Evening star., 1946-12-05
'Monstrous Thing

In imposing sentence on JOnn -.
Lewis and the United Mine Workers
for contempt of court, Justice Colds
borough declared that their de-
liberately chosen course of conduct
is ian evil, demoniac, monstrous
thing that means hunger and cold
and unemployment and destitution
and disorganization of the social
fabric-a threat to democratic gov
ernment itself"
That is strong language for any
court to use, but it can hardly be
said to exaggerate the gravity OF
the situation. It is mistake, how
ever, to appraise this threat to
democratic government merely in
terms of the arrogance and reck-
lessness of Mr.. Lewis. He has gone
to greater lengths in defiance OF
Government and of the rights OF
society than any other labor leader.
But in doing SO he is merely guilty
of an extreme abuse of economic
power which is shared by many
others.
Actually, except that it is on a
larger scale, what Mr.. Lewis is doing
is no worse than the outrageous
spectacle of the general strike in
Oakland, California. There, for
trivial reasons, the AF'L unions have
undertaken to paralyze an entire
community. And their CIO brethren
have threatened to make the paral-
ysis complete by depriving the
people of the city of such essentials
as gas, electricity and water. Nor
is there any essential difference,
except possibly in degree OF imme-
diate injury, between the coal strike
and railroad strike, or a petroleum
strike or any other strike which is
aimed at the people OF the United
States and which is designed TO
achieve it's purpose by depriving the
people of some essential commodity
or service.
Yet the fact remains that there
are many unions which have the
power to impose their will on the
country. And they have acquired
this power largely as the result OF
the application over the past hfteen
wears of Government policy
designed to increase the economic
power of unions without requiring
them to assume commensurate
responsibilities to the country.
This is an evil condition which
is not going to be cured by any
conceivable fine for contempt OF
court which might be imposed on
MIR. Lewis or the United. Mine
workers. It may be hoped that the
$4,000 penalty assessed on MT.
Lewis and the $500 900 fine levied
on the union, plus the prospect OF
additional fines if their defiance
continues, will serve to bring these
men to ,theif senses. This prospect
is not bright, however, and even
Il it were the root Of the evil would
remain untouched.
The plain fact is that the prose-
cution of Mr.. Lewis merely nibbles
at the fringes Of the problem. And
it would not have been possible to
take even this action except for the
existence of the Smith Connaily
Act-a wartime statute which Will
automatically expire with the formal
end of hostilities. Before that time
comes, unless the Government is
to be helpless to protect the people,
new legislation must be enacted.
And this legislation must be OF
nature to deprive unions of their
excessive power or to subject that
power to effective regulation in the
public interest. This will not be
easy to do, and we may expect that
it will be resisted bitterly by those
who now enjoy-and abuse-the
power of life or death over our
economy. But unless it is done, at
whatever cost, we will soon cease
to have what we like to think OF
as government of the people, by
+bo ,aon1e and for the people"