Detroit evening times., 1945-03-20

-l.-s-.'-s-'s-'
THE union in the Ward case
L is the United Mail Order.
Warehouse and Retail Store
Employees Union. The CIO was
the source and center OF Sidney
Hillman's Political Action Com.
mittee.
The mail order union is q SUBJ
sidiary of the .CIO. so, plainly.
President Roosevelt was favor
ing a unit Of his own political
following in ordering the seiz-
ure OF Wards on Dec. 2S.
The seizure was illegal by de-
cision of the United States Dis
trlct Court, now on appeal by
the government.
This action followed gratui-
tous and resounding abuse of
Ward by Frank Graham of the
War Labor Board. who is rep
resented as a public or inn
partial member and by other
bureaucrats of the Roosevelt
following. all tending to justify
Roosevelt and the union.
The proposition was posed
that the union. among many
others. had subscribed 10 the
vaunted no-strike pledge given
shortly after Pearl Harbor by
officers of both the CIO and
the American Federation OF
Labor.
In return for this promise.
the Roosevelt government un-
dertook 10 prevent passage Of
laws which would legally forbid
strikes in war industries and
otherwise bring unions within
the ordinary forbiddance Of
racketeering and highway rob-
berry.
The pledge has been violated
by more than 5000 strikes and.
in the climax of the Ward
issue. late in December, the
complaining union itself was
conducting strikes against four
Ward units in violation Of that
pledge.
The executive officer OF an
army unit described as war
department representative op.
Grating certain plants and facil-
tiles Of Montgomery Ward e.
Co. Inc has sent me copies
OF Col. Raskin's publicity re-
leases issued during his duty in
the army of occupation in Chi
cago.
The first release is bio
graphical sketch of Mai Gen.
Joseph Wilson Byron. his COM
manding officer in the operation.
OFFICIALS OF Wards had
" charged the army with in
efficiency in operating its huge
properties and interests.
Col. Raskin replied that actual
shipments 10 customers were
30 TO IS per cent greater during
an eight-day period than they
had been in the corresponding
period a year ago.
This. he wrote. was "the best
answer" TO the charge OF ineffi-
cheney. but obviously il is not a
complete answer.
Col. Raskin writes that he
took the two-year basic military
training course at the College
of the City of New York. He
was ordered 10 duty as a cap
tain in November, 1912. and in
less than two years he rose
from civilian to the rank OF
lieutenant colonel.
Another of his duties was
that Of press officer attending
a delegation OF union officials,
called by him labor leaders,"
who went TO France last August
when the unioneers at home
and other politicians in the
fourth term campaign took
fright over the anger of the
soldiers against strikes and
compulsory loafing in the war
pldntS.
The soldier vote seemed To
be in the balance and union
papers in the United States
declared that these unioneerS
had gone abroad 10 correct the
evil effects of "anti-labor propa-
ganda."
Col. Raskin insists, however.
that the unioneers made no
speeches TO the soldiers and did
not discuss politics even among
themselves.
COL. RASKIN, of course. does
~ not write his own orders.
In the assignment 10 France
with his fellow union men,
again somebody else made the
selection.
The bold rise of political
motivation has been a disturb
ing development in the army
lately. 1t has been decided that
even the precautions against
Communists in the commits
stoned ranks arc to be relaxed.
Now Communists may be
commissioned If they but per-
jure themselves IA swearing the
aef;cors, oa,h ii IL -s.,.