Evening star., 1946-07-21


national problems confront the Govern
ment, the theory is that the people
themselves act to protect their Govern
ment. If this is Government by law, it
seems logical that the representatives
of the people themselves, the House and
Senate, by joint resolution, are the ones
who should draw the dividing line be-
tween the strike which harms the ma
tional welfare and the one that does not.
II and when a strike threatens national
prostratlon, certainly it is sufficiently
serious to claim the immediate attention
of the House and Senate, each body act
ing as committee of the whole or in
such other way as will guarantee careful
consideration and deliberate determina-
ton Of the issue.
Some timid souls will inquire: How
would labor take all this?" The answer
Is that labor is a name for a collection
OF millions of individuals who are lust
as good, true and sincere Americans AZ
any other group.
Labor will Certainly fight antiIabor
bills which 1t sincerely believes are
aimed at the destruction of unionism,
but we can all be certain that labor will
support any measure sincerely designed
Tor the protection of this country and
the welfare of the people even though
SUCH protection may put some restriction
on labors. activities.
1t was not the president of the Ma
tlonal Association of Manufacturers who
was quoted with regard to the railway
strike recently as follows: ANY one
possessed OF. an elementary knowledge
OF labor relations would have known
tnat strike against the Government
was foredoomed to failure" That QUO
tatlon came from the head of the loco
motive flremen and enginemen. D. 3
Robertson, whose union stood with 1s
other railway unions against the strike
called by the railway trainmen and
locomotive engineers.
Switchmen's Head Backs Truman.
! 1t was not the newly elected president
of the United States Chamber of Com
merce who remarked: why should
! labor criticize him (Truman) for doing
/ the only thing he could do under the
! circumstances" That was Tom Cashen,
! chief Of the Switchmen's union.
! So let's not be too timid about labor's
! reaction to a bill that is primarily
! evolved in the interests of the national
welfare when it is shown that that in
terest is one which must remain para
mount for the benefit of all our people
and all groups of them.
Nevertheless, since we must preserve
the right to work or not to work so long
as it does not imperil the national well
fare, any law which checks that right
in the interest of the national welfare
! must have safeguard thrown about it
to prevent intemperate, ill-advised or
| capricious determinations No greater
/ safeguard could be devised than one
/ which requires joint deliberation and
! determination by our legislative bodies
/ in each instance where it appears that
! strike will impair the national welfare.
This sort Of law would be a law of ma
! tlonal self-defenSe. And still, if the
people, acting to defend themselves un-
/ der the protection of such a law, are
compelled to strip from any group the
means whereby such a group seeks i'm
/ proved conditions and the redress of in
equities, there arises a reciprocal obli-
cation to sustitute for an illegal strike
7 an adequate alternative,
! Remembering that the strike is merely
a means to an end, the time to set up
alternative means is not in the chaos
OF crisis. Let the same law which
provides for the determination of an
illegal strike set up machinery whereby
it will be possible speedily TO examine
conflicting claims, justly to assay rela-
tive equities and effectively to provide
adequate redress for such wrongs as are
determined to exist. Let the machinery
( be always ready for use when the need
arises. Let this machinery be placed
on the highest possible platform we can
provide.
Urges Outstanding Referees.
What should this machinery consist of?
How should it operate? These are mat
ters for careful and close attention of
the legislators who would be consider
ing the bill. One thought occurs. The
ilSil WIZ dlc SCLClbGN as lllS COuIltIy
! referees in such industrial clashes
should be able to command the respect
of all our people, In the writer's opinion,
Bernard Baruch is such man. So is
Charles Evans Hughes. Eric Johnston,
former president of the United States
Chamber of Commerce. and Senator
Morse are Of such stature. Three such
men could be designated as the Nations
highest industrial referees working
organization, not necessarily numerous,
but capable of expansion in time of need.
should be provided SO that at the moment
legislative determination is made that
a strike imperils national welfare, the
machinery can be galvanized into action.
General rules for proper hearings, gen.
eral authority for adequate determine
tions, all necessary procedural formats
could be provided.
All of this naturally requires study
and analytical planning. 1t may prove
to be the first step in sane and logical
readjustment of our national economy.
Because basic free rights are involved.
such step must not be taken precipi-
lately.
1t is not beyond the realm of poSsi-
bility that one day every one will recog-
nize the lack of economic logic in in
dustrial warfare and the economic loss
that ensues when production is stopped
as the means of attaining justice. Later
we may come to the Gay when the de-
STABILITY of an industrial code and