Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-03-07
OF Coal Union Cowing
Government Charged
Both Parties Reported
Unconcerned Over
Concentration of Power
By David Laurence

ny DobtN L0Ds C"CC
Nobody can be happy over the
so-called coal settlement" unless
1t is Josef Stain and the various
opponents of authoritarianism and
planned economy in the world
For history shows that democra-
cies torn asunder by economic
groups while supine government
looks on find themselves even
tually grasping authoritarian
methods and cures as a last re-
sort.
The experiences of prewar
France and Italy are vivid remind
ers of what can happen when
economic groups get bigger than
parliaments or presidents.
With all the talk about obedi-
ence to law and freedom from ter
ror in America, the Nation has
just witnessed a reign of terror in
the coal fields and the iron hand
OF violence and intimidation to
keep men from working at their
jobs while both State and Federal
police power looked the other way
Miners Called Slaves.
With all the talk about pro-
lection of the majority against
the depredations of any dictator
ship, the coal miners union has
exercised an absolute dictatorship
which cowed the Government,
routed the mine owners and
brought about their abject sur
rend>- even as the miners chief
took E1rCual command of the en-
tire labor movement in the United
States.
Haughtily now John L. Lewis
offers to lend $1,000 to help a
CIO union in the auto trades.
This is on top OF the $500, 900
given to the miners by the steel
workers union which Lewis will
return unused. Big union funds
are pooled for economic warfare
and there are bigger crises to
come. No deterrent or restraining
influence is being erected to stay
the hand of extremists.
AS for the miners themselves,
they cannot earn back what they
lost in the strike. They are
slaves to a system of discipline
from which they cannot be eman-
clpated because neither State nor
Federal Government gives them
any protection. AS for the work.
ers in other industries forced. off
their jobs by the shortage OF coal,
and as for the hundreds of mil
lions of dollars of the people S
savings lost through the strike,
there is no sign that either the
Republican or Democratic lead
ers will even take cognizance of
these crimes against the public
interest. .,
Can Sap Industrial Strength.
What the coal controversy
means is that dictatorship by
economic groups does thrive in
America. The coal operators
now are talking of appointing a
dictator of their own. Meanwhile,
the price Of coal to consumers will
shortly rise and the increase be
reflected in higher costs in thou
sands Of items on the Nations price
list of manufactured products.
Labor-unio monopolies can
eventually sap the industrial
strength Of America. Concentra-
ton of economic power in the
hands of the few is growing and
the administration as well as
Republican leaders is not showing
any real concern about this build
up Of new relationships out of
which could come a single dicta-
torship. The citizens who might
line up against such a rising
threat are apparently not yet
bestirred enough to check up on
the Indifference of their legisla-
tive representatives.
Even viewed from the I'd
point of democracy's be-.e- in
voluntary and uncoercive methods
of settling labor disputes, the
administration fell down and so
did Congress. There is no lead
ership now as the post-mortem
of the strike reveals huge losses
and inconvenience to the public.
Congress is evidently going to
keep labor legislation on a side
track instead of removing the de-
fects in the present laws and pro-
viding better means than economic
war to settle labor disputes.
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