The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-10-18
A Thought for Today
"Then They Went To Work"

Reports in yesterdays papers of developments in the Eongshorenens strike in New York quote former Army men who crossed through the picket lines as saying
 "You guys made plenty of dough while we were In the Army; now we're going to get some of it."
 Then they went to work.
 Right here in Waterbury, wartime government oacal whose duties call for meeting hundreds of return ing Servcemen reports that 9O per cent ot them 1ee oVCe
 What is the real significance to labor of the rising feeling of resentment the part of the returning veer ans many of whom themselves union members prlo to their entering their service?
 As a friend of organized labor, The Democrat would be inconsderate of it's many friends in the ranks of labor If it failed to sound note of caution against the selfish and shortsighted policies which labors own !eaoers seem to be developing leaders themselves, they persist in tactics rendering the cause of aoo dsService. .
 The Waterbury Republican points out that labor earned and had public sympathy long as its appeal to the public justice Now that its desires seem to tran scend social justice and trespaS on the national wei fare not only returning servceen but the great mass of Americans the general public are letting their enthuS
 The spectacle, too of intra-mural struggles like the present longshoremens strike is disturbing to Laoors friends. Unions finding themselves unable to ful- fill contracts because they unable to conrol tnelr individual members Such Responsibility throws into dispute their right to contracts which wildcat group within their ranks may make worthless scrap Of paper overnight.
 Labor makes much of the whole-hearted cooperation
 during wartime on the part of the "sodiers production Did the 130oO0oo Americans sea- in the air and on the land with our armed show any less cooperation? Were the white collar workers who found their wages frozen early in the any the less cooperative?
 To the average workingman, farmer, and particularly to returning soldiers and sailors 1t seems fair to expect labor to count its wartime superwages something over and done with It is becoming increasingly evident that demands of irresponsible labor leaders for 30 per cent wage increases only imitation, then economic collapse and eventually socialism of one type another Perhaps that's goal of Labors leaders but it has no place in the thinking of the average laborng man. union or non-union Perhaps the marines in Two lima, the inantryen in the Battle of the Bulge and the sailors who went down with the Astoria and the Quincy, died to achieve the sociastc order for America. That's not the way they heard it, though, did their companions who coming back to carry for the America for which all of them fought.
 America is faced with struggle potentially danger the war-the struggle to resume living the sort of life which gives all Americans chance to live happily safely and we'll All of and certainly labor above all others recognize the need for cooperation to win this newest struggle We'll unite to gain an equal chance TOT a yes but just as labor merited public support while seeking that objective it forets public confidence when 1t seeks simply to replace some other group as the favored class.
 The Four Freedoms did not include the Freedom to be Selfish.