Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1952-04-25

bargaining before stabilization had
been attempted.
In the face of that simple but
amazing fact, how could Harry ).
Truman have stood here last night
and calmly stated that the Wage
Boards recommendations were
fair and reasonable" or "in ac-
cord with sound stabilization poll
cies.' Only he and Phil Murray
though that.
The industry members of that
board were aghast, and declared
in a public statement that the pro-
posals of the board had been used
'as an instrument of union ap-
peasement." That distinguished
and high-minded Americ n,
Charles E. Wilson, resigned in
protest.
Outraged members of Congress
denounced the recommendations
as fantastic. Senator Walter F.
George, a member of the Presi-
dents own political party, spoke
up in no uncertain terms during
debate on the Senate floor.
''The real trouble" he said, lis
that this is not an impartial Wage
Stabiliazation Board That is the
whole trouble. l cannot conceive
that any President would desig-
nate such board as he has desig-
mated, and then undertake to seize
the entire industry because some
one disagreed with him and a
strike ensued."
Those were the Senator's exact
words.
Ralph w. Gwinn, Republican
member of Congress from New
York, sent telegram to the Pres
ident in which he charged that
some of the so-called public men,
bers of this board, who went down
the line with the representatives
of labor in the recommendations,
had actually themselves at various
times in the past been on the pay
rolls of the CLIO. and ALL.
Yet that is the agency which
Harry S. Truman described last
night as a fair and impartial Gov
ernment board. That is the agency
whose findings he now seeks to
put into effect by force.
He knows tht the board was in
tended to be advisory only, and
that it has no power other than
to make recommendations. He
knows that those recommendations
were not meant to be binding upon
the parties, yet he has seized steel
plants to compel their adoption.
The truth is that the Wage
Sterilization Board has been op-
Grated as politicl agency. 1t does
not impose wge ceilings, but re-
moves them when Phil Murray
calls the turn.
That this is not a Pigment of my
imagination but grim reality was
borne out less than two weeks ago
when David Mcdonald, secretary
treasurer of the C.IO., boasted
openly of the political influence
which this union wieldS in Wash
ington. He declared publicly that
the Steelworkers in this dispute
were in a particularly fortunate
position because they had "a
rather friendly gentleman in the
White House"
And heartsick as many Ameri-
cans were last night at what their
President said, they were panied
also at what he did not say. He
was purporting to tell the facts,
yet he withheld from the public
one significant fact. He made no
mention of the closed shop. He
dealt with money but omitted
principle.
Compulsory Unionism Seen
Actually this order of the board
establishes compulsory unionism
throughout the steel industry, and
the President now asserts that he
has the power to put that into eff
feet by force. Our Constitution,
which was adopted to protect free
dom, becomes in his hands an in
strument to destroy freedom.
Has liberty sunk SO low in Harry
Trumans scale of values that he