Evening star., 1951-03-18
Labor Leaders Held
To Be Unpotriotic
Writer Alleges They Put
Selfish Interests First
BY Fronk R. Kent

Clearly the Truman administration
has muffed the vital problem Of infia-
ton If, as conceded. imitation Is our
greatest enemy. then we have weakly
yielded to this enemy, permitted 1t to
inflict immense damage upon us. dan
serously slow down our defense effort
as well as greatly add to It's cost.
The time when this enemy could have
been dealt with effectively was eight
months ago when the national emer-
gency was first proclaimed and Congress
overwhelmingly voted Mr.. Truman full
powers to control wages and prices. The
President then called upon all the peo-
pie to make sacrifices" in the national
interest and the country was ready to
do exactly that But calling is all he
did. His words were not matched by
deeds There Is no secret about the
reason. And there is practically no dis
pute about it, either.
The simple fact Is that the only oppo-
sition to wage stabilHation last summer
came from the leaders of organized
labor, with whom Mr.. Truman and his
political adviser. Chairman William
Boyle, are closely linked politically.
These leaders would tolerate no inter-
ference with their fifth wage-raise drive
which already had started and which
was inevitably inflationary in its nature.
AS result of their attitude, Mr.. Truman
failed to use the power given him and
the wage drive went ahead with tacit
Government support and approval. In
the following months there was q gen.
eral increase in wages and, Of course.
q corresponding increase in prices. The
cost of living reached new heights and
billions were added to the cost of de-
fense. Following this Mr.. Truman
finally moved to do what he should
have done eight months before-to wit.
appoint mobilization, wage and price
administrators.
Having held the Nation back for q
long period until they got what they
wanted, it then seemed reasonable to
expect the labor leaders to turn to and
cooperate in the defense program. But
that is exactly what they did not do.
On the contrary, the announcement Of
the wage and price administrators
marked the start Of so-called wild
cat strike against the railroads that
almost brought the Nations industrial
machine to a standstill. Pleas by Mr..
Truman and War Mobilizer Wilson went
unheeded until concessions were made.
Before the men went back to work o
lot of damage had been inflicted.
But that was not all. After the strike
that tied the railroads up had been
called off, the labor leaders themselves
went on strike-in effect. against the
Government. They bolted the Govern
ment board on which they had equal
representation with the public and in
dustry, because they could not secure
agreement to lot Of unreasonable and
ridiculous demands. Then they with
drew from the entire defense organiza-
ton and began a vicious campaign Of
Misrepresentation against War Mobi-
llzer Wilson. who opposed giving them
control over the whole manpower situ-
alton. Rejecting Mr.. Wilson's offer to
name a labor man on his top policy
committee, they proceeded to make
various stipulations and conditions until
the exasperated Mr.. Wilson, returning
from q conference with the President,
said "I1l be damned if I know what
they want!"
Considering these facts, the nat state
ment made by certain pro-CIO column
nists that 1T is fortunate for the coun-
try these labor leaders are patriots be-
fore they are labor leaders," is shocking.
The reverse of that is true. The great
trouble is that they are labor leaders
before they are patriots. That is what
they were in the last war when they
violated their "no-strike pledge" hun
dleds of times. And that they are now,
when they are dragging their feet as we
prepare for another war. To pretend
that they now are putting the interests
of the country ahead of their own is a
fraud upon the people. Yet that was ex-
actly the pretension of Walter Reuther
on his television program last week, and
that is exactly the attitude of all the rest
of the labor leaders who will gather here
next week for their big demonstration
against being treated as are all other
citizens. Their further contention is that
they are concerned only with 'prin-
ciples" and that personalities" have
nothing to do with their fight. A more
utterly false and phony performance has
not been seen in great many years.