Evening star., 1943-03-10
Member of the Associated Press
WEDNESDAY
March 10, 1943
A Neglected Opportunity

In their minority report on the
Hobbs anti racketeering amend
lnent, on which the House soon will
vote under special rule, Repre-
sentatives Celler of New York and
Lane of Massachusetts state that the
basic objection to this measure is its
wholly unWarranted reflection on the
organized millions Of men and
women in this country" That state
nent deserves some examination.
The amendment is aimed chiefly
at one specific practice Of certain
union locals. The practice is to
stop trucks entering a city and to
collect fee, said to be equivalent of
a days pay for a union driver, from
the owner or driver The collection
Of the fee is made under threat and
those who in the past have refused
to pay it have been beaten The
Government lost its attempt to
prosecute union locals under the
notwithstanding law when the Su-
preme Court held that the practice
was union practice, which Congress
had exempted. The Hobbs amend
ment wipes out such exemption.
Now the opponents Of this amend
ment make no attempt to condone
the practice "On the contrary" say
Mr.. Celler and Mr.. Lane in their mi
nOrity report, "it is our own belief
that these activities are in the long
run disadvantageous to those COM
paratively few locals who engage in
them and to the organized labor
movement in general" President
Daniel Tobin Of the teamSters'
union, according to the report, has
diSavoWed the practice and prohib-
tied in the future such outrageous
conduct on the part of unions under
his Jurisdiction.
But 1t is evident that such dis
avowals and such orders have not
been sufficient to end practice
which is condemned by the critics as
well as the friends and members Of
organized labor. Why, then, should
a law designed to stop this practice
be interpreted as an "unWarranted
reflection" or, for that matter. as
any reflection, on members of Or
ganized labor? Do the laws against
murder, arson and bank robbery re-
feet on the millions of citizens who
do not participate in such crimes?
Opposition to the amendment re-
fleets an apparent weakness in labor
leadership which is not conducive to
the progress of organized labor, and
which does the labor movement more
harm than good. There are other
practices which are not condoned by
responsible labor leaders and which
violate fundamental precepts of in
dividual freedom in this country.
Unable or unwilling to remove them,
those responsible for labor policy
leave their removal to outraged pub
lie opinion. But instead Of gaining
the advantage which lies in really
effective condemnation of obnoxious
practices, labor leadership is placed,
as in this case, in the position Of
defending them.
The Hobbs amendment undoubt-
edly will pass the House and 1t
should be approved by the Senate,
Wise labor craftsmanship would be
to work for its enactment, not to
oppose it by making it appear that
the vast majority of decent, law
abiding citizens who belong to labor
unions feel any differently toward
the elimination Of labor rackets than
their fellow-citizens who are not
members. Certainly such labor
craftsmanship would work, in the
end, for the Advancement not the
detrimcnt, Of organized labor.