Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-02-04
Was aiSZ:{5Ql DIGEST
National Service Act Answer
To Wartime Disdgreements
Too Many Cooks Root of Labor Disputes;
Pressure Groups, individuals Unwilling
To Lay Aside Financial Desires.
By BAUKHAGE
Ne,Us analyst and Commentator.

Ne,Us analyst q
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C..
Why did the President order the
army to take over the railroads?
You can get seven reasons from
seven different presidential advisors.
won't repeat them. will name
three.
First, the epitome of those the po-
itically minded probably gave; it
will be good thing for 1914. That
is the sum total of number of con-
illusions of the master minds who
are advising concerning the political
campaign which is ahead of US.
There are two other reasons which
some of the time-hardened officials
in Washington offer (aside from the
threat, real or fancied, to the war eff
fort). These officials let the political
stream flow over them. They are
more interested in getting the par
ticular job assigned to them done
than figuring out its political effects.
Needless to say, they belong to that
large, conscientious army which
most people outside of Washington
forget exists, an army of people
wise or unwise in their judgments
but beholden to no political party
for their positions.
These are the two probable rea-
sons they offered; first:
The roads were seized as a threat
against other industrialists who
might make trouble in accepting
terms of future labor wage deci-
sions, such demands for increases
which can't be easily lodged (per-
haps just demands, perhaps not,
depending on who holds the scales).
The second reason offered is this:
Simply because many of the Pres
ident's present labor advisors have
had little or no experience in labor
relations, in the methods of labor
leaders.
Misunderstanding
There are number of signs which
might point to reason one as the one
which turned the scales, but, like
most of the other motivating forces
in many of the recent labor deci-
sions, they spring from the same
soil as does reason two: misunder-
standing of the methods of labor
leaders.
You will recall that William
Green, A. F. of L. chieftain, when
he made what since seems to have
been an ill-starred attack on the
Marshall statement that threats of
strikes might prolong the war, stat
ed fatty that the railroad unions had
never intended to strike.
That statement isn't questioned in
spite of the angry denials of the
railroad union leaders. 1t is what
you heard in every railroad office
from every old time councillor and
advisor in Washington before the
roads were taken over.
Unfortunately, the whole situation
Is reminiscent of the conversation
concerning the dog. The dog
growled. The owner said, Don't
be frightened, know he won't bite
you" But" replied his friend,
"does the dog know it,"
You see the friend had no under
standing of dogs.
If you had slipped into the White
House on certain day not long
before the deadline for the strike
call of the so-called recalcitrant I'M
ions (enginemen and firemen, and
conductors) had been reached, you
too might have been alarmed. The
union representatives Il am told)
were making a noise very much like
a dog that is going to bite.
Now the old timers were used to
the noise. But the two gentlemen
upon whom the President leans for
advice in matters of sterilization
involving wage and price boosts,
Messrs. Byrnes and Vinson, were
not accustomed to the sound. They
did not know that labor leaders
bark is often worse than his bite.
tThere never was the faintest
possibility of an actual walkout on
the nations railroads." - William
Green.)
Messrs. Byrnes and Vinson be-
lieved what they heard and it was
plenty.
That experience, I think l can
say, is authentic. The labor lead
ers emphatically and enthusiastical-
ly threatened, Messrs. Vinson and
Byrnes took the warning growl for
real threat. Others of the Presi-
dents council we're convinced that
there was excuse enough to do
something which they thought would
be advantageous for political rea-
sons.
B r | E F S .