Evening star., 1952-06-22
Lack of Leadership
Blamed for Strikes
Writer lndorses Eisenhower on
Administrations Subserviency
By Fronk R. Kent

BY Frunk r. Kent
Whether the steel strike lasts only a
few days or is prolonged into months,
thoughtful men are increasingly con-
cerned with its distressing effects upon
the economy Of the whole country.
First. they regard it as certain that
the steelworkerS' package" increase
will be about Is cents an hour and
that the steel price increase will be
between $3.50 and IS a ton. These fig
ures seem not only logical but inevitable.
This alone is bound to increase an infla-
ton already at dangerous height AS
Gen. Eisenhower said the other day,
that the strike should have occurred
while the country was in so great a
crisis is convincing demonstration of
an utter lack of leadership. 1t is also
a convincing demonstration of the de-
grading subserviency of the White
House to the CIO labor bosses. He did
not mention this, but the candor with
which he is speaking his mind makes
it very likely he will mention it before
the campaign is over.
OF course, what is worse than an
inf1ationary increase in steelworkers'
wages and steel prices is what is bound
to follow. No informed man doubts
that after the steel settlement has been
made there will be an epidemic of de-
mands from unions covering many other
industries. Most of the union bosses
make no bones about their situation.
They have got to get comparable in
creases for their men or lose prestige.
power and possibly their positions as
union heads. Moreover. they will be
able to make out just as good case
for their unions as the unctuous Mr..
Murray did for his. Also, they will
have just as much reason to expect
and undoubtedly will get-the same
kind of support from Mr.. Truman, his
Wage Sterilization Board and his servile
Labor Secretary, Maurice Tobin.
What this means, of course, is that
in the next few months the country
will be afflicted with series of strikes
big and little. Because of the admin
lstration's attitude, nearly all these will
be settled by granting most Of the
union demands AS a result. prices will
rise with wages Uhough not as high
proportionately) profits will diminish.
the Government will collect less taxes
from corporations and businessmen:
the cost of the defense program, already
20 per cent higher than the original
estimates, will again go up and our
economy generally will be dangerously
dislocated and disturbed.
There is very little dispute about all
this. Two years ago it was declared by
Bernard NJ Baruch as inevitable unless
at the start of the defense effort CELL
ings were promptly placed upon profits.
wages and prices generally. He cited
the record of World War I and World
War II to sustain this view, and begged
us not to repeat those terribly costly
mistakes. Warnings along the same
lines were issued within the past year
by Charles E. Wilson and many others.
Yet. in total disregard of the economic
facts and past experience, these were
ignored and a situation of unprecedented
peril has been created. The significance
of John L. Lewis violent statement &C
companying his $40 million gesture can
hardly be missed.
When Gen. Ike" lays the blame on
lack of leadership. he makes a state
ment that no disinterested and clear
headed man in either party will dispute.
AOOhIIlS dt tIlc uLlCOIllI dulCtdUlc 1dClSs
1t does not seem that we possibly could
have had worse leadership-more stupid,
blind and sinisterly political. If, as is
the firm conviction of many well-posted
men, the prime purpose of our Soviet
enemy Is not--and never has been-to
drive or provoke us into an all-out war
but to bleed us to death economically.
then the relations of the labor unions.
industry and the Government must give
the Kremlin leaders the deepest gratifi-
cation and encouragement. If we deliP-
erately had planned a way to give them
the utmost joy, we hardly could have
found better one.