Evening star., 1944-01-03

11lC 4CdSOllAlSy
as impaired to a number Of corre-
spondents who have never before
heard the term tragedy" and
"crime" used so vehemently in de-
scribing a blunder on our home
front, is that matters were taking
a favorable turn for the Allies in
the Balkans and that among the
peoples in neutral and occupied
areas progress was being made to-
ward an explosion that might have
put the whole of Southeastern
Europe in arms against the Nazis.
Then something cracked on Amer
icas home front. Disunity appeared
and the internal situation became
so serious that the entire transpor-
tation system had to be taken over
by the President-a circumstance
which, it is contended, showed
clearly to the people abroad that
the United States was torn by in
ternal strife and could not be count
ed upon to deliver promptly the
supplies needed to support the re-
bellions in the Balkans and possibly
the entry Of certain neutral coun-
tries into the war.
The theory of what might have
happened can be debated but there
can be no denying the fact that the
attitude of our labor union leaders
has reached the point where the
men in the armed services are de-
manding action. 1t is too late for
certain labor leaders to cry "anti-
union propaganda" Lives are at
stake and when men in a position
to know actually talk of needless
loss of lives and point the finger of
blame at union leaders it is time to
concentrate on averting further dis
unity. For if some labor leaders do
not understand what they have
done and want to force the issue
into the open, they will find spokes-
men for the Army and Navy over
seas and doubtless in this country
saying few things about the union
leadership which will give a black
eye to trade unionism for decades
to come.
Nobody who knows the splendid
Job the majority of workers have
done and the cooperative spirit of
so many of labor leaders wants to
see trade unionisn injured. But at
the same time some one in authority
must soon tell union leaders they
have gone too far and that the re-
cent calling Of strike on the rail-
roads was blunder of the worst
sort and cannot be overlooked.
AS far as responsibility for our
present labor mess is concerned, it |
is only fair to say that the Presi-
dent and the Congress must share
much Of the blame for failing in
the past to make allegiance to the
Government of the United States
higher obligation than allegiance
to union or its strike call. Like
wise a measure of blame must
attach to the politically minded
who have developed almost unwork-
able formulas in economic stabiliza-
ton and have permitted injustices,
such as are suffered by railroad
workers, to tester to the point of
strike call.
But there is one mistake that is
unforgiveable and that is to inter-
rupt or threaten to interrupt trans
portation or steel production or coal
mining and no matter what the
blunders of the President or his ad-
visers or Congress, no provocation
was great enough to let down the
mothers and fathers and wives and
relatives of American boys by un-
duly prolonging the war through
manifestations of economic rebel
lion that injured us abroad.
These charges are sensational
and the press must present them,
for the m o m mt, anonymously
though authoritatively, but it must
be regretted that the Commander
in Chief of the United States Army
and Navy has not felt it desirable
as yet to speak out plainly himself
for 1t hardly can be doubted that
what was told the press by informed
sources last week must have been
known to the President.
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