The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-03
Fight For Power

1eSteIudy Tile OI4tSO 11cSS uCC1d1Co t11e
Oil Workers International Union Of the C1C
was extending its refinery strike from coast
to coast in an effort to 'force the petroleum
industry to meet demands for a 30 per cent
wage increase"
That is the obvious side Of the strikes. The
side that is not apparent on casual considera.
ton is that the union is engaging in fight to
sin control of the industry, and once that is
accomplished, to extend control to other basic
indu stries upon which the economic structure
Of the nation is built.
This is the studied view O; Samuel B. Pet
tengill who for six years was a member Of a
house subcommittee which dealt with the
petroleum industry.
statement Issued by him on the subject
has been received by the Star through the
agency of the Americas Future Syndicate. In
part, he says:
do you want another John L. Lewis to
have total control of all the men who work
in the petroleum industry of the country as
the first Lewis has in the coal industry?
'This is the goal of the strike leaders in
the oil refineries. Under the guise Of dispute
over wages the real struggle is one for power.
The power will be called industry-wide bar
gaining. If it is secured, that concentrated
power will be used to take the whole nation
by the throat whenever it is decided to shake
time of war in the coal industry and may
happen again in that industry. Twice John
Lewis, with his hand on the lever of industry
wide bargaining compelled even the govern
ment of his country to knuckle to his will.
"Industry-wide bargaining puts the econom.
ic jugular vein Of $4,000, 900 people in the
grasp Of one man or a small group of men,
For when refineries close, oil in the pipelines
ceases to flow, the producing wells close, and
the nation must gasp like stranded fish on
the beach for its vital supplies OF gasoline
and fuel oil.
Anyone who fails to see parallels between
the situation developing here and the way a
small group OF men became the masters OF
Russia a quarter century ago is blind to his.
tory.
For the moment pass by the question of
wages. 1t may be that the petroleum industry
should make some agreement on that score in
the light Of the advance in the cost of living
although petroleum wages have doubled since
1926
But wage scales have never overturned
governments. Concentrated power has.
"If the C1O can extend its control over
the whole petroleum industry, then the pattern
is set for its march to power over automobile
production. farm machinery, the food indus
tries, electricity, housing. transportation and
every segment Of American life. Then nothing
but nationwide strike such as England had
in 1925, or the use of troops, will determine
who is master.
The present struggle presents issues con-
trary to the whole concept Of free government
with its checks and balances. with it's pow
ers widely distributed to the nation, states,
counties, cities, towns and the people them
selves. The wise men who laid the foundations
Of our liberty said:
Absolute power belongs nowhere in re-
public" Their wisdom should be apparent now
to the Italians, Germans, and Japanese. It
should be plain to Americans also."