Evening star., 1947-01-03

S1o bAAAo 40 Ro~
ticularly interesting because for
some years now, the CIO publicity
outfit has consistently denounced
any mention of Communism in con-
nection with its organization as out
rageous and unfounded. A COM
plete reversal of this attitude seems
to have taken place. Instead Of
insisting that there is no trace OF
Communism in the CIO and that
the mere suggestion of such is a
wicked libel, we are now told that
"a bitter underground war Is going
on in the labor movement between
Communists and anti-C Communists. !"
Warned Of Tipping Scales"
The only news in this is that it
should be admitted instead Of
denied by proponents of the CIO.
However, the reason for the admis-
sion becomes plain with the further
declaration that while the anti
Communists recently have been
making gains over the Communists
in this "bitter underground war"
this trend would be reversed and
the Communists gain ascendancy, II
Congress unwisely indulged in "ex-
cess" on labor legislation.
In other words, Congress Is being
portentously warned that the hard
pressed but purehearted CIO is hav-
ing a desperate time right now
keeping the Communists from get
ting the upper hand. At the mo-
ments it is said, there is a good
chance that virtue viii prevail. But,
If Congress goes to extremes" or
does anything drastic" why then
the battle will be lost, the forces
of righteousness will be defeated
and the Communists will take over,
with all the horrible things that
would mean.
This of course, is what the late
Damon Runyon used to call the old
"phonus bolognus." Exactly how or
why drastic action" by Congress
would promote Communism in the
CIO,s we are not informed. The
statement is made with no reason
given and it is not very f1attering
to the intelligence to expect 1t to be
accepted that way. Actually, it would
seem that If the facts are as stated
about this bitter underground bat
tie" more and not less drastic action
should be the answer.
Most Everything Extreme"
It Is worth noting that from the
CIO viewpoint practically everything
that has been proposed seems "dras-
tic action" going to extremes" Gin
dulging in excesses." Under these
heads are classed any limitation on
the alleged right to strike, any move
to outlaw the closed shop, any effort
to provide for compulsory arbitra-
ton, any restriction of the right of
labor unions to make political con-
tributions, any effort to make unions
as financially responsible as corpora
tions.
Those who advocate any of these
things are described as wanting to
destroy the unions" which is just
as phony as the cry that the Com
munists will get you if you go to ex-
tremes."
Perhaps this kind OF propaganda
will scare Congress off-but that
would mean to ignore the real senti-
ment of the American people-in-
cluding that of the rank and file of
labor itself. A few days ago the r. c.
Dunn Survey of Greenwich, Conn.,,
which specializes in this field, re-
viewed the Gallup polls Of union
members in 1945, which showed as
follows:
Fifty-four per cent against closed
shop; 80 per cent for.
Fifty-eight per cent against union
contributions to campaign funds; "a
per cent for.
70co for Cooling" Period.
Seventy per cent for cooling off
period and fact-finding to help avoid
z strike.
Seventy-one per cent for making
unions financially accountable.
Sixty-four per cent for law pro-
hibiting strikes in war plants; 26
r per cent against.
Forty-nine per cent for law to stop
Feather 60 bedding; 26 per cent
: against.
&c Summing up, Gallup poll in 1945
stated: 'The practices and policies
of labor unions by no means meet