Evening star., 1946-12-13

luAt WIS tkle s"A - A~SA.s'
situation when Mr.. Lewis appealed
to the highest court. The question
he then had to ask himself was what
fix he would be in II and when the
Supreme Court sustained the Gov
ernment and rejected his plea, thus
confirming the $3,500, 900 fine, which
by that time might have amounted
approximately to $10,000.0o0.
Two Certainties.
BY Saturday, Mr.. Lewis informa-
tion and intelligence, plus advice
of his attorneys, certainly must
have made him fairly sure Of two
things. One was that President
Truman, backed by public senti-
ment, would neither negotiate nor
compromise but intended to fight
to the finish. The other was the
extreme improbability that even
with the radical bloc composed Of
Justices Black. Douglas, Murphy
and Rutledge, in so immense a ma
, tional crisis, the Supreme Court
would let down either the President
or the country on narrow legal
grounds. No one believed that.
Certainly Mr.. Lewis did not be-
lieve 1t. The question he had to
ask himself was what would be
his position after the Supreme
Court decision.
The answer to that, of course,
was perfectly clear. Mr.. Lewis would
have to submit, call off the strike
and pay the fine. Anything else
would be unthinkable. He might
defy the President and the lower
courts, but he could not defy the
Supreme Court. That just cannot
be done in this country. II 1t could,
there would be chaos, indeed. II
the decision of the highest court
can be dtregarded, then orderly
government would cease and an
archy take its place. If that could
be done. it would be ridiculous for
Congress to pass any laws because
none could be enforced.
Realized the Odds.
Defiance Of the Supreme Court
would amount to revolution. The
President would be justified In call
ing out the armed forces to quell
the revolution and punish its re-
sponsible. leaders as traitors. Mr..
Lewis is a bold man but he Is not
Q madman. 4.sye5
Once he grasped the odds against
him he had no alternative but to
yield. OF course, his explanation
that he called OF the strike in
order to relieve the Supreme Court
Of pressure "of the hysteria and
frenzy Of an economic crisis" Is
too transparent to deceive any one
and, rs has been pointed out. is a
reflection on the court, in that 1t
intimates 1t might decide one way
under hysterical pressure and an
other way when that pressure is
removed.
The Supreme Court hearing Of the
case, now scheduled for January
IA, may take several days and its
decision is expected to follow short
ly. As to the final opinion, no one,
of course, is in position to predict.
But this can be said-Mr. Lewis
and the other labor bosses who
supported him in his defiance Of the
lower court are not now so much
interested in whether the court up
holds the contention that the Nor
ris-La Guardia Anti-Injunction Act
does not apply to the United States
Government, because they know
very well that II the court says 1t
does apply, the incoming Congress
promptly will amend the act. It
will do that in any event.
Penalty Not Certain.
What Mr.. Lewis and his support
ers are primarily interested in now
Is whether those $780, 900 and
$4,000 fines are going to be upheld
and collected. There is disposition
here to be skeptical about that. and
some of the supposed insiders are
prophesying that neither Mr.. Lewis