Evening star., 1946-05-03
The Broader Need

h'S SbS0oSb lNCCO
With the coal strike going into its
second month, accompanied by
mounting evidences of impending
industrial disaster, two members of
the House have introduced bills to
prescribe one of the demands which
John L. Lewis is making on the mine
operators.
Ihese proposals, advanced inde-
pendently by Representatives Smith
and Robertson of Virginia, take their
cue from the legislation recently en-
acted to restrain some of the ac-
tlvities of James c. Petrillo, head of
the Musicians Union. If adopted.
they would have the effect of out
lawing the Lewis demand for a
royalty of ten cents on each ton of
coal mined, the proceeds to go into
a union health and welfare fund.
There is merit, as far as they 20.
in these proposals. But they do not
begin to 60 to the heart of the
problem raised by strikes such as
the one now being conducted by Mr..
Lewis. The crux of this problem
was summed up by Mr.. Robertson
when he said that he challenged
"the right of any individual or group
OF individuals to deny to the Ameri-
can people the essentials of life"
There are many others who will join
the Virginia Congressman in deny
Ing that any group, union or other,
wise, is possessed of such right"
but the fact is that, under the pro-
lection of one-sided laws, number
OF unions have resorted to strike &C
ton at the expense of things which
we have come to regard as essen
t1al in our modern economy. And
further fact is that almost invari-
ably, often with direct Government
support, these unions have been able
to enforce all or part of their de-
mands.
1t is idle to suppose that this STU
alton can be remedied by passing
law which says that Mr.. Lewis may
not impose his royalty demand on
the operators. For if Mr.. Lewis were
to be forbidden to strike on the
royalty issue, he could continue the
strike on some other issue. And even
If law could be passed to end the
coal strike there would not be ade-
quate protection in it, for although
the head of the Mine Workers has
been singled out for unusual criti-
clsm, he is by no means the onlv
labor leader to call a strike designed
to gain an objective by depriving
the people of some essential of life.
In this respect, what is the differ
ence between coal strike and a
steel strike, or a petroleum strike,
or power strike, or transporta-
ton strike?
The truth of the matter is that
the development of all major unions
has reached point where they can.
and often do, attain their detectives
by bringing intolerable pressure to
bear, not against an employer, but
against the public This is not a
new thing. 1t was foreseen and
warned against years ago, when
Congress was passing laws admit
tedly designed to strengthen the
relative position of the unions. But
no safeguards were written into the
laws, the assumption being that la
Dor leaders would not abuse their
power, or, if they did, that this
was lesser evil than ineffec-
tive unionism.
Now, somewhat belatedly, more
and more people are beginning to
realize that this was mistake
that the laws conferring unusual
powers on unions should also have
held them to appropriate standards
of responsibility. And there is also
a growing appreciation of the fact
that there is no hope of real relief
in legislation aimed at isolated
union abuses, that the only remedy
lies in comprehensive overhaul of
the laws affecting unions and indus
try. This may be some time in COM
ing, for the people are still more or
less apathetic. Mr.. Smith was not
far wide of the mark when he told
the House that "the utter indiffer-
ence of the Government, the people
and the press to the economic ca
lamity that is about to engulf the
Nation Gas a result of the coal
strike) is amazing and frightening"
The coal strike has been accepted
with an acquiescence which is Who'll
ly out of keeping with it's onlinous
potentialities. It may be, however,
that something in the nature of an
economic disaster is needed to
arouse public opinion to a point
where reluctant Congress and ad-
ministration will be forced to act.
Perhaps Mr.. Lewis is even now in
process of supplying the essential
ingredients of the needed stimulus.