Evening star., 1948-04-12
Discussion Of Unions
In Pamphlet for Army
Scored as 0ne-Sided
Lobors Position Is Seen
Luuded by Article Which
Ignores Shortcomings
By David Laurence

Ignores Shortcomings
By David Laurence
ofhcial propaganda by the United
States Army extolling labor unions
and their methods has made its
appearance in the form Of talks"
printed and distributed "for the
use OF commanders in informing
personnel"
Just why the Army feels called
upon at this time to enter into such
q highly controversial field, empha-
sizing the good points Of labor
unions while CLOSING over or ignor-
ing their weaknesses, is not clear.
Certainly 1t Is not clear why tax
payers money should be spent for
any such propaganda and why the
Department Of the Army should
allow such material to be printed at
Government expense or distributed.
The preamble of the pamphlet
states that the purpose Of the
talk" Is to explain why labor
unions were organized, what they
try to accomplish and how they
operate" It is added that the pur-
pose Is ito explain 1t rs factually
and impartially as possible"
Pamphlet Held One sided.
An examination of the pamphlet
reveals that, on the whole, it states
the cause Of trade unionism not
only accurately but most sympathet-
ically. In the Introductory para
graphs 1t Is promised to reveal what
have been the Accomplishment"
Of the labor unions and also their
shortcomings" but one looks in
vain all through the document to
fina anything under the heading of
shortcomings" The document has
a sort Of objectivity, but it is far
from impartial.
A certain amount of space is de-
voted to q description of picket
ing" but 1t hardly comedies with
what actually has been happening
in many industrial disputes in re-
cent years. Not word is said
about mass picketing" and the
physical violence and coercion COM
monty used on the labor union front.
Certainly In any impartial summary
something might have been said
about the abuses of picketing.
The press by inference is criti-
cized for its reports on labor news.
The document says:
"porol1ee Strikoc
the public wants to hear about them,
the extent of work stoppage in in
dustry has been greatly exagger-
ated."
Coal Strike Forgotten.
While the pamphlet points out
that the many settlements OF
strikes "are not often reported to
the public as news" because a strike
is Spectacular" and peaceful
settlement is not" the implication
is that the news of the strikes is in
itself exaggerated
The apologists who wrote the doc
ument forgot all about the coal
strike Of year ago and could not
have had in mind that their PAM
phlet would be distributed during
the present coal-supply emergency
that confronts the Nation, or else
they would not have written this for
distribution among Army comman-
ders:
Some of the strikes have seemed
dangerous to the Nations welfare.
But while strikes are costly to all
concerned, and disliked by every
one, including workers. they have
not seriously impeded our industrial
progress" 'ie.f'
Is that a factual statement? Only
last year an estimate was made be-
fore a congressional committee that
$4,000, 900 tons of steel production
had been lost since WI day due
to strikes. Since the Nation Is short
OF steel for its own uses and for the
Marshall Plan and since imitation
and gray markets thrive on such
shortages, can it be said that strikes
have not seriously impeded our in
dustrial progress?"
Grave Emergency Cited.
The coal strike of a year ago was
so serious that the Government had
to step In and get an injunction,
just as 1t Is doing now. The petit
ton for an injunction recited that
q grave emergency existed. Yet the
Army course Of instruction for en-
listed men and officers minimizes
the gravity Of the strike weapon in
American industrial life.
The document was prepared by
the Troop Information Branch,
Troop Information and Education
Division. Special Staff, United
States Army" and the Government
Printing ONCE sells these talks"
to the public for few cents apiece
No better piece of propaganda for
the use Of labor-union organizers
was ever written, and the taxpay-
'ers Of the United States are pay
ing for 1t. too. All this is issued a
year after exhaustive hearings by
Congress revealing the fragrant
abuses of trade unionism, about
which this document is so strangely
silent.
Is the Army Department trying to
cuddle up to the big labor unions
(which have hitherto opposed the
military training pro-
gram? 1t could be that this is
fthe strategy that prompted the
1t could be also that
this is an example of the kinds
,of education" contemplated for
the universal military training
program, the educational advan-
tages Of which are so often stressed
by its advocates.
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