Evening star., 1947-04-29
Labor Bill Arguments
Of 1895 Recalled
Tydinks Then Sought Clause TO
Bar Coercion of Amy Sort
By David laurence

OOSICiOn OF ANY Sort
By David Lswysnce
TO understand the debate going on In
the Senate these days on the proposed
labor legislation one has to turn the
clock back nearly IL years. Nearly every
argument made then by employers
against the passage Of the Wagner La
Dor Relations Act is now being made by
union spokesmen IN the Senate.
It was Senator Tydinss, Democrat, Of
Maryland who tried to get the Senate
to amend the Wagner bill so 1t would
prohibit coercion from any source and
1t was the Democratic leadership which
told him all this was protected by the
States.
Senator Ives, Republican of New York,
who comes to the Senate with something
Of reputation in labor matters, has
taken the labor union side OF the arsu.
ment on this issue. Senator Taft made
. masterfuf reply to Senator ives in
sponsoring some amendments to protect
the worker against coercion by fellow
workers. Sor professional organizers. m
fact, the Ohio Senator has shown him.
self far superior to the New York Sena.
tor In this debate.
Ives Full Of Thesry."
Mr., Ives difficulty seems to be his
doctrinate approach. He is full OF
theory, and adamant against those who
have some experience with the abuse
Of the Wagner Labor Relations Act. It
Is surprising indeed to find / man Of
Mr.. Ives reputation saying it is q mat
ter for the police In each State to; do
away with the coercion now practiced
to force workers into unions. =
Much Of the coercion is in the fornA
OF Misrepresentation and non violence
annoyances. Many OF the present-day
unions have been Organized with frau.
dulent and dishonest statements IS tf,s
basis OF the organizing campaign. The
employer is powerless to answer unles.
he wishes to risk expensive litigation
before the Labor Board on the frAe-
speech issue. - 49, ~
Senator Ball Republican. Of Minns-
sofa, 4 man who Is 80 far from being !
"reactionary" that he supported the late
President Roosevelt In 1914 ana broke
with his own party--is emerging as the
real champion Of workers rights. II
any one is entitled to be called liberal
Republican, 1t is Mr.. Ball Of Minnesota.
He Is sponsoring amendments which the
pro-union spokesmen call tough" or
"reactionary," but he Is nevertheless one
Senator who is standing up for the
worker as against the union bosses and
dictators. He wants an amendment like
the Tydings amendment of 1885. The
failure to adopt 1t then brought on
much Of the bitterness and labor strife
Of the ensuing II years. Incidentally
in the debate, Senator Taft pointed out
that Mr.. Balls. amendment Is contained
in the Wisconsin Labor Relations Act
which has worked, successfully.
When Senator Ives declared that mass
picketing was 4 matter wholly for ths
States, he forgot that the unions sue
cseded In 1885 In invoking the Federal
police power in statute which Furnishes
employers who bring nonunion men
across State lines to work for them dur.
ing strikes. Congress made this crime
and no labor union has advocated that
this be repealed and left to the States.
~ Same Objections IN 1885. s5S
The same objections which Senator
Ives now urges against restraints to be
written into new law to forbid in
reference by workers with other work
ers were heard from employers In 1895.
1t was urged then that the Labor Board
couldn't interpret such words, that 1t
would cause more strife and that 1t
would produce confusion. Actually.
probably no single clause in any statuts
has been more the subject Of defini-
tions In different sets OF circumstances
than the one which forbids interference
by an employer in the exercise by the
employees Of their rights OF self -orsanf-
cation. With the exception OF the
"free-speech" issue, the employers now
understand what can and cannot be
done 1t would naturally fall to the
new labor board to define the kind o,
interference and restraints proposed in
the, new law whereby professional or
ganizers impose on workers in order to
dragon them into unions against their
free will. -
Presidential politics may or may not
have something to do with the one
sided viewpoint being expressed by
Senator Ives Of New York. II he repre-.
sents Gov. Dewey, then the sooner the
New York Governor expresses himself
the better it will be for those Of his
friends who think he would not concur
In the soft" viewpoint taken by Senator
Ives. On the record thus far Senator
Taft, II he goes along entirely with the
amendments proposed by Senator Ball
and IT he agrees to change some Of the
antiquities In the Senate committee
bill or the union shop" which he has
hitherto been supporting, will be making
record that appeals far more to the
Republican party as = whole than the
views expressed by the New York
Senator. -.
Reprsduetion Rights Rsssrvsa)
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