Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-04-13
The
Beam

snow up the degree OF polltlcal
confusion that afflicts Amer
lea today.
President Roosevelt pushed
the labor draft with all his
might. He had the help of
most of the daily papers in
his campaign to get Congress
to enact the Work or Jail
Bill"
This is indeed queer situa-
ton. Most of the daily papers
did all in their power to pre-
vent the reelection of FDR in
1914. But they promptly got
behind him when he came out
for the labor draft and peace
time conscription.
Nearly all of organized la
Dor disagreed with the Presi-
dent on this issue. A few
Communist-controlled unions
plugged for the labor draft,
but the top councils of all ma
jor labor bodies fought hard
against it.
When the showdown came
in the Senate, a combination
of progressive and reactionary
forces joined to defeat the
labor draft.
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Senator Curly" Brooks of
Illinois, who is noted for his
hatred of anything that smells
the least bit progressive, spoke
and voted against the labor
draft.
Brooks is slavish follower
of the Colonel Mccormick
Chicago Tribune line. 1t was
his loyalty to this line, rather
than any love for labor, that
moved Brooks to oppose the
labor draft.
Again, we find some strange
bedfellows yipping their heads
off about the contract de-
mands of the miners.
The Chicago Tribune and
the Communist Daily Worker
are by far the most outspoken
critics of the policies pursued
by the miners.
Mccormick portrays John
L. Lewis as a menace to the
American way of life;" the
Daily Worker screams that
Lewis is an agent of Hitler
who is bent on sabotaging the
Yalta Manifesto.
HUE AND CRY
Amid all this hue and cry
against the efforts of the
miners to improve their lot,
the Murray-Johnston-Green
Charter" is announced to ac-
claim the unity" of the lions
and the lambs.
The Daily Worker promptly
praises this Charter" and
Connie stoges pop up all over
the country TO cheer it in the
name OF national unity,
Teheran and Yalta."
The point l am trying to
make here is that the political
scene Is so confused that its
almost impossible to tell a
progressive from a reaction
ary, and vice versa.
Liberals support the labor
draft Communists acclaim
the merits of capitalism and
throw their arms around the
chubby neck of the Chamber
OF Commerce reactionaries
Join with labor to defeat the
labor draft and the demand
for padded cells goes zooming
skyward.
WHO'S PROGRESSIVE?
For the guidance of folks
who do not want to 60 nuts,
l submit the following defini-
ton of a progressive:
He thinks democracy is a
system in which the people
make the decisions-instead of
having decisions made for
them at Yalta or anywhere
else.
He believes in political, eco
nomic and cultural equality
for all peoples regardless of
race, color, religion, etc.
He supports free trade un-
ionism--and fights to keep it
free from collaboration with
employers or government reg
imentation.
He defends freedom of
speech, freedom of press and
freedom of assembly-even
for those who would destroy
these liberties.
He supports the war against
Fascism, but insists that the
war will not be won until we
also defeat the capitalists,
publishers, politicians, govern
ment bureaucrats anti-Sem-
ties and white supremists who
are blitzing democracy on the
home front.
runs In wTOL Every Thursday, 7;SO .. m.
Maybe your boys buddy
was named Dervishian, or de
Franco, or Knappenberger, or
Dutko, or Petrarca, or Calu-
gas, or Sarnoski, or Bjork-
lund. do you recognize these
American names? Each of
those men won the Congress
Si0nal Medal of Honor and