Evening star., 1944-05-02
Betrayal Of Trust
Administration Has Used War
To Put Over Closed Shop
By David Laurence

To Put Over Closed Shop
By David Laurence
When the soldiers went away to war
in 1917 they had no idea that the war
emergency would be used to foist pro-
hibition on the country and when they
came back they had . feeling that, ex-
pressed In their own way, something
had been put over on them"
Today, with the vast majority of the
younger men Of the country away from
home, the administration Is engaged IN
betrayal Of trust which far over
shadows the experience In the World
War.
In the guise Of war emergency and
after having given explicit pledges that
the war situation would never be used
to alter the status quo by permitting
either labor or management TO exploit
the emergency for their own advantage,
the administration has deliberately set
IN to put over the closed shop" in
America.
The administration denies vehemently
that the maintenance Of membership"
idea II closed shop, but the element
Of compulsion remains. The fact d that
having elected . no-strike pledge from
labor. the administration has felt II
necessary TO pay labor for adherence
to the job by giving it Q maintenance
Of membership" advantage.
There can be no doubt that II there
were no war on, the country would be
besieged by an epidemic of strikes and
that the maintenance Of membership"
clauses would be won in very few cases.
Economic warfare would result lust as
1T has In respect TO the closed shop"
Congress has never set forth as 4
national policy either the closed shop"
or maintenance Of membership" CO.
ercion. But Notwithstanding this fact,
the administration has made "mamten-
ance Of membership" cardinal policy
and Is willing even in the critical months
Of this war to stir up bitter contro-
versy and call In troops to enforce that
basic labor advantage.
This business Of using the war to put
something over which in normal times
labor unionism could never achieve for
itself Is misuse 6f governmental power.
The administration has insisted ON com.
pelling employers to sign contracts with
the maintenance OF membership"
clauses In them and has threatened 10
seize and has seized properties when
employers have not obeyed. To enforce
policies OF this kind at the point Of
bayonets when they have never been
sanctioned by Congress Is to emphasize
the fact that the New Deal is willing for
the sake Of the labor vote to risk the
rest Of the vote of the country.
Only = misconception Of political ad.
vantage, could have motivated the
Roosevelt administration to use military
force to compel adherence to q labor
policy OF Its own choosing Evidently
1t Is believed that the labor vote will
more than compensate for the losses In
other directions.
Actually the administration risks far
more than the votes of those who have
been following labor controversies. It
risks the votes OF many millions of
citizens who up to now have regarded
as fantastic the idea that the admins
tration would use its war powers to put
something over on the public. Until
now there has been no real demonstra-
ton Of totalitarianism or disregard for
law. The cries of would be DICTATORSHIP
have been academic.
Now, however, overnisht+in the, Mont
gomery Ward case confirmation has
come that the highest officials of the
Presidents cabinet think it more inn
portant to put over maintenance of
membership" policy in labor union
dispute than to preserve the civil rights
of the citizens generally.
Congress is about to take some action
to curb the powers of the Executive.
One thing that has long troubled MEM
bers of Congress is how to prevent Of
ficials from abusing power and taking
high-handed action. The simplest way
Is to add to the criminal statutes so
that oficials Of the Government are
just as responsible for violation of the
law as are citizens.
Today . high ofYicial can violate the
law, and the worst that can happen is
that some court may apply . restraining
order. If damage has been sustained,
the citizen can 60 into the Court Of
Claims and maybe his great-srandchil-
dren will see the end Of the litigation.
But If citizen violates q law he can
be put in jail
Perhaps the simplest way to put an
end to capricious handling Of govern
mental power is to put a criminal clause
In the statutes so that any violation Of
the Constitution by an oficial will be
subject to severe penalty.
Reproduction rirtts rsserved)