Evening star., 1949-02-22
Murray's Statement
Seen as Compliment
To Senator Taft
Retreat or Concession
Called Wholesome in
Considering New Bills
By David Laurence

It isn't often that Phil Murray
pays a compliment to Senator
Taft. Maybe Mr.. Murray didn't
really intend it that way at all
but the statement just issued by
the head of the CIO which points
to the retreats and concessions"
made by the Ohio Senator with
respect to changes in the present
labor management relations act is
certainly a boost for Mr.. Taft.
Whenever any one is ready to
acknowledge error, he is to be
commended and not condemned.
Mr.. Taft conceded, of course, even
before the law which bears his
name was enacted that If expert
ence should prove the need of re-
vision he would be the first to
espouse changes.
Senator Morse of Oregon, Re-
publican, who voted against the
Taft Hartley Act and who is a
friend Of both labor and manage
ment, has just commented that
lone of the finest things" result
ing from the hearings thus far of
the Senate Labor Committee has
been "the minded objectivity
with which Bob Taft has consid-
cred the testimony and evidence
of the shortcomings of the Taft
Hartley law"
What of Labor Leaders?
Can anything like this be said
about any labor leader who has
appeared before the committee.
this year, or in 1947 when hear.
ings on the existing law were
being held? Can any one find a
single amendment to the Wagner
Labor Relations Act sponsored by,
or advocated by any labor-union
leader from July 1885, when the
law was passed, until June l947
when the Taft Hartley Act was
enacted?
If, as Mr.. Murray declares,
Senator Taft has retreated or
made concessions, it is the most
wholesome thing that could hap
pen in considering new legislation.
1t would be equally wholesome If
the labor-union leaders were to
apply themselves in the same way
to a study of the Wagner Act.
which, after IL years Of exper-
fence, certainly was revealed to
have certain weaknesses and de-
fects.
Not even on the right of free
speech did labor-union leaders
criticize the National Labor Re-
lations Board for it's twisted and
restricted interpretations Of the
First Amendment to the Consti-
tuition. Never in the last few years
did a single labor leader lift his
voice against mass picketing and
other acts of violence on the labor
front.
Strikes or Coercion Used.
The only cure for abuses that
labor union leaders ever advo-
Gated was to leave all matters to
be settled by voluntary processes
and this always meant an at
tempt to use strikes or economic
coercion by unions to force COM
pfete surrender by management
Of It's prerogatives and response
bilities Of administration.
In the face of huge economic
losses in Nationwide strikes,
labor unions are fighting against
the administration decision to
seek powers of injunction or to
use the injunction as part Of the
inherent powers sof the Executive.
The atmosphere Of the Senate
Labor Committee has not been
such as to indicate that a peace
full era in labor management re-
lations may be expected. There
has been no spirit Of give-and-
take by labor-union witnesses
comparable to the attitude Of the
,ther side.
A fair deal in writing the new
law can lead to unexampled peace.
The present railway labor law was
the product of agreement by labor
and management viewpoints. 1t
is not a perfect law but it has en-
dured because 1t was designed as
a fair and not one-sided meas
ure.
JuhF