The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-02
Put Blame Where
Bldme Belongs

Congress is about to enact a new labor law
and certain privileged labor leaders do not
like it.
Yet nobody is quite as responsible for what
Congress has been compelled to do as are
these same labor leaders.
AS truly as the phrase was ever true. they
have brought it on themselves
Because the American people sympathized
with the struggles of labor to increase its
veal in the common lot, labor was virtually
allowed to write its own statute in the early
days OF the New Deal.
Then was a great historic opportunity for
Intelligent and patriotic labor leadership and
LABOR craftsmanship.
But labor at the time exhibited very poor
leadership and no sign of craftsmanship at
all.
The New Deals labor law-the miscalled
Magma Carta of labor-the misshapen Wagner
Act. in brief-was written, not by labor, but
by New Deal Socialists; and was sponsored,
not by an authentic labor representative, but
by a Tammany politician from New York.
Thereafter, the law was notwithstanding
by public officials DESTROYS of promoting the
very purposes OF concord and industrial JUS
tice proclaimed hypocritically in the preamble
of the Wagner Act-but by left-wing manipu-
%lators, some of whom have since become
aligned with Communications organizations.
showing where they belonged in the first
place.
AS a consequence, the long record OF the
National Labor Relations Board has been a
disgraceful record Of unwarranted and tyran-
nous proceedings. Of demagogic accusations
and Of distorted decisions, the only effect
and constructively the only purpose-ot which
has been to incite labor unrest and to ad-
vance left-wing ideologies.
Moreover, through sheer coercion the Fed
eral courts have been impelled to support
ana sustain this immoral state of things:
There was a day when the Governor of a
great state refused to enforce the laws of his
own commonwealth against the unlawful seiz-
ure of private property: And there was an.
other day when the Supreme court of the
United States ruled that highway robbery was
not a crime if committed by members of
a powerful labor union under an 'interpre.
%tation' of the Wagner Act.
Granted such medieval license, labor lead.
ershlp has failed utterly to exercise any sense
OF either citizenship or responsibility.
Labor racketeers have flourished on black
mail and extortion.
A few of them are now in Jail.
Labor leaders have luxuriated in Florida
mansions, Or have sumptuously inhabited ,Vir.
gina hofnesteads, surrounded by costly CO.
lonlal furnishings, bought by the hard-earned
dues of toiling labor compulsorily collected
under the Fascistic "check-off" system.
Labor politicians have organized punitive
purge campaigns to intimidate Congress
men at elections, and-with the connivance
OF obsequlous judges or p%oltroon prosecutors
have found ways of violating with impunitv
the Corrupt Practices Act which any other
citizen must obey.
All America has suffered and suffered vast
~ from. this species Of oligarchy expressed
in a form of mob rule.
Strikes have been permitted to paralyze
communities. and to disorganize the whole
nationa! economy, because labor leaders
wanted it so.
their way into labor organizations, and loyal
Americans taking positions against them have
been penalized instead of applauded for their
American loyalty.
Finally, Of course, America rebelled against
all this.
Mainly on the issue of labor abuses, a new
Congress was elected last November-not to
punish but to liberate honest labor-not to
adr,"i> self-seeking labor leaders and crimi-
nal laDor racketeers. but to bring these impu-
dent individuals under the clear mandates of
a decent law.
And the new Congress has been 'conscienti-
ously writing a new labor law.
The attitude of labor leadership" has been
agg1essively one of Tory-like obstruction and
opposition.
Not one of its spokesman has appeared be-
fore a committee of Congress to make one
important suggestion-in behalf of labor and
the ~nation-toward correcting h manifold
evils of the Wagner Act.
Their attitude has been that the Wagner
Act must never be altered, that the vices OF
labor racketeers must never be chastised, and
that the gross and overweenirlg power of labor
bosses must never be in any wise restrained.
Congress, knowing we'll what 'the folks
back nome" demand, has been unimpressed
by the selfish opposition, the unprogressive
postulates and the vapid threats of labor
leadership
So Congress is writing it's own labor law:
And, indeed, Congress could not do otherwise,
since labor leadership-again given an his
toric opportunity-again has apparently moth
ing constructive, nothing reasonable and moth
ing democratic to offer.-Los Angeles Ex-
an?iner.