Evening star., 1943-11-05

p I q x III le
sl,5o per day in ~
wage increases, Ia
as compare
with 81 in their David Lawrence.
original demands.
The Roosevelt administration has
been outmaneuvered and beaten by
tactics that now constitute an open
invitation to other labor unions to
do likewise. No more humiliating
defeat was ever registered against
any administration in the whole
history of labor strife in America
In fairness to the administration,
It must be said that the need of the
hour is coal production to win the
war, and since the administration
felt it had no other way to get coal
mined except to surrender to the
miners union, expediency and a
feeling that in wartime the end JUS
tlfies the means probably was re-
cPSIlodDlC 1Ol pllS pOJCN.
WLB Suffers Blow.
The reversal suffered by the ad-
ministration is all the more humil-
lating because of the ignominious
position in which it leaves the War
Labor Board. Never heretofore has
the board permitted any negotiations
with a union while its men we're out
on strike. But the solid fuels ad-
ministrator this week upset that
precedent, and while the vast ma
jority of the miners were out on
strike, he negotiated in Government
Offices with the head of the miners
union and consummated a wage
contract which actually increased
the income to the miners beyond
that granted by the War Labor
Board.
The justice or merits of the miners
demands are conceded by many dis
interested observers. The admins
trations handling of the wage prob
lem has been bungling and un-
doubtedly the miners felt they had
a Just grievance, But did the miners
feel that the only way to get justice
out Of the Government was to in
terrupt coal production in the midst
Of war? If so, then there is some
thing vitally wrong with the admin
istration's labor and wage policies
and more attention might we'll be
given to that aspect Of the problem.
Incidentally, Congress has been
treated rather cavalierly, too, by the
administration. Although there is
law on the statute books, known as
the Smith-Connally Act, which pro-
vides jail penalties for any one con-
victed Of lnstigating a strike when
the employers property has been
seized by the Government, no steps
were taken by the Department of
Justice to prosecute persons respon-
sible for preventing miners from
going back to work when the Presi-
dent appealed to them last week
to do so.
Law Made Dead Letter.
Thus has the Smith Connally
law been made a dead letter by the
executive branch of the Govern
ment. and after what has been done
in this case it would be difficult to
Justify its use against any other
unions which choose to strike and
ignore the Presidents appeal,
But the individual miners are not
to blame. They couldn't obey the
Presidents appeal to go back to
work. Every one of them would risk
being black-listed in the union. The
miners have closed shop. Nobody
but union men can be hired and
none who break union rules by dis
obeying orders can remain member
of the union
1t was President Roosevelt who
made it possible for John Lewis to
strengthen the closed shop through
out the coal industry. 1t will be
recalled that just before Pearl
Harbor Mr.. Lewis and the Miners
Union called big strike and de-
manded the closed shop in the So
called captive coal mines" in the
steel industry. The President de-
clared that neither the Executive
nor the Congress would sanction a
closed shop Then an arbitrator
was appointed from the Government
service and forced on the employ
ers. He took leave of absence long
enough to decide the case, and it
was, OF course, in favor of the closed
shop. This record has risen up to
plague the Administration. For hav-
ing imposed closed shop conditions
1t could not appeal persuasivly over
the heads of union leaders to the
rank and file of the miners.
The President has bungled labor
policy, Congress shares the respon-
sibility with him, though there are
courageous individuals like Sena-
tor Byrd, Democrat, who in a
public statment has called on the
President to enforce the Smith
Connally law and prosecute the
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