Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-02-11
THE Bottle Of The Century"

EOR MANY DAYS NOW - and many
l. more days to come-an epic struggle
is being waged on Capitol Hill around the
infamous Taft-Hartley Act. Senators and
Congressman who are for progress -
supporting President Trumans. recon-
mendations are for the repeal of this
repressive piece of legislation. The forces
of reaction - headed by Ohio COP Sena-
tor Taft - are battling viciously to retain
this bill
And in Senator Taft's corner - the
corner of rank reaction and bitter anti
labor prejudice - we find the nations
so-called public press" The great news.
papers, in themselves Big Business, doing
their damndest to befuddle the people,
to confuse them and to line them up in
support of their reprehensible policies.
Frankly, at the moment we are not
sure of the outcome of this titanic strug-
gle. We are not sure because the notorl-
ously reactionary Southern Democrats
may very we'll line up with the Tafts to
keep the Labor Movement of this Nation
in chains. This, despite the results of the
November election which served as
clear mandate to Congress to repeal this
abominable piece of legislation.
Taft & Co. want to lead the country
back to the good old days" when union
busting was a pastime of the tycoons OF
American Big Business. They want to go
back to the days when union members
were subject to instant dismissal and
union organizers were the object of lynch
mob violence. They want to retain the
right to use court injunctions, despite the
LaGuardia Act outlawing injunc-
tions. They want to re-establish their
rights as feudal masters in their mills and
plants over the workers who make the
wheels of industry turn.
And the so-called public press would
like to make us forget that the Wagner
Act of 1885 was passed by Congress to
abolish these vicious practices of the
Barons of Inudstry. They would like to
make us forget that the Wagner Act was
passed solely for the purpose of giving
industrial democracy" to the working
men and women of our country.
But working men and women should
not be fooled. Industry today is making
unprecedented profits. The common
people are suffering from skyrocketing
prices. Industry will want to maintain
their limitless profits They won't be able
to do that - not at the expense of the
workers unless they shall continue to
have the power to smash unions. That is
why they want to retain the Taft-Hartley
Act. They know that under that law they
can smash unions. They know that under
that law they can employ the power of
our own government through court
injunctions - to achieve that end That
is why they are fighting so viciously,, so
bitterly.
But the future of our country of our
people an dthe world for that matter
lies in the welfare of our workers.
And we cannot have that unless we have
free labor movement, unhampered by
repressive legislation. For only a free
labor movement can adequately fight for
just share of the produce of our eco
nomy. That is absolutely essential if we
are to have freedom and prosperity. 1t is
doubly essential if we are to show the
rest of the world that the American Way
of Life is the path to their salvation.
And all this bols down to one simple
thing: The Taft-Hartley Act must be
repealed