The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1946-02-01
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MMN PRIVATE PAPERS OF a
NEWSpAPERAlAN
The following Is part OF a letter
ffom q prominent movie producer
"a 4 mutual friend n don't sup
pose YOU can get Walter 10 change
hls mind but I think that you should
work on him because he Is not taxi
lnn fair viewpoint OF the labor
strike situation. Sonic one Is SELF
ING walter a bad bill Of goods
walter Is basically honest, and des-
perateiy sincere, but he Is an exc
lrpmist, and do not think he is
helping labor or management,
general Motors are absolutely
right, IN my opinion, and have
stuoied both sides. thoroughly
agree with their position when IL
comes 10 stating that the govt has
no authority tunder the present
constitutlon) TO make them raise
wages because they can afford to
raise wages Il Is as preposter-
Gus as asking me 10 pay my cook
10000 year because I can afford
It,
~FDR In his greatest failure
learned that the government cam
not provide permanent Jobs or per-
manent prosperity. It did not work
and FDR and Harry Hopkins, who
advocated Il. were fully aware Of IT..
There Is no way to regiment pros
perity. You cannot buy it-you
have got TO earn it. You have got
10 encourage capital as much as you
encourage labor. You have got TO
make investment CANDLES worth
while. You have got to get money
out Of the banks and into industry.
When unions become as strong as
they did in France before the war
twhere sit down strikes originated
YOU eventually destroy the incen-
tive Of capital and industry. The
unions win every victory except the
last one. Look at Mexico. The
workers took over the oil indus
try. Read up on 1t and you'll see
what I mean.
IF F'DR and Hairy Hopkins were
big enough to know they had made
a gigantic mistake, Walter, I am
sure, can realize that he does no
good whatever unless of course he
can recommend a practical and sat-
isfying solution Walter talks OF
men in this country who do not
make living wage. would like to
know where the hell they arel
can't find gardeners for my ranch,
grooms for my stable, carpenters TO
repair my house or common labor
ers for the studio. There isn't one
of them on this lot right now
who does not make more every week
than I got when started out here
as a writer I am not against that
1 am fighting for this system to
prevail!
Il have no objection to your
showing this 70 Walter. He Is
Droadminded and knows my personal
affection for him and by now he
realizes that / am guided by a sim
cere desire to be a good American
and not Just a rich one"
My dear friend: Nobody carries
my proxy In his hip or any other
pocket. Not capital, not labor, and
not even the Liberals.
I think that the problem of a
wage raise Is one of national in
come, not private collective bargain
ing. It seems to me that that
would dismiss the idea that back
labor In the G.. M. strike just be-
cause It Is labor. I feel, though
that they are entitled to a wage in
crease because the take-home pay
Is less. the war overtime pay is gone
and prices of necessities have
scared . So these men are under
the gun-they cannot finance 9
lengthy debate by tightening q
few notches in their belts.
I also believe that management
is entitled to the freest of reinS-ir
the performance of that public ser.
vice which entities them to profit.
But, at the same time let.
not forget that management, IN {
large corporation, is not infreQuent.
ly a group which has special inter.
ests, opposed to both labor anC
THE stakeholder. The really i'm
portant thing for both labor anC
management to realize is this: I'm
less they can cooperate enough K
get this system working, there vii
be some wild experiments in tht
next few years.
II capital would remember tina
without high wages there would b
no customers for its productS-anC
il labor would realize that with
out free management 1t would b
the slave of the State-they woulC
both be pushing each others Gauss
instead of pushing each otheI
around.
agree that the requested rails
based on General Motors profits il
not a good precedent-neither is /
breadline But I particularly de-
cry q. MS defiance of the Gov
ernment'S effort to reach a solu
ton Because We still have |
Government whose only purpose il
entering a dispute is like that OF ;
good doctor-to get out of tn
patients life as quickly as pos
siblel
If the u. S. Government is BIZ
enough TO get down on Its knee
to effect the settlement of an.
strike am against any com