Detroit evening times., 1945-09-22
PAUL
NlALLON
Behind
The News

WASHINGTON, Sept, 2l-
w The big four congressional
leaders came away from their
confidential confab with Mr..
Truman, talking privately about
the irreSponsibility of labor,
how the discharge Of three men
in wheel plant caused the
whole Ford empire TO shut
down, how some little gadget-
making factory strike upset an
other industry, and how the
government had 10 take over
the Illinois Central Railroad
because of some fool walkodt.
They saw no possibility OF
legislation but thought MIR.
Truman might give the labor
leaders a talking-to.
Thus, lightly, did they view
the developing clouds, although
one mentioned the condition as
"a national outbreak" and an
other considered the possibility
that the wheel plant was pulled
out TO put Ford in a defensive
mood while the UAW dealt with
his rival, General Motors, and
all recognized the sySmptumS of
spreading union demands for
the greatest wage increase of
all history.
COON devc opm entS will
~ plainly disclose it was
we'll financed and managed
campaign, strongest since the
sit-down strike, and eXpertly
timed for the reconversion pc
riod when all manufacturers
are trying to get a jump on
competitors.
Behind it is CIO, and behind
CIO lie these following inner
conditions:
The public, Congress a n q
even government has come to
look upon the ClO as the most
powerful political and economic
force Of the country,
1t is not. Go claims 5000
600 membership. but has little
more than half that many dues
payers.
From the start II has con-
cealed all data on its member
ship.
To give it 100000 would be
generous. It's power lies not in
numbers hut in riches, which II
is able to spend in political
campaigns.
AFL really has about 5000
600 dues payers and proves II
by published bank and certified
accountant figures.
Indeed it bargains for 1000
600 additional, but IT does not
try TO control national economy
or use its money mainly for
| political action
NOV in an organized cam
~ paign TO spearhead 80
per cent wage increase and
thus control economic policy of
the country, CIO actually rep
reSentS about ) per cent of the
workers.
Are not all economic authori-
ties agreed (MeSSrS. Wallace
and the manufacturers that
there are in hand and prospect
about 60,000,0O0 peacetime Jobs
for that number of workers =?
BEST sources say 53,500000
plus army, making nearly 60
600. .OO0D
Together CIO plus AtL have
less than 100000 dues payers
Cthese figures have been OBJ
tanned from the best objective
authority and about 10000, 600
for whom they bargain.
The farmers are Just as
powerful a political and eco
nomic force, numerically.
Their 1943 census showed TO-
263,000 at work on farms in the
country. at a time when help
was depleted.
Yet greater than both union
iSt and farmer are the 10000
600 or so workers outside both.
THE Go unions, by chosen ac-
L tivity, have thus gone far
beyond position as simple bar
gaining agents for themselves.
Through strike campaigns,
bills pressed through Congress
and pressure upon politics
through the Political Action
Committee. they are directing
the economics and politics of
l35 100000 people. without the
responsibility for making the
nation successful.
What the politicoS called "the
wolves of Wall Street may
have formerly run the country
by their similar money power
without numerical strength
but at least they wanted TO
keep it going so their profits
would continue.
The question thus raised by
current events IS whether any
economic minority can run a
country in these days of fully
planned economics.
Plainly IT could. if the ma
tional responsibility Of the
group was superior 10 lis self
iSh interest but not otherwise.
BY running wages up and up,