Evening star., 1949-10-13
Lubor's. Man on Horseback

The American people would do well to
pay some attention to the speech which
CIO President Philip Murray made to the
steel strikers at Pittsburgh. For it was a
speech with ominous overtones, speech
that might better have been delivered to
an assembly of storm troopers than to an
audience of American workmen.
The speech was not disturbing because
of the Incorporate attacks on the National
Association of Manufacturers, the United
States Chamber of Commerce and AFL
President William Green. They have been
among Mr.. Murrays whipping boys for a
long time. The same thing is true of
Mr.. Murray's way OF describing his op-
poSite numbers in the steel industry as
"flatulent blatherskites" and "sanctimo-
NOUS hypocrites." This kind of language
may be irritating, but 1t breaks no bones.
1t is disturbing, however, to 60 to the
heart of Mr.. Murray's remarks. Despite
his "enslavement" by the Taft-Hartley Act,
this man holds enormous power over
Americas economic life. 1t is entirely con-
ceivable that he has the power to wreck
the economy of this country and with 1t
the economy of the Western world. Fur
thermore, Mr.. Murray says in all but so
many words that this is precisely what he
intends to do if necessary to get what he
wants.
The steel fact-fnding board recon-
mended that the steel industry pay for q
ten-cent package covering pensions and
social insurance for the steel workers. The
big steel firms are willing to put up the
ten cents, but they are insisting on some
contribution from the workers themselves
Mr.. Murray says he will never agree to
this and that the strike will 60 on until
he has his way.
What about the smaller steel companies?
Some of them say they cannot afford to
foot the bill for the whole package, and
the fact-f1nding board indicated that it
believed this to be true But Mr.. Murray
is thoroughly ruthless and wholly uncon-
cerned. The union, he said, will not accept
inability to pay as a basis for a lesser
settlement with any company. If they
cannot pay, according to Mr.. Murray, who
is sometimes hailed as labor statesman"
they can 60 out of business.
That, in brief, is the picture, and it looks
very much like the picture of Man on
Horseback. 1t is picture of man who
has no consideration for the little fellow
in the steel industry. Liquidate him, says
MIR. Murray, if he cannot pay ,what
demand. As for the big fellow, Mr. Murray
is equally adanRnt and equally ruthless.
But the situation there is little different.
For the big fellow can ride out strike as
well as the union, perhaps better But
Mr. Murray still has an ace in the hole
the country cannot stand long strike, and
he knows it. So, while he does not put
this into words the inference is plain that
he hopes to compel Big Steel to meet his
terms by using his monopoly of steel labor
to impose uncomfortable pressure on the
national economy. And perhaps he will
get away with it, for he has friends in
high places. ..@.@
This is something which may or may
not be of interest to the people But If
they are not interested now, the day is
coming when they will be- For if Mr.. Muir
ray can do what he says he is going to do,
then any other monopoly labor boss can
and probably will do the same, and in
that process lot of little people are going
to get badly hurt.