Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1952-06-03
STEEL MILLS CLOSING DOWN
AFTER u. S. COURT RULING
Truman Seizure
Held Illegal;
Strike Called

OlIIkC V0IlEu
CLEVELAND Rp-Ohio's 20
million-ton-a-year steel making in
dustry cooled down today, but not
until Friday will the roaring.
smoking giant be ready to sleep
out the nationwide steel strike.
About half of the 100000 men
who make steel in the Ohio plants
which were struck Monday after
noon by the Go United Steel
workers are idle.
The rest will join them during
the next three days after coke
ovens are prepared. blast furnaces
banked and sealed. open hearths
tapped and other precautions
taken to avoid wrecking millions
of dollars worth of property.
The bulk of Ohio's steel indus
try-second only to Pennsylvania
is concentrated in the northeast
part of the state. More than
third of it is in the Youngstown
Warren area where the first strik-
ers walked off their jobs within
minutes of Mondays supreme
court decision cancelling govern
ment control of the industry.
WASHINGTON tApl - The
supreme court ruled Monday
President Truman's seizure OF
the steel industry was uneonsti-
tufional. Within minutes ClO
President Philip Murray called
q nationwide strike OF his $780,
900 Steelworkers.
In a historic decision striking
down hard Truman's claim to vast
inherent power under the consti-
tuition, the high court upheld the
David A. Pine that the President
ruling of u. S. District Judge
acted illegally in seizing the steel
mills April s to head off strike.
This meant the government must
obey Pines order to return the
mills back to their owners.
It also meant the Truman ad-
ministration could not carry
through its promise of a wage in
crease to the steel workers while
the mills were under government
ownership.
Today's high court decision was
written by Justice Black. Chief
Justice Vinson and Justices Reed
and Minton dissented.
In issuing his strike cali today,
Murray at the same time asked
the steel companies to resume col
lective bargaining.
But Murray also made clear that
the union still stands on the terms
of the Wage Sterilization Board
recommendations of a 26 cent an
hour package" settlement, plus a
union shop arrangement. He said:
I'm the absence of a wage agree
mert our members have no alter
native other than to cease work. -
Murray authorized local union
officers to make satisfactory ar
rangements for standby employees
to protect the properties of the
various companies during the per-
iod of stoppage."
Todays decision was of overrid-
ing Importance in the controversy
-as old as the American republic
itself-over how great are the
powers of the presidency.
Truman has repeatedly claimed
he has inherent power under the
constitution to seize a private i'm
dustry, or take a wide variety of
other actions. to safeguard the
welfare of the nation in time of
national emergency.
The court said firmly, however,
this power belongs to Congress
and not to the either as
the civilian head of the govern
ment or as commander -in-chief OF
the armed forces.
There was no immediate com.
ment from the White House al
though Truman has said he will
abide by the supreme courts de-
ciSion-while saying at the same
time neither the supreme court nor
Congress can take away his pow.
ers to act in an emergency.
Robert Butler. st. Paul indus.
trialist and former ambassador tc
Cuba. was in the Presidents Of
flee when an aide gave Truman
the news of the courts ruling.
Butler said Truman "didn't
make any comment, at least in
front of me-"
Secretary of Commerce Sawyer,
par,o1 hxy -ryt,y,aon IN h0SS tho CIV.