The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-10-13

alone seem un-
able to under
stand the JUS &. w. Crockett Jr.
tice Of this ma
tlonwide demand on the part of
our workers for a 80 percent in
crease in wages
Industry answers this demand
by pleading for government
regulation of irresponsible la
Dor unions and industry's
mouthpiece. the daily press, has
gone all out for compulsory ar
bilration' of labor disputes.
ONE wonders what has become
of induStry's fear of too much
government Does not the riqht
OF private enterprise" which in
dustry claims TO champion. include
the right of private trade unions
to be enterprising in behalf Of
their millions of members?
And why speak of compulsory
arbitration when we have yet 10
attain compulsory collective bar
gaining? Collective bargaining IS
a necessary prerequisite To any
process OF arbitration. 1t certain
~ must plecede compulsory arb!-
iratlOn. Yet, strange enough. IN
duStry even now is in the process
of Wrecking what little assurance
there was for enforced collective
bargaining, for if the Ball-Burton-
Hatch bill means anything il means
the end OF compulsory collective
bargaining.
Without making any effort to
answer these and other pertinent
questions. Congress seeks to evade
lis responsibility to the workers
of this country by adopting a "do
attitude with respect 70
pending legislation deemed favor
able TO workers. The recent re
fusal by the WAYS and Means COM
mi'tCe of the House of RcprcScn-
tatlVcS 10 even consider full en-
ploymcnt legislation is continual
ZION of The same congressional at
titude which lead the Congress 10
90 away ON vacation before pro-
VIdng for the human phase Of re-
conversion.
II has been fashionable i'm the
past to consider the public" As
the deciding factor whenever
-staiemate developed between i'm
dustry and labor. Cartoonists
still insist on picturing John q.
Public" as a disinterested neu-
trail. This, however. is no long
er true; The public is no longer
neutral.
TIE American public is made
up of individuals and the over
Whelning majority of these indl-
vidualS represent families which
are included in the American la
Dor movement The result of this
is that we no longer have a large
disinterested body of neutrals; you
either believe and sympathize with
the demands of labor-which
means the demands of the over
whelming majority of Americans
who work for wages; or you side
with industry. /, is Just that sim
Pile The decision depends entire
lv on how much you know about
the respective positions OF these
two
Our society presuppoSeS thai
government alone viii be the neu-
trail, but even this is not true.
For the men who make up govern
ment the administrative officials
and tho Cougrgs >McN. each must
ultimately decide which Of these
two economic forces labor or IN
duStry-they favor, aud their de-
cisiOn viii. in turn determine
which side Will receive the sup
port of government Ultimately.
therefore government itself must
take a position and mat means taxi
ing SIDE
The difficulty our nation faces
today is the fact that we have
government in Washington
which refuses TO make up its
mind. We have government
which still believes that il can
be neutral i'm the face Of the
growing demands of the ma jOr-
itv of its citizens for better
standard Of life measured in
terms of 4 more equitable distri-
button of the better things i'm
life.
1T SEEMS ~ us that when we
cast aside the inCunsequentlals in