The CIO news. (Cumberland, Md.) 1942-????, 1944-01-17
Looking Ahead
By Len De Caux

. ETURNlNG from trip that took him close TO
~ the wars realities, President Roosevelt
fessed to OF "let-down" at the faulty per-
spectives' he found in Washington.
He spoke contemptuously of the pests who
swarm through the Hobbies of the Congress and
the cocktail bars of Washington" He denounced
chickering's self-seekng partsanship, stoppages Of
work. infation business usual, politics usual.
luxury as usual"
Here is the great American nation girding itself
for the supreme test of the second front invasion
of Europe, and with its young men already engaged
all over the globe in in which the whole future
of civilization is at stake.
Yet anyone reading the daily press or visiting
Congress or Washington cocktail bars would find
evidence of everything the President denounced
If he looked no further afeld, he might get the
impression that the American people
concerned about petty partisan politics and the
selfish jostlng of conflicting interests than about
the lives of their kinfok and the success of the
world struggle against fascsm in its most critical
hours
X \ X
Fortunately this impression is false. It is true
only of tiny mnority-of some of the scum that
has risen to the surface in Washington including
callous profteers and defeatist or narrow-minded
tory politicians It is least of all true of the back
bone of the nation the millions of organized Amer
lean working people.
They behaving as true soldiers of produc-
ton putting in the longest hours under the greatest
strain enduring the most difficult housing, living,
transportation and working conditions; suffering
the injustices of frozen wages and skyhigh living
costs; and yet astonishing the world with miracles
of war production.
Every policy and program of the CLIO has re-
feced this devotion to victory above all else. Every
hy fho NJ
1t helps or hnders the war effort.
X X X
How then does the press manage to create any
impression that labor is just another selfish pres
sure group?
One reason Is that most of the press IL not
the organ of outright defeatist elements, is the
creature of big-business monopolsts and profteers
who deliberately use it for anti-labor propaganda
Another reason is that the accepted definition
of news concentrates attention conflict on dis
agreement the exceptional, rather than on atti-
tudes and activities that are the rule and not the
exception.
For instance, SINGLE short-lived wildcat strike
of few hundred workers rates more press atten-
ton as news" than does the fact that millions
upon millions of other workers are faithfully OBJ
serving their no-strike pledge.
Similarly, the press ignores or plays down
positive CLIO declarations of its vicory-frst atti-
tude. It singles out news only such ideas as
suggest conflict with other groups public per-
sonages but do not by themselves present the CLIO
position in true perspective.
X X X
Clio Pres. Murray has taken vigorous issue with
President Roosevelts call for national service legis
laon But most of the press has reported only this
fact, without explaining the stated reasons and
without quoting Murrays positive support of most
of the rest of the Presidents message.