The Wilmington morning star., 1945-12-29
Fair Enough
Bv wEsTBROOK PEGLER
(Copyright 1915, BY King Features Syndicate)

NEW YORK - president Truman, General
Motors, the unions and all the rest OF us
have lost sight of the most important fact of
waged by the c. I. O.
The fact is that George Spelvin, American,
is a free human being.
Under the Roosevelt government an attempt
was made to deliver him over to the unions.
To a great extent the attempt succeeded IN
closed shop agreements and other contracts
containing variations of the closed shop.
The government made deal with the union
movement whereby, in actual effect, opelvln
had to Join the union covering his work or
get off the job That alternative, OF course
meant restitution for his family SO ne SUD-
nitted But he submitted under protest.
Now what kind of organization is that which
Spelvin's government made him join?
The government has been absolutely uncon-
cerned about that. The government doesn't
even examine the unions constitution:
It doesn't require free, honest elections. IL
will not even regulate the amount OF dues that
he must pay or forbid the extortlon OIL dioi'
trary assessments.
II Spelvin is a republican and the union is
controlled by communists he must contribute
his share toward the overthrow OF his govern
ment, and while the union has the power to
bargain his wages upward, 1t also mas tne
power to bargain them downward. 1t can get
together with whole industry and makes
terms of pay and conditions for work which
forbid his advancement in life, restrict his
output and his earnings and even shit MIN
from plant to plant or from town to town,
ignoring his feelings and his human rights en-
tirely.
It is no answer to say that OF course, 1t is
assumed that the unions will be conducted
on 'sdemocratc'' principles. Spelvm knows
and President Truman knows that there is no
ground for any such assumption They know
that many of the unions are vile rackets,
many are empires and many are ruthless and
brutal relationships They know that the rank
and file individual has no more power to
change them than the individual citizen has
to change the government OF the United
States.
Now citizen Spelvin never did grant to his
government any right to drive him into any
private association with starvation as the pen
atty for his refusal. In fact even the VICIOUS
Wagner act vicious because it waSdellberate-
ly disguised as benefit to Spelvin, did not
dare say that Spelvin would have to join. 1t
came at him Wheedling. He was to be guaran-
teed the right to bargain collectively
through agents Of his own choice. That guar
antee has been violated in millions of cases
and the whole process has been an appalling
fraud on the citizen.
Those millions have been forced to accept
bargaining agents designated for them by the
labor relations board and to abide by the
bargains negotiated by those agents without
their consent. Furthermore, having been drlv-
en- into these unions, these millions have had
to submit to the most outrageous violations OF
their civic and human righs. The unions regu-
late their speech as well as their earnings.
They collect income taxes with no compul-
sion to account for the money and they hold
over those millions of Spelvins the power OF
economic punishment for the mere exercise
of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Con-
Stitution.
If citizen Spelvin ever had granted the gov
eminent the right to- make him join these
groups he certainly would have insisted that
they be honestly conducted and that their pow
ers be closely restricted and that their pow
ing and no more, all under government super
vision But doubt that, even with this prom
Use, Spelvin ever would have conceded this
right to his government because in that case
the government would be his master whereas
under the concept that he was taught from
childhood, in our country, the people are the
masters of the government. l think he would
have perceived that under this arrangement,
with the government regulating groups cover
ing all the c1tlZenS we WOulQ nave something
very like the fascist, Nazi and communist la
Dor organizations which serve the convenience
of those who rule the state.
Now Spelvin sees enormous unions trying to
grab control of the management of the big
industries. They already control him, even
to the extent that he can be expelled from
membership and run off the job for the COM
mon offense called "un-unionlike conduct,
which means anything from the expression of
a political opinion to refusal to contribute to a
mansion for bloated and panoplied parasite
with royal inclinations. Should they ten con-
troll industry, too, they would want rigid order
and firm discipline in the works just to simpli-
fly their problems of management. Spelvin can
foresee that he would then be, truly, the COM
mon man. Perhaps that is what Henry Wal
lace wants him to be but he would no longer
be George Spelvin, American.
Meanwhile, however. if you listen closely
you will hear citizen Spelvin muttering omi
nously, the way he does when he is on the
point of fighting for his rights, to both the I'm
ion and his government, take your damned
dirty hands off me-
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