Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-12-06
What's
New?
By
Edudrd Duck

SWGTeu WlllCh W NoHC AOFS
been ignored, purposely or
otherwise.
Whether we realize 1t or
not, most of us will have to
admit that hysteria has i'm
paired our ability to reason
properly and to arrive at log
ical conclusions regarding the
miners case.
Furthermore, we are not In
full possession of the actual
facts, and therefore not quail
fled to comprehend the situa-
ton, let alone act as prosecu-
tor, judge, and jury COM
bined.
One unmistakable and UNI
deniable point is that when
any such dispute arises, af-
fecting the public welfare or
comfort, we are prone to
search for the quickest and
easiest solution, whether it be
the proper answer to the ques-
tion or not.
Propaganda sources play
upon the prejudices, SYM
pathies, and frailties of hu-
man beings, namely us.
Whether John L. Lewis Is
a power mad demagogue who
must meet his Waterloo" Is
neither here nor there. 1t
matters little VIII e t Ter he
deserted FDR because the lat
ter would not favor him as
vice presidential candidate in
1910. The much publicized
"slush fund" of the UNIV is
certainly not pertinent to the
case.
We can condemn John L.
Lewis on dozens of counts,
it is true, but the basic issues
are not to be decided through
consideration of WI e t h er
Lewis is a good man or a bad
one.
For the record, let us agree
that Lewis Is certainly no
saint; that he Is power-hun-
cry to the extent that he
would have no qualms about
the methods used to remove
opposition from his path; that
he definitely bears a grudge
toward Philip Murray and the
CIO and that he has trained
his sights upon the AFL presi-
dency so that he may person
ally supervise and direct the
onslaught against the CIO.
Let us finally agree that he
Is speaking the truth when
he says he will bring the coun-
try down with him If neces-
sary, in fighting this battle.
REAL ISSUE
The real issues, however,
are these:
/. Is it ethical, proper, or
Just, for the government or
any subdivision of the gov
ernment to employ legal or
military means to force peo-
pie to work?
2. Does not the 18th
Amendent of the Constitution
of the United States outlaw
involuntary servitude (slav-
ery), and is not compulsory
labor at fixed wage, wheth-
er governmental labor or pri-
vate employment at wages
set by government, involun-
tary servitude?
8. II a court injunction
can be employed to force
hundreds of thousands of men
to work, what is to prevent
any individual or group of
people from being forced to
work for their employer at
whatever wage he chooses to
pay?
WHAT is 1T?
II the government forces
the miners to return to the
pits under whatever wages
and working conditions it Cor
the operators) wishes to set,
which do we have - democ-
racy, communism, or fascism?
Lewis realizes, as in the
past, that he has the govern
ment, both major political
parties, organized labor, and
the general public. right
smack in the middle. He
knows, as his Sadversaries
ought to know, that If he is
imprisoned others will there
by be punished ten thousand
fold. Would the miners then
mine coal? They would not,
and no one else could, includ-
ing the United States Army.
Passage and enforcement of
repressive legislation could
not possibly be accomplished
without America surrendering
to fascism. Naturalization of
the mining industry might be
one way out of at least a part
of the problem, but the prob
lem cannot be solved entirely
so long as Lewis men con-
tinue to swear by him.
The best answer would be
found in creating decent liv-
ing and working conditions
for one of the most oppressed
groups of workers in the in.
dustrial world, whether ere.
ated voluntarily by govern