Evening star., 1949-12-30
Bad News for Nation
Seen in Thomas Plan
To Ignore Taft Act
Labor Chiefs, Politicians
Think They Have Prize
Issue for Campaign
By David La,prence

influential Democrats will urge
that no action be taken at the
Forthcoming session of Congress
to write a new labor manage
ment law is bad news for the
country.
Apparently this is the decision
of the CIO and AFL high COM
mand. aided and abetted by Presi-
dent Truman and the politicians
in the Democratic party who
think they have a prize issue on
which to gain a bigger majority
for their party in Congress in the
November 1850 elections.
1t means that all efforts to
get a two-sided law which would
be fair alike to labor and manage
ment are to be abandoned in favor
Of a drive to obtain at the polls
a majority in Congress pledged
to the principle of special privi-
lege and monopolistic power by
q single economic group over the
lives and opportunities OF. other
citizens.
Single Issue in Election.
It means that the bitterest cam
paign. in the history of congress
sional elections will be fought on
that single issue. It means that
the Nation will be swept with
fear, business will be jittery, ex-
pansion plans will be held In
abeyance and unemployment will
rise, as both sides engage in what
is really an unnecessary battle
which could involve serious in
jury to the economic welfare OF
the country.
For two years now, since the
Taft-Hartley Act was passed,
union-labor bosses, who brazenly
promise blocs of votes-regimented
by economic coercion-in return
for special legislative favors
granted or to be granted, have
fought against any course of mu-
tual concessions and have in
sisted instead on an extreme
position of "all or none"
At the moment compromise
bill lies in the House Labor Com
mittee, having been sent there by
very close vote. No effort was
made at the last session to report
out another bill. The Senate has
passed compromise bill. Both
measures are pending legislation
There isn't the slightest doubt
that any inequities or mistakes OF
verbiage that were written into the
Taft-Hartley Act in the first in
stance can readily be removed by
q majority vote Of both houses.
There isn't any doubt either that
q fair law can be adopted. But
union labor's strategists have
served notice that they want the
old Wagner Act, with its provi-
sions loaded in behalf of labor
+ unions. restored.
This strategy has in it many
risks, for if the labor chiefs arouse
the country and happen to lose
strength in the next Congress,
they may find themselves with
more instead Of less restrictions
In wave of reaction against
their arbitrary tactics.
Questions for Electorate.
The unwillingness of the union
bosses to let the question OF a
new law come to a vote in Con-
gress at the next session-which
they might do by keeping the
measure bottled up in committee
through administration influence
or other parliamentary maneuvers
will mean that certain basic is
sues will come before the electorate
in the form of questions such as
these:
/. Shall labor unions be re-
quired, as in the present law, to
make an accounting Of their
finances, or shall they be per-
mitted to hide what they do with
the money Of union members? The
Wagner law afforded no protection
against the small but dangerous
minority of chiselers and crooks
among labor union officers, some
of whom have already been
exposed.
2. Shall Communists be per-
mitted to work inside labor unions
and gain control of them. as was
s the case under the old Wagner
Law, or should Communists be
restricted as under the Taft
Hartley Act?
8. Shall strikes that paralyze
the Nations health and safety.
depriving the people of electric
light and power. telephones, fuel,
and the delivery of food supplies,
= be permitted. as under the old
Wagner Law. or should such
strikes be enjoined. as provided
under the present statute?
4. Shall the right of free speech,
guaranteed under the Constitution
but denied to employers by par
tisan and biased Labor Relations
Board acting under the old Wag-
ner Law, be abolished so far as
employers are concerned, or shall
freedom Of speech be permitted
to employers and unions alike. as
under the present law?
S. Shall the man who wishes
to work at his job be intimidated
and his home damaged and his
family subjected to fear, as was
the case in the collective-bargain-
ing drives and strikes with the
COON squads tolerated under the
old Wagner Law. or should each
worker have the right to work
where he pleases and when he
pleases. as Is guaranteed him un-
der the present law?
These are but a few Of the
4 truly significant issues that will
be debated on the stump If the
union leaders are serious about
their program of avoiding at the
i coming session of Congress any
.action on repeating the Taft