Arizona sun., 1946-10-04
Proposal Blasted
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stitutions. Like the employers for
whom they work, they are but hu-
man and consequently they do
make mistakes, and in some in
stances pursue policies which are
subject to justifiable criticism. If
we were in a mood to indulge in
recrimination, it would be easy to
cite case after case, particularly
instances occurring during the war
where employers operating private
business put their own selfish in
terests above those of the govern
ment and stopped to all forms of
chicanery in order to swell their
profits. However, recrimination
is not conducive to clear thinking
and I suggest that you lay aside
your passion and your prejudice
on the subject of organized labor
and that you consider the probable
effects of adopting this mis-named
Right Amendment"
Ask yourself in the first place,
who are these people who have
been deprived of the right to work
because of non-membership in a
labor union? Where are they?
What are they doing? If any such
persons exist in Arizona, are they
the people who are promoting this
amendment? Pursue this subject
as you will, you will be forced to
the conclusion that this amend
ment is not designed to relieve any
particular group of working people
and that any man or woman who
is able and willing to do an honest
days work can find job in Ari-
zona, whether or not he or she
belongs to labor union.
Who, then, is pushing for the
adoption of this amendment? Who
is spending the money for radio
time, newspaper advertising and
placards which are being employed
in this campaign? If you will in
vestigate along this line, you will
find that this amendment is not
being supported by working peo-
pie. Nowhere will you find that
it is being supported by the people
whom its advocates claim that it
will protect.
Not a single veterans organi-
zatiOn has endorsed it. Leading
veterans organizations in Ari-
zona have condemned the use of
+ this veterans propaganda in con-
nection with it. The American
Veterans Committee in Tucson
and Phoenix and the Phoenix
Amvets have condemned the
amendment altogether.
Since the working men and wo-
men are not supporting it-since
the veterans are not supporting it,
and since you will find that the
school teachers are not supporting
it-who, then, is spending the
money necessary to circulate these
petitions and to carry on all of
this ballyhoo and to win votes for
this amendment? Go a little far
ther in your investigation and you
will find that it is being supported
by many of your large employers
of labor who like to have their
way in all things, including full
say as to wages and working con-
ditions.
You will find that the amend
ment is being supported by such
people as the Restaurant Owners
Association, who until a few years
ago paid their mattresses a dollar
day or in some cases, nothing at
all and left them to subsist upon
tips. You will find your large in
dustrial farmers, particularly your
vegetable growers and shippers are
supporting the amendment, be-
cause they can remember the day
when they hired field hands at IS
or 20 or Csc an hour.
Some of the cattle men, partic-
ularly those who run the affairs
of the Central Arizona Cattle
Feeders Association, are supporting
this amendment with their money
and their time, because they, too,
prefer to pay their hired hands at
rates which only a peon would
work for these days. The cattle
men used to get good cowboys for
top wages of $45 per month and
beans.
Those days are over, and al
though cowboys have no union,
they have benefited by the higher
wage levels and better conditions
of living which have. been brought
about through the concerted eff
forts of organized labor.
If you look the facts squarely in
the face, you cannot get around
the conclusion that this amend
ment is being supported by selfish