Evening star., 1945-12-09
Trumun Motivuted by
Conference Failure
Collapse of Meeting Inspires Re.
quest for New Labor Law,
By Raymond Molev.

Collapse OF Meeting Inspires Re.
quest for New Labor LAW.
By Raymond Moley
That the failure OF the Labor-Man-
agement Conference caused President
Truman to make his proposal for law
fully imposed fact-finding committee
and q cooling-off period is evident.
President Truman says exactly that in
his message. He moved Government
into the picture because every one else
has failed.
The Presidents proposal is q mild
flrst step. II it Is tried and is not
effective, further measures will be taken
by Government toward compulsory ar
bitration. That is inevitable.
The proposal, in itself, is not new. It
follows the pattern of the Railway La
Dor Act. M. w. Clement, president Of
the Pennsylvania Railroad, no doubt In
spired by his experience with the Rail-
way Act, brought similar proposal to
the Labor Management Conference
some weeks ago. Mr.. Clements proposal
differed from Mr.. Truman's only In the
time schedule. The procedure he sug-
gested would run beyond the Is days
recommended by the President. 1t al
lowed 10 days for appointing the boards.
30 for investigation and 10 more for
carrying out the recommendations. But
the principle is the same The principle,
established in the railway industry, is
>f
portance to the whole country that their
solution cannot be left entirely to pri-
vate negotiation. They become ma
tional emergencies This latest pro-
posal develops now because the parties
at issue have failed.
Management has failed. The sad
ending OF the Washington Labor Man
agement Conference proved that. At
the beginning Of the conference H. w.
Prentis, jr., quoted the late Justice
Brandeis to the effect that democracy
is the substitution of seh-restraint for
external restraint. That reminder BY
Mr.. Prentis should have been the key
note Of the conference. We were wit
Messing q vital test of whether those
who are running businesses for stock
holders can provide, with or without
the agreement of labor. formula or .
rallying cry which can win the conf
dence Of the public.
Hx4
Management did not meet that test.
Instead, 1t acquiesed in a meaningless
humble tumble of words. This was the
price paid for unity within management
and between management and labor.
Not only in the statements Of agree.
ment with labor, but of agreement with
in the management group, generalities
were used which inspired no public con-
fldence. The failure of the whole effort
is shown by the comments made by
some of the participants later. They
said, in effect, that the conference did
something, because it pointed out the
differences between labor and manage
ment. In the name of common sense,
those differences have been clear for .
long time! 1t didn't need q conference
to bring them out! The failure of man
agement to clear the air calls for
better apology than that.
The major trouble in the manage
ment group was that four or five of its
members were for apparent, rather than
for real, agreement. They favored what
political convention favors-namely,
the bridging of a gap by vacant gen.
eralities. And apparently, the. pussyfoot
minority prevailed. ..-.-
have been the drawing up of a declara-
ton of the rights and demands of man.
agement, followed by an appeal to Con-
gress for specific relief. This might
have rallied the country. But it was
not done.
A sad comment by one of those who
participated for management was that
the best speech for private enterprise
was made by John L. Lewis. Mr.. Lewis,
however, was not primarily concerned
in providing management with leader
ship. He had an ak to grind on the
labor side of the table He was moving
himself into dominant position on
the AFL side and, in the course of his
maneuvers, he was throwing assorted
monkey wrenches into the CIO. This
was all very well for Mr.. Lewis, but 1t
was Of no help to a suffering public.
1t will not be helpful for some time
for management to make speeches on
the evils of Government regimentation.
The failure of all parties concerned in
the recent conference is a direct invi.
tation for action by reluctant Gov
eminent. If, as q result of this situa-
ton, Government does hasty and un-
wise things, it will be regrettable. But
1t will not be surprising.
When compulsory arbitration has
been imposed by governments in foreign
countries, it has never come through
the initial action of government. 1t
has come by default It has been last
resort-a course hateful to labor, Grip
piing to management, embarrassing to
government and unpleasant to the pub.
lie. 1t may not come here for a long
time, but the failure of the conferences
IN washington was a step in that dire
direction. President Trumans pro-
posal is another step, but it is a neces-
sary and inevitable step.
the Rev. DR.. j. B. Perry. rector of ST