Evening star., 1945-01-12

But when de- 1 -
mand for repeal Frank R. Kent.
of the Wagner Act comes from
strongly Roosevelt labor uniol
and when the official organ of thi
labor union insists that the NLRI
Is nothing more than "a standing
committee of the CIO." certainl
that is news.
And when 1t Is noted that tn
head of the strangely denunciator
union is none other than Mr.. DAME
j. Tobin, close personal friend o
the President; that the Presiden
selected Mr.. Tobin's union befor
which to make his first political
speech in his recent campaign; tia
Mr.. Tobin, in his heavy-footed way
was one of the earliest and mos
earnest supporters of the fourth
term movement and is now regarded
as an aspirant for the post of Secre
tary of Labor-when these thing
are considered, then the unexpected
outbreak of this union, though no
without it's humorous side, come
pretty close to being sensational,
Something of Shock.
For the Wagner Act has been pro.
claimed by Mr.. Roosevelt and all the
New Deal spokesmen, high and low
as 'Labor's Magma Charta," one ol
the greatest documents ever devised
by the mind of man. Any disparage-
ment of it was considered akin te
sacrilege and to be expected only OF
the political reactionaries and the
greedy rich"
That it should be denounced in the
official magazine of the AFL Inter
national Teamsters Union in an
article written by Mr.. Thomas E
Flynn, executive assistant to Mr.
Tobin, is something of a shock.
OF course, one tends to discount
this AFL indictment because it is
not at all aimed at the gross manner
In which the law is framed against
industry nor the way the board is
packed against the employer, but
only bellows because the rival labor
faction-the CIO-is in control and
thus enabled to use the law and
the board to promote its own in
terests and sabotage AFL unions.
Nonetheless, this article from a
strong New Deal pro-Roosevelt labor
union offers valuable testimony to
the country, and particularly to
Congress chiefly because
it comes from Mr.. Roosevelt's
friends, not from his foes.
Industry has always contended
that the law is one-sided; that the
NLRB is tool of the CIO; that the
employer is never right in its eyes.
Heretofore. labor has denied these
charges. Now the unfairness of the
law and the CIO domination of the
board Is not only admitted by
highly important AFL union, but
proclaimed by it.
Thus it seems that no one Is
satisfied with the law and the board
save the CIO. Reflection on these
facts ought to make it clear to Con-
gress that the law needs revision If
not repeal and that new NLRB
composed of men who are sub
servient neither to any labor faction
nor to any industry. but big enough
to be neutral, nonpartisan and con-
cerned solely with the public in
terest, should be created.
After this blast from the Team
sters Union, the logical course for
Congress should be clear The char
acter of the law and the conduct of
the board both call for revision.
There seems no excuse to dodge the
issue. Here, on the testimony of men
friendly to the administration and
affiliated with labor, is a labor law
which is being prostituted and a
board which is being manipulated,
Opportunity for Congress.
Under the circumstances, failure
to act will stamp Congress as
craven, afraid of the Hillmans
and Murrays, whose tenure Of power
depends largely upon their ability
to terrorize members of Congress.
The split of labor on this issue gives
Congress its opportunity to rid itself
of the great labor bully which has
grown up in the last u years and is
now throwing it's weight around in
all directions.
AS for the bleat of the AFL union
about the CIO dominance, it should
not arouse sympathy. The truth is
the AFL in this whole Roosevelt
regime has been the prize political
sap.
With full knowledge that the CLIO
leaders had a political link with Mr..
Roosevelt far closer than any they
could hope to establish, the AFL
has plugged along in the rear and
delivered" to Mr.. Roosevelt term
after term, only to see the CIO more
deeply entrenched after each cleo
ton.
1t is true that Mr.. william Green
and Mr.. Daniel Tobin are Bill" and
Dan" to the President, but they
have not got the White House status
of Mr.. Philip Murray and Mr.. Sydney
Hillman. Bill" and Dan" have the
status of old family servants toward
whom Mr.. Roosevelt has a real affec-
ton. But Murray and Hillman are