The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-01-28
FACING
THE FACTS
With PHILIP PEARL

| we've just Deen Watching soldiers
marching down the street. They were
a healthy, husky-looking lot. We could
MT help feeling proud that Uncle Sam
! is taking such good care of the men
in uniform.
The sight of these tanned, stalwart
boys swinging with vigorous step along
the avenue reminded us fOrcibly-by
cOntrast-of a scene at the gates of
before. 1t was the end of the day shift.
The men-many of them middle aged
came struggling out in helter-skelter
groups. They wore no uniform save
overalls and work shirts. Their faces
were pale and work-weary. Although
released from the job, their steps
Jagged as they climbed abroad buses
and Street-cars.
These men were soldiers of produc-
ton They were performing service
to their country just as vital as fight
| ing on the battlefrontS. And we could
MT help feeling just from the look of
them that they are being neglected by
Uncle Sam.
But there is an excuse for Uncle
Sam. He's got lot on his mind these
days and perhaps he feels that his
soldiers of production can look out for
themselves, through their unions. But
there is no excuse for his nephews
and nieceS-the citizens of the United
States-Who are certainly not giving
the men and women of labor the recog-
milton and the grateful appreciation
their service merits.
LabOr's Service Taken For Granted
We fear that the American people
are too much inclined to take this
service rendered by war workers as a
matter of course. They seldom stop TO
IrealiZe that without the hard work of
the men and women who run the
machines of industry our soldiers and
sailors would never be able to engage
Ithe enemy in battle. They rarely con-
slider the fact that these soldiers of
production are working their heads
off at the job and are breaking pro-
duction records every day. Why are
they doing this? For wages? Money
couldn't buy the kind of drive these
workers are putting into their jobs.
| It's Il lot more than that. It's a new
spirit, voluntary spced-up, a feeling
lakin to the sublimation that impels
ia soldier to advance in the face of
deadly machine gun fire. This feeling
has Il definite purpose behind il. Work
Iers today realize that every plane,
ship, gun and tank they help to pro-
duce, helps to win the war They know
that the faster they turn out the mate
IrialS of war, the sooner the war is
likely to end. They are hungry for
Victory and they know their own eff
forts can serve to hasten the day.
Now it would encourage these men
Iand women to feel that the American
people as a whole recognize their
achievements and appreciated the
spirit that made these results possible.
But the tragic fact is that labor is
being rewarded only with kicks and
insults and recurring threats.
When Labor Gets Headlines
The daily newspapers and most
radio commentators are largely re-
Isponsible for this sorry state of affairs
1t is most unusual for them ever to
beStow Il word of praise for the loyal
workers in our war plants. They i2-
more labor except in the rare and eX-
Iccplional cases when Il strike occurs
that delays the war effort. Then labor
gets headlines. Then the smearS are
heaped upon its shoulders. Then edi-
ItoriaIS are written demanding action
furnishing all workers, even those with
the best records of service Then the
predatory interests who are always
glad to take advantage of every op-
Iportunity to destroy labors rights and
impair its freedoms jump on the band
wagon and begin organizing another
.anti-labOr crusade.
OF course, it is unfortunate that any
particular group of workers should
ever lend aid or comfort TO these
enemies of labor and provide them
with ammunition to snipe at the stand
ards won after long years of struggle
Any worker who goes on strike for any
cause during this war is II traitor to
his own interests and those of all other
workers. We unhcSitatingly condemn
strikes Just as vigorously as anyone
else. But we insist that the nincty-nine
and nine-tcnthS per cent of self dis
Iciplincd and devoted soldiers of pro
,duction should not he blamed or penal
lied for the sins of the onc-tenth of
one per cent, any more than we would
condemn our entire army and navy
just because Il few misguided miScre
ANTS might desert
If any writer would dare to smear
our armed forces because single
soldier went A.W.O.L. he would be
denounced. Yet all writer's feel free to
smear labor as Il whole when Il small
group OF workers are so carried away
by sense of injustice as to walk off
the job. That isn't fair, it isn't Ameri-
Ican, 1t just isn't good sense.
UNION WOMEN AID PROGRAM