The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-01-14
FACING
THE FACTS
With PHILIP PEARL

We had an interesting talk the other
day with man well past middle-age
who represents our ideal of the good
American citizen.
He is a working man. For the past
% years he has worked in the Wash
ington, ID. G. Navy Yard for Uncle
Sam. He operates an electric crane in
the naval gun factory.
He believes in unions In fact, he is
president of the Electric Crane Oper-
ator's Union, No. 251, of the Interna-
tiOnal b + o t h e + h 90 d of Electrical
Workers, affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor.
This mans name is Wayman e.
Fincham. He is a tall, quiet, modest
citizen. He told us, incidentally, that
six of his sons have enlisted and are
now serving in the armed forces of the
United States.
Our conversation was not private.
1t was broadcast over the length and
breadth of the United States over the
facilities of the National Broadcasting
Company. We hope you heard it. If
not, you missed an interesting reminder
of the fact that the great majority of
the boys in uniform who are risking
their lives to save America and work
of working men men and women.
Keep Standards Intact
Every once in a while the American
peOple-and especially those who make
and administer their laws-need to be
reminded of this fact. We hear too
much and too often from those who
would like to drive a wedge between
the production soldiers serving on the
serving on the battlefront.
These selfish and wholly unpatriotic
prOpagandsts delight in drawing obi
Gus comparisons between the condi-
tiOns of workers serving in factories
owned by private interests and the
conditions of our men in uniform.
They keep harping on the fact that
while our uniformed defenders get
only $50 a month and have to risk
their lives when called upon, factory
workers in our war industries are for
the most part well paid and safe. .
Such propaganda is designed to make
the American people forget that these
soldiers, sailors and marines for the
most part come from the great army
of workers, that they are fighting to
preserve the American way of life
and the standards American labor has
won after years of struggle. When
this war is over, the soldiers will feel
that they have fought in vain if these
standards have been destroyed behind
their back. They will feel gypped if
they have to go back to work at star
walton wages and under sweatShop
conditions.
Yet these are the very objectives Of
the anti-labOr campaign!
And while we are talking about
safe" jobs. it might be well to point
out that since this war started twice
Jas many soldiers of production have
lost their lives i'm Industrial accidents
as have our soldiers, sailors and
marines in action against the enemy
Threat TO War Bond Program
We had another interesting talk last
week with Il representative of the
United States Treasury Department
We discussed War Bonds. We agreed
that the tremendous purchases of these
bonds by American workers out OF
their weekly pay is remarkable teSti.
monial TO the patriotism of these work
erS and their confidence in America 5
future. We further agreed it would bt
Iwell to encourage and stimulate sucl
bond purchases through the payroll
lallotment plan as much as possible.
For there again is movement on
foot to scrap the entire voluntary wal
bond program and put into effect Il
System of compulsory savings Under
lihis plan, the Government would direct
employers to dock 10 per cent OF
each employees pay each week anG
Turn the money over to the Treasury
(which would give the workers bonds
lin return.
Such procedure is repugnant TO the
free spirit of American labor ano
would destroy all the benefits derived
from the voluntary plan. Furthermore
lit is doubtful whether it would rails,
|much more money than is being vol
UNFAIRLY poured into the Treasury
lcOttcrS now.
| When Il man Of his own free vii
IbuyS war bonds out Of his weekly earn
| |ingS; sacrificing the things he may
BADLY need out of patriotic motives, il
gives him Il lift and feeling that ht
| is doing his bit to help America win
When he is forced to buy bonds, his
morale is impaired. He becomes ;
|critic of the war effort rather than {;
IcollabOratOr.
| We appeal to the common sense OF
Congress to decide which is the better
lmethOd.