Detroit evening times., 1943-01-18
Wagner Act
Blamed for
Coal Strike
50sIaved Miners Rebe'
Against Despotism
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

~ Pennsylvania hard coal
miners against a boost Of 80
cents a month i'm their union
dues, the second strike of miners
against their union, you viii
hear this and that confusing
argument about side issues.
But If we are going 10 solve
this thing NC must start at the
root Of the trouble and the root
IS the evil, deceptive Wagner
Act, a law TO deliver the Ameri-
can workman into the hands of
deSpotlC and brutal union bosses
which was put over on Congress
and the people disguised as a
law 10 protect workers from the
greed and cruelty of employers.
The SChemerS who did this
had the benefit of wonderful
ballyhoo.
TT WAS called labor'S Magma
L Charta, although it was. in
fact, a writ 10 enSlave the people
with the hope and intent, how
ever, that the union bosses
would more or less unanimously
20 along with the New Deal and
that the workers thus would be
held in close control by the
party.
But it takes cool intelligence
10 analV7e a PROPOSAL amid the
emotional excitement and bitter
ness raised by such a demagogic
and dishonest trick as this act.
and moral courage 10 fight
against IT when all opposition is
instantly and clamorously de-
nounced as ToryiSm.
TRUE, these coal miners are
L stopping the production of
close on 10 half a million tons Of
fuel at a time when oil is ter
ribly scarce and eastern fac
tories. office buildings and homes
have converted from oil 10 coal
on the assurance that coal would
be abundant.
They may cause some deaths
among the civil population, if
not by freezing then by colds
and pneumonia and, ultimately
some loss of life among the
soldiers in Africa and the Pa
clfic through inSufficiency of
weapons. explosives and all.
But these miners have their
share Of sons and brothers in
the fight and they have no
grudge against their country or
$heir ow-Americans.
THEY should not have struck
Il al this time but who made IL
necessary for them 10 strike?
Well, you say who IL was that
turned them over, body and soul,
10 John L. Lewis by way of the
Wagner act and you will have
named those who are ultimately
guilty Of any tragic>consequence
of this strike.
Their boss, John l.. Lewis,
fixes their dues and assessments
and does as he pleases with their
money.
Sometimes, he SquandcrS il on
the organization of other unions,
rs IN the case of the CIO. and,
other times, he uses il 10 elect
political candidates. as in the
case of his contributions and
loans 10 the Democratic Party.
In all cases. however. Lewis
and his daughter and his brother.
who draw big salaries and liberal
expenses, are building power for
themselves with the workers
money and the Wagner Act
pOintcdly contains no provision
TO protect the miners from
dCSpotiSm.
IN THE present case. Lewis, by
a process which he called
convention, voted TO raise the
dues 80 cents a month, a total
of S6000,000 A year, although the
miners treasury is swollen with
idle millions. The miners in
No'vcd in the strike halked
In the last similar strike of
union men against their union.
the Communists were at the
bottom OF the plot and they may
be active in this one. notwith-
standing their all-out-for- Mother
Russia propaganda of the mo-
mont.
They arc 50 devious that no
outsider can say that they would
not do certain thing because
u would be Inconsistent with
their current policy.
They want TO break Lewis be-
cause he broke with their CIO
and they may figure that tho
loss of a few thousand or a few
hundred thousand lives of Amcrs
lcan or even Russian fighters
would bo worth a victory over
Lewis in the long run.
NO AUTHORITY m the WaC-
= ' nor Act compcls Lewis 10
rm his union by those demo-
cratic processes which those
who gave him this power pro-
feSS 10 cherish.
Last November. at the CIO
convention IN Boston. Lewis old
colleague in the miners union.
Philip Murray. now eStranged
from Lewis, said Lewis had a
di9holcal mind said he was uni
Noreallv recognized by the or
C7niZcd workers an cstab-
ll~hed national prevaricator.
Ne told of a DlOt AGAINST his