Evening star., 1950-01-19

Climax Believed Near
In Struggle Between
Lewis and Truman
Mine Union Boss in Jam,
Hopes for An Injunction
To Blame Government
By David Laurence

maneuvers Of both the White
House and John L. Lewis in the
critical situation that has arisen
in the coal industry Is the story
of an incredible struggle between
the President of the United States
and the most powerful boss union
labor has ever known.
Mr.. Lewis is in a jam. To get
out of it he wants to see an in
junction issued that will enable
him to blame the Government and
yet order the miners back at work.
President Truman is in a di-
1emma, too. He has used the
powers of the Taft Hartley Act
several times and because he is
reluctant to ask for an other in
junction now, he is being accused
of an unwillingness to utilize the
very law he has asked Congress
to repeal.
So the President has hesitated,
hoping against hope that Mr..
Lewis would enter into some COM
promise agreement with the mine
operators that would end the in
termittent work stoppages.
Last to Compromise.
But Mr.. Lewis has won many
a fight by persistence. He wields
an economic power which few
men ever have been able to exer-
else before. He never makes a
compromise until the last ounce OF
pressure has been exerted.
The President has known for
some time that Mr.. Lewis has a
weak case and that the mine
operators have enough economic
strength to stand the strike even
though it is pinching them con-
siderably.
Should Mr.. Truman ask for the
Injunction and give Mr.. Lewis an
out? His advisers have told him
to stand pat. But Mr.. Lewis knows
how to force the issue. The So
called rebellion" of the miners
who wouldn't go back to work
after Mr.. Lewis suggested" it and
are now ordered" to go back isn't
a rebellion at all. It is part of the
system Of complex manipulation
Of local unions which is inherent
in any movement where the dicta-
tor operates through secret orders
to his henchmen.
Because Mr.. Truman wouldn't
order an injunction to be issued,
claiming that no emergency" ex-
tsted, Mr.. Lewis promptly began
to help create the very emergency
that would bring the Injunction.
He may succeed.
Solves Nothing.
An 80-day Injunction, however,
solves nothing. It merely post
pones the existing situation. But
after 80 days the bargaining posi-
tion of Mr.. Lewis will be weakened
because. If the miners obey court
order and go back to work, the
country will be closer to spring
when demands for coal begin to
taper of.
Another type of injunction
sought by Robert .Denham, coun.
sci for the National Labor Rela-
tions Board, cannot bring the
miners back to work unless Mr.,
Lewis wants to grab that device
as means Of extricating himself
from the jam.
Actually one of the kinds of in
junction that the Taft-Hartley
law permits under the various al
legations Just outlined by Mr..
Denham Is subject to prolonged
argument in court. It took
months for this type of injunction
to be litigated recently in the In
ternational Typographical Union
dispute. Both Senator Taft, Re
publican, who helped write the
present law, and Senator Thomas
OF Utah, Democrat, who is trying
to get it repealed. agree that the
Denham injunction cannot end
the strike even though it can OBJ
tain court orders to make MIR.
Lewis bargain "in good faiths
rather flexible point yet to be
tested when an ingenious tactician
like MIR. Lewis is at the receiving
end Of such an order.
The struggle cannot go on much
longer. The whole business situa-
t1on may be adversely affected by
1T. especially If the so-called "re-
bellion" actually closes down more
and more Of the mines. Then the
President will act and it may be
assumed that a Federal court will
order the men back to work for
30 days. The climax isn't far OF,
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