Show national topics interpreted by william bruckart washington the arrival ot of the first robin is only a sign of the coming of spring it danger does not bring signs spring weather nevertheless we americans watch for signs an all our lives and lately there have been several of them in national affairs that are worthy of notice there never has been a time in our count rys history as for far as I 1 have been able to discover when the tension surrounding labor conditions has been as dangerous as it is right now I 1 do not believe anyone can forecast what the results are going to be what all of these strikes and factional fights in organized labor mean and I 1 am convinced that they represent something much deeper than just dissatisfaction with wages or growing pains of expanding business in other words there are many students of national affairs who are attempting to analyze current labor conditions as signs of new times most observers with whom I 1 have discussed the present labor problems are hopeful that these troubles mean only continued increases in the demand for labor that is they want to accept these signs as indicative of a returning and sound prosperity in commerce and industry yet none of them is quite sure there are too many is ifs and too many uncertainties for anyone to attempt a complete diagnosis of the circumstances some me weeks ago I 1 ventured the opinion in in these columns that the rift in organized labor between william green as head of the american federation of labor and john L lewis as sponsor of the industrial union idea likely would result in serious trouble for the labor unions themselves I 1 was unable to report then that which I 1 can write at this time namely that the schism in organized labor appears certain to set back the cause of organized labor many years indeed it seems that the split tangled as it is with partisan politics may prove to be the uncharted rock in union labors course and its ship may founder on it but the situation is fraught with graver possibilities I 1 am sure there are ele grave graue ments and influx possibilities ances at work in the labor situation today that easily could lead to riots and bloodshed from riots and bloodshed it is only a step to revolution of a political sort none here knows exactly what the administrations labor policies are beyond the exaggerated promises made during the last presidential campaign of co course urse president roosevelt and the bulk of his new deal spokesmen are exceedingly friendly over friendly some believe to organized labor the new dealers had organized labor with them in the last campaign now however it is made to appear that the support of labor in the campaign is proving more or less embarrassing barr assing to the adminis administration administrate trat 1 0 n which has just started on its second seco n d four year term some of the critics of the administration are outspoken in their statements that mr roosevelt is trying to dodge trying to avoid getting getling mixed up too deeply in labors problems some of WS his subordinates have been active but the president has stayed out of the picture just as far as he could and as long as he could I 1 am inclined to believe that these assertions that mr roosevelt is afraid to take leadership too frequently in labors problems are unfair to the president they amount to a statement that he lacks courage which is not true on the contrary there are many who believe with me that mr roosevelt senses developments yet to arise in the labor situation and he is therefore being cautious as to is steps thus early in what threatens to be a national labor labo r crisis on the other hand it is biffi difficult to explain why the national labor relations board has been so nearly quiescent through such strikes as the plate glass and portions of the automobile workers if there ever was a situ situation atio n made to order for use of th the e agency set up under the so called wa waner wagner ner law that situation was to be found in ahe the two strikes just mentioned the board did so little in those circumstances cum stances that its existence can be said to have been forgotten it amounted to a dead letter insofar as the law itself its elf is concerned in S some ome quarters one can h hear C ar discussion to the effe effect ct that sponsors sponsor of the national labor relations act and a nd board were unwilling to have that agency and the law receive recene a real test at this time I 1 have been unable to confirm this thought at all but frank frankly Y the circumstances that one sees indicate there is some truth in the rumor that too much of a burden should not be unloaded on the board for its first real test business interests never have believed the law to be constitutional constitution nal rhe fhe new dealers however have contended vociferously that it is valid and aid yet we have the picture of a new deal agency failing to perform the very functions for which it was created I 1 mentioned earlier some of the signs and portents that are visible in the labor situa sit down tion one of the strikes most important of these is the significance ance of the sit down type of strike I 1 find many informed authorities ties who refer to the sit down strike as a key point in present labor problems it is something new in this country tr it is a program of striking in which labor is entirely passive but by which it usurps the rights of ownership the workers simply stay in the plants offering no trouble and for the most part avoiding destructive tactics but it is the fact that they remain in the plants the property of their employers that is causing considerable worry in government circles the reason cason why this phase of strike tactics is creating concern lies in the fact that it amounts to the seizure of private property by individuals who have no right or warrant in law it would be the same thing as far as legal rights are concerned if a group of strikers went to your home or mine and announced they expected to stay there there is no difference in the two situations while the effect on you or me would be less important to the country as a whole it remains as a fact that our rights would be violated in exactly the same manner as rights of corporations were violated say in the general motors strike after au all you and I 1 are merely units of the great mass of people that make up the united states of america now it takes no great stretch of the imagination to recognize that if union labor establishes its ability to occupy the property of others and fixes that as a precedent then where are the rights of any person who owns property it matters not whether it is a small cottage a farm home or a great industrial plant the right to own property guaranteed to us by the constitution of the united states is virtually nullified y ane one of the rights of american citizenship iz is a right to own property it is a principle that has grown to be sacred with us since the boston tea party yet it is being challenged and thus far the he t federal government has made no move to break it up As long as employers organize and tread on labor with a steel boot just so long the workers are entitled to organize to combat mistreatment from business but it does not seem to me to be a right of labor to actually take private property to that extent I 1 cannot feel very kindly toward th those ose strikers at present asserting such a right through use of the sit down strike now there are reasons why the federal government has not acted if troops were sent into private factories to drive out the sit down strikers one can readily see what a riot would result but if the federal government fails to enforce this inherent right it is not doing its sworn duty to the rest of the people and it was only a few weeks ago that mr roosevelt again took the oath of office as president swearing to enforce as well as defend the constitution then another phase of the situation is being discussed the wagner law says employers must negotiate collectively with the majority organization of employees and it decrees further that the labor relations board shall determine which is is the majority organization that it can decide this question on evidence or order an election among employees none can tell usually cheth whether er union or company organization employees are in the majority in some of these strikes so the labor relations board has kept out of them taking this labor situation as a whole I 1 believe I 1 am justified in in saying as I 1 said earlier that it portends a crisis preaching of class hatred has been the main occupation of certain elements in the last three or four years and now those elements are reaping what they sowed bowed the tragedy of it all ar i that the rest of us have to re real the same reward 0 western newspaper union |