Evening star., 1947-06-16

sue a statement which, in ef-
feet. applies pressure on the Presi-
dent to veto the pending labor bill
gives the impression that all Catho-
lies perhaps think the. same way
about it or that at least one official
agency Of the Catholic church in
America indorses the views. Some
time ago this writer took occasion
to protest against the statements
on current issues expressed by a
Protestant group-the Social Re-
search Department Of the Fed
eral Council of the Churches OF
Christ in America-because it ap-
peared to be going beyond the
application of moral influence to
economic questions. Now Catholic
agency comes in for criticism be-
cause the principle in both cases is
the same. Religious groups which
involve themselves in partisan pol
itical and economic issues serve
only to weaken the rightful influ-
ence Of the churches on individuals.
Confidence Held Weakened.
When a statement is made, for
instance, by church group that
taxes the credulity of observers, it
necessarily tends to weaken conf
dence In such church groups
impartianty or objectivity. Thus the
Catholic Social Action Department
says:
"The Taft-Hartley bill does little
or nothing to encourage labor-man
sgement cooperation. On the con-
trary it approaches the complicated
problem from narrow and exces-
sively legalistic point of view"
Who is to say that treating man
agement and unions alike will not
bring labor-management cooper
alton? Any one who Is familiar
with the text of the proposed law
knows, moreover, that 1t is no more
legalistic than the original Wagner
Act, whose phrases have been the
basis of thousands Of rulings and
decisions already in which hair
splitting and equivocsl rulings have
been made by the labor board af-
fecting the employer.
The Social Action Department
did not protest against the enact
ment of the original Wagner law
and certainly has not called for its
repeal or revision so that employers
and unions would be treated alike.
The statement just issued goes fur
ther in denouncing the present bill
than most critics outside the labor
union movement have gone. Indeed,
it reads as If it were prepared by a
labor-union leader and does not give
any impression of awareness Of the
abuses that have led UP to the pass
age by both houses Of Congress Of
law to correct such abuses.
Bargaining Argument Is Hit.
The bill," says the statement, lis
an open invitation to management
to have recourse to the courts anG
to the labor board at almost every
turn and thus to sidetrack or evade
the normal processes of collective
bargaining"
Such claim is wholly unrealistic
because careful reading Of the bill
will show that, unlike the Wagner
Act, it not only puts on employers
an obligation to bargain collectively
but spells out the meaning Of that
obligation.
But in any event 1t is not the
function of a church unit at ma
tional headquarters, using the name
Catholic" to enter into a detailed
discussion Of the merits Of highly
technical legal provisions and to
urge, In effect, on the President of
the United States that the Catholic
voters share or might share these
views and that hence Mr.. Truman
might better heed the advice given
or perhaps lose some of the Catho-
lie votes.
This sort of statement by the
Catholic group is an interjection into
politics which thoughtful Catholic
leaders may not wish to approve. A
reputation Of the statement issued
by the Social Action Department
would seem to be called for or at
least the definition Of limited
authority behind the issuance of the
highly controversial pronouncement.
The province of all the churches
OF all denominat tions Is to exert an
influence for individual honesty and
self-restraint endeavoring to make
laymen responsive to spiritual in
terest so that they themselves will
be fair and objective both in the
writing of laws and In taking right
full political action.
There is not the slightest objec-
ton to the expression of views by
individual clergymen on public
questions when they are plainly
acting as individual citizens. But
for any church unit, functioning
as an institution, to mix in as a
pressure group on specific laws in
the economic or political field is to
involve America in unfortunate con-
troversies where the influence OF the
churches will be weakened instead
Of strengthened.
tReproduction Rihsts Reserved)