Evening star., 1944-01-05

Political personalities do not like
to denounce labor or management
as the case may be, without seeming
to be equally insistent that both toe
the mark. Hitherto the President
has used generalities, but the time
has come when he can be specific
and ask the American people to join
with him in ridding the Nation o1
selfishness when American boys are
shedding their blood overseas tc
save the liberties of the Republic.
The labor mess is one that has
been revealed to the public lately ir
a dramatic way. A high of1cial--s
nonpolitical official, a man wht
has no axes to grind either for OF
against labor, but in whose heart
there is deep-seated indignation be-
cause of the threat to tie up the
Nations transportation system ir
the midst of war-has been speaking
off the record to newsmen. He had
hoped this would be sufficient. He
didn't want to be anonymous. He
wanted to go on the radio and tel
of the tragic affair to the American
people, but he was restrained from
doing this-at least for a while
Maybe If the labor leaders insist on
chapter and verse, the anonymity
will disappear and the source will
tell the American people that they
have a right to be indignant and
that the mothers and fathers of
the boys overseas should know that
the strikes have hurt us abroad.
One labor leader has made the
amazing statement that the rail-
road strike was never intended to
be a strike. but was to be used to
force the President to make wage
concessions. 1t would seem in
credible that any such game of de-
ception should be countenanced in
the midst of war and that the victim
of the game should be the Com
mander in Chief of the Army and
Navy.
The United Mine Workers called
a strike and the President didn't
think they meant it, but he soor
found the Nation without coal be.
ing mined. He capitulated. The
Government was beaten, and this ir
the midst of war. News of that ig.
nominious surrender has Travelled
throughout the world not only te
our enemies across the seas, but te
our armed services.
Shall any labor union tie up OF
even venture to threaten to tie up
the war-production front or any
small segment of it vital to the sue
cess of the war effort? Congress
will have to provide the answer in
the form OF new antistrike laws.
AS for the businessman who have
succeeded In persuading members of
Congress to amend the renegotia-
tion law. they can hardly be proud
of that part of their achievement
which means that profits are to be
fixed after taxes so as to compare
with normal percentages. Many
contracts, involving billions of dol
lars. have resulted In profits after
taxes that are three and four times
the normal return on prewar capital
invested. This is considered by
some businessmen as a fair return,
but by the boys in the armed serv-
Ices. who are not getting normal
wages, 1t would be considered just
AS bad as the demands of the la
Dor groups for normal returns.
The idea that all groups must
sacrifice has unfortunately not been
accepted in Washington. 1t is on
that score that President Roosevelt
has now to tell the country the un-
pleasant truth, and it will be up to
Congress to offer legislation to
carry out the Presidents wishes.
Neither labor nor MANAGEMENT
should be treated to special privi-
leges in wartime and a message on
that theme, If fully supported by
presidential action subsequently
would tell our enemies that a new