The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1948-06-18


Business Week says plainly that the
Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Eur
opean Recovery Program, mean mobil
ization of our economy on a wal
basis. No more lures" to get work
ers to take jobs, this time. They say:
workers would again have to shift
jobs, work harder and longer. But
instead of more pay for this, every
one would have to shift jobs work
harder and longer. But instead OF
more pay for this, everyone would
have to take less
Military hogwash about a quick and
easy air victory with atom bombs
over the Soviet Union is brushed aside
by the big busienss magazine as a
pipe dream. Such a war. whatever
its outcome, Business Week says.
would take years
At present prices this kind of mobil-
izatiOn would require military budg
ct of about $3.50 billion a year. max
ing no allowances for the initiation
that would go along with the war pro
gram, the report points out. 1t would
require tighter controls. regulated by
a military-big business government,
than anything this country saw dur
ing the last war First and foremost
to be tied in the strait-jacket of gov
eminent controls are workers and
their unions
The report is very clear and specific |
on this point: I'VE couldn't fight an
other war without debating to every
one where to work, what to do, what
TO get paid for it living standards
would have to go down, not up" Big
business plans a labor control pat
tern with a national service system"
for both workers and soldiers.
Here is the naked truth, out in the
open, spoken by big business itself
in this report; they say: Another
thing we'd have to do, that was not
done in World War II, is flatly to out
law strikes, treat Indictment to strike
as treason Such strikes, both in
intent and effect. would be sabotage
so we would have to prevent
them"
More, the report says: Civil rights
of all kinds would take an awful beat
ing, of course That means that,
just as in the case IF strikes. all sorts
of ordinary innocent activities would
become suspect. For instance, even
useful and well-intentioned criticism
- Ia
hard to distinguish from reasonable
agitation = and so would be choked
off"
With the bankers and generals run
hing the government, the answer of
zig business to an inevitably sleeper
nflation would, of course. be directed
lgainst workers pay envelopes. you
would have to chop directly into in
ONE" Business Week forecasts. you
would have to tax incomes at rates no
ne has ever thought of seriously be-
ore II
Another war now" big business
avs as it pushes us toward another
var. would add up to police job" u
,uling out premium wages as ere
7ards" for workers in the planned
'ar economy, the report cody de-
lares: This time there would be
othing left but the whip"
II
"Cold war" or "hot war" purely on
ne basis of pork chops it is and will
e even more the workers of this
Ountry who are forced to sweat and
ay for it, not to mention die in it.
he pattern is clear: longer hours
nd less pay in the face Of higher
rices and greater profits.
Will American organized workers
ccept that pattern? Big business
links it has the answers use of the
law up to the hilt; kill
le 8-hour day, 40-hour week and over
me pay guaranteed in the wage-hour
w, divide the workers and bust their
mons by building up the red scare;
tighten the people and destroy free
,eech, free assembly, free press and
ee thought by passage of laws like
e Mundt "subversive activities" bill
II he xubi c1oi1 ,4,.o+