pressure
group, is working directly against the in
terests of the whole of America, and the
people are beginning to know it.
Everybody, Republicans and Demo-
Gratis alike, had better forget about 1914.
and remember 1913. That's the vital
year.
Tho STRENGTH of n nation * M lonuer