Evening star., 1946-05-15

struck at our productive power,
thus paralyzing the chief weapon
against imitation. With the world
crying for goods our capacity to
supply has decreased. Prices have
gone up. The whole domestic econ
ony is menaced. The chances of
fiscal chaos have been enhanced
If the coal strike, which has
brought us to the edge of economic
collapse, is settled next week a
railroad strike, almost equal in po-
tential damage, will follow quickly,
And these are not all. Notices of
more than thousand other strikes
have been given.
Curb on Senate.
In this situation a great public
insistence on congressional action
TO lessen the legal power of the
union bosses seriously to dislocate
and disturb the lives of the Amer
lean people arose. This sentiment
was reflected in the Senate. A
demand for immediate considera-
ton was made.
What was the position of Demo-
cratic Leader Barkley toward this?
He resisted the demand. He put
himself in the path of consideration.
He asserted the Senate did not
know what it wanted and should
not legislate while it was 'frothing
at the mouth" Finally an agree
ment was reluctantly wrung from
him by which the debate could be
had.
In thus delaying and discouraging
Senate action, the Democratic
leader is playing directly into the
hands of the labor lobby, which,
having put on the statute books in
the last 10 years laws that not
only make the unions the most
privileged and powerful special in
terest group in the Nation but es-
pecially exempt them from legal
restraints which apply to the rest
Of us, naturally opposes any effort
to amend, modify or repeal.
Redress Smothered.
Every time an effort to restore the
balance has been made, it has been
met, as it is being met now, with
shrieks from the labor propaganda
machines that labor is being 'cruci-
fed; that it's rights" are being
''betrayed"; that the greedy in
terests OF Wall Street" are deter
mined to rob the working man of
his dearly won freedom" and other
demagogic rot sung to the same
tune.
Because of the political alliance
between the CIO and the White
House plus the Senate committees
on which the CIO has succeeded
in obtaining favorable majorities in
the past, this kind of opposition has
effectively smothered every real at-
tempt to redress state of affairs
that has become appallingly one
sided.
In view of the seriousness of the
situation it is disappointing to have
Senator Barkley continue the hu-
initiating practice that has reduced
the Democratic party to servile
instrument of the Hillmans and the
Murrays. 1t is distressing to have
him refer to his senatorial colleague
SIS "frpthing at the mouth" as
though they were lot of mad dogs,
instead of recognizing that they re-
fleet the justifiable Indignation of
the people over abuses which they
have too long put up with and which
result from the degraded political
bargain between the CIO and the
New Deal administration of which
he was a part.
Five Bills of Merit.
As to Senator Barkley's assertion
that the Senate does not know what
kind of labor legislation it or the
country wants, that does not hold
water. There are at least five pro-
posals now in the Senate, the
merits of which have been fully
discussed and behind which the
sentiment is practically unanimous,
save for the labor-union spokesmen
and the extreme radical elements
with which they are afflliated.
There is Cd the Hobbs anti
racketeering bill, twice overwhelm-
ingly passed by the House; ca
there is the Ball-Burton- Hatch bill,
the fairest, soundest, most compre-
hensive of them all; 80 there is
the Byrd resolution to make labor
unions register with the Securities
and Exchange Commission and as
sumo the same financial RESPONSE
bilities as corporations: "a there
is the Byrd resolution in the inter
ests of the consumer. making it
illegal for any union to receive or
corporation to give a royalty on any
product; (5) there is the original
Case bill, emasculated and dena-
tured by the Senate committee.
Every one of these proposals Is