Evening star., 1946-11-28
Lewis Seen Resenting
Government S Tactics.
White House Pushes Its Legal
Moves With Determination
Bp David Laicrence

WHITE IlOuSe uSHSS AIS AS6a
Moves With Determination
By David Laurence
John L. Lewis has not shown the
slightest sign of bending to the Will
of the National least, not outwardly.
His mood is described by those who are
close to him as having hardened. If
anything. The explanation Is that he
Is resentful of the Governments tac-
tics
But the real reason why Mr.. Lewis
is disturbed may be that the White
House isn't doing anything In the way
OF appeaSement but Is standing pat and
making its legal moves with calculated
determination. In previous crises Mr..
Lewis has always been able to rely on
little fiexibility at the top. He could
press hard his demands and count on
a helping hand in the Government. to
achieve for him a compromise which
would have all the appearance Of VIC
tory.
This time public opinion has been SO
intense that the White House has found
it desirable to push ahead without max
ing any moves toward compromise. The
talk Of possible settlement emanates
from the many interests which are
being injured Thus undoubtedly among
the mine owners and among steel COM
panies there are some individuals OF
influence who can be communicated
with by Lewis ieutenants.
Attitude of Miners.
The realistic fact on which Mr.. Lewis
relies is that he controls the miners
and the Government does not. The
Lewis contention is that court order
cannot make miners mine coal. Know
ing this and that he has an absolute
monopoly of mine labor, he is in q
position to defy the Government. Also
the CIO and AFL stand squarely back
of Mr.. Lewis in thir insistence that no
force of law today can be invoked to
make unions do what they do not wish
to do.
So far as damage to the citizens who
need fuel is concerned the attitude OF
the miners union is the same as that
which some corporations expressed
many years ago: THE public be
damned"
But the corporations which didn't
heed the public interest found them
| selves entangled In restrictive laws.
| viii the new Congress abolish labor
union nionopolies and put the same
| restraints on labor unions that now
are placed upon corporation monopo-
/ lies?
If Mr.. Lewis succeeds in infiicttng q
prolonged strike upon the American
people and the judicial processes Of
i the Government fall down in the face
/ Of the challenge, an indignant Nation
will insist that Congress at once en-
act remedial legislation.
But the best guess at the moment
is that Mr.. Lewis win recede despite
his outward firmness.
Curious Position.
The administrations position Is q
curious one. It can proceed under the
Smith, -Connally Law but it has made
no move under that statute. The expec-
i tation is that It win avail itself Of the
Smith Connally law later but there
Is beginning to be much talk as to why
| that statute was not invoked since it.
applies plainly to strike started while
the Government is in possession Of the
| property whereas the effectiveness Of
| the injunctiye process Is considered du-
bious due to the fact that 1t has never
been invoked by the Government since
the La Guardia- Norris act was passed
| by Congress.
The outcome of the legal battle over
the restraining order has always been
| assumed to be jail sentence for Mr..
Lewis if found guilty But the desire
to avoid bestowing martyrdom on the
union leader has led to other sugges-
tions. Thus in the case of corporations
it is not often that criminal pro-
ceeding results in 8 Jail sentence. The
punishment is usually fine.
| In the case Of the miners union the
loss of q substantial sum in fines would
hurt. 1t will be noted incidentally that
the Smith-C Connally Law provides for
damage-suit procedure, too. It would
not be surprising il both the contempt
case and subsequent action were related
| more to economic rather than personal
penalties.
Meanwhile the legal battle drags on
| and the American people are being
given some fundamental education in
what collective bargaining and the
closed shop means to the future of
American democracy. Strikes brought
on chaos and anarchy in Italy and
France before 1889. The American eco
nomy is likewise being weakened by in
duStrial strife
The labor union chiefs who are sup
porting Mr.. Lewis today in his abuse
of power will be responsible for any
extreme turning of American public
toward the right and toward restric-
tive measures against all unions.
Reproduction Rights Reseryed9
| - n. - -