Evening star., 1943-07-12
Labor Courts Proposed
BY Critic Of Strikes.

ny UI StIIkCSs
To the Editor Of The Star:
believe that all strikes should be
banned by law, both in peace and in war.
They should be outlawed the same as
any other conspiracy or unlawful act.
After all, what Is a strike? It is q
conspiracy among a group OF men. car
ried out by force If necessary. to injure
q manufacturing or other business con-
Germ unless their demands are met. 1t
is an economic holdup. A strike is eco
nomic warfare. 1t Is hostile act. 1t Is
civil war on a small scale A strike is
an attempt to keep other men from
earning their living. 1t is interference
with the right Of other men to work. A
strike usually is accompanied by picket
ing. Regardless Of what the law may
say about picketing, it IS an attempt to
coerce others from entering a plant or
place of business. Picketing often leads
to violence and even murder in order
to enforce a strike. Sheriffs and judges
often are too cowed to do anything about
1t, because the strikers and their friends
have votes. So cowardly have the law
enforcement authorities become that the
strikers have even taken over entire
plants and forbidden the owners to en-
ter. Impossible-fantastic- one
say? Yet that came to pass in 1887
during the sit-down strikes, when, with
the passive connivance of the Govern
ment, men actually took over plants,
damaged machinery, locked themselves
In and locked the owners out. Instead of
being punished, these men were re-
warded by having all their demands
granted. Sometimes think justice is
dead.
do not deny to any man the right to
quit his job If he wants to- To compel
a man to work against his will is slavery,
except in time of war when the life OF
the Nation is at stake, when to quit a
job might endanger the lives of Others
However, under normal conditions, a
man or group of men, has no right to
persuade or compel some other man to
quit his work, or to commit any other
act to the injury of his employer.
But, some may ask, how can the work.
man get justice? They say they must
band themselves together in unions and
compel, by force if necessary, the grant,
ing Of justice. I fully agree that the
workingman should have justice, full,
impartial justice. But who is to de-
termine what justice is? Is the employer
or employe In position to Judge i'm.
partially?
If one person has a grievance against
another, does he have the right to take
the law into his own hands and waylay
his neighbor and beat him up? Does he
have the right to deprive him Of his
living? Does he have the right to de-
stroy his property? OF course, you say,
he has no such right; that if he does
those things he becomes a criminal and
should be put behind bars. Very true.
Are those unlawful acts justified If done
on a larger scale? No, they are not.
Therefore. every one who willingly par
ticipates in strike with its violence
and coercion is violator of the law and
should be punished the same as any
other law breaker.
Then what protection does the work.
ingman have against wrong and in
justice? He has the same protection
that any other individual has, the law
The law is presumed to be impartial,
and the judges are presumed to be i'm
partial.
To insure that justice be done to all
parties concerned, would advocate that
labor courts be set up following the pat
tern of our Federal judiciary, headed by
supreme court. The Judges Of those
courts should be appointed. not because