The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-06-10
what More Does He Want?

What More Does He Want?
The situation created by the union
bosses in the railroad field and by Mr..
John L. Lewis in the coal field again
threatens a national crisis which, as
Mr.. Samuel B. Pettingill recently de-
clared, easily may cost us more in a
month than the whole European Re
covery Program in a year.
One supposes that again a way will
be found to avert the ultimate calami-
ty Of a completely strangled nation.
But the price will be great and our
national humiliation deep. Experience
mas shown that every such settle
ment" in a very short time is followed
by renewed demands, defiance, threats
and throat squeezings. The result is
always the same-the Government is
compelled to yield; the labor bosses
get their way, prove themselves
stronger than the President of the
United States and the Congress. And
the people pay the bill.
The moral and material damage to
the country of these endless public
utility strikes against the nation-for
that is what they are-cannot be eX-
aggerated and there is no more dam
aging Indictment of the American
people than that, with the power in
their hands to put a stop to such
shameful exhibitions, they supinely
submit again and again and again.
Apparently, they cannot be induced
to face the facts Even when these are
squarely presented, they are not
stirred into the kind of resentment
that would force Congress to discard
its fear Of the labor vote" and act in
the general interests.
As in the case of the waste of
Federal funds, the people continue
lethargic, though these strikes menace
their very existence. The real issue
raised by them has nothing to do with
the merits of the union demands. The
real issue, as Mr.. Pettingill points
out, is "Should any man or any group
of men for any reason have the power
to take this country by the throat and
squeeze until it yields to him or
them" OF course the only answer to
that is mo" Yet, neither Congress
nor the people will face up to this
question, than which there is none
more vital.
Only twice in the last fifteen years
has the White House incumbent stood
up and fought instead of Knocking
under Certainly, Mr. Truman reached
the peak Of his popularity in the days
when he slugged it out, first, with the
railroad bosses and, second, with Mr..
Lewis. 1t is ironical that but for the
Taft-Hartley law, which he vetoed
and now wants repealed, the Presi-
dent would have no legal weapon to
meet the new coal strike threat. Is it
not clear that an intOlerable situation
exists Is it not clear that there is
no law to take away this squeezing
power which affects the lives Of all
the people? Is it not clear that re-
gardless Of injunctions and fines,
presidential attitudes, congressional
and journalistic denunciations, we
shall continue from crisis to crisis
losing ground all the time until our
degradation is complete, our indie
pendence a joke and civil rights"
just silly phrase, obsolete and mean
ingless?
To permit individuals and groups
to coerce the Government of the
United States into concessions that
weaken the nation, cripple industry
and inflict injury upon the citizens as
a whole, makes no sense whatever. 1t
is an idiotic performance made pos
sible by two things-one, the inertia
of the masses; second, the cowardce
and selfishness of the politicians.
For a long time now in both parties
these have operated in dread Of a la
Dor vote which, supposedly, is swung
by labor bosses and upon which the
political lives of candidates for office
depend. Recent records of the we'll
established Dunn survey show that
all save few Of the black-isted Taft
Hartley bill congressman, whom the